So I Just Bought A Slow Cooker!!

Agreed garlic powder is fantastic, especially as you say things like rubs.
It's not one or the other, they have different uses, just like fresh and dried herbs.
 
sports_brah said:
I'm going to try this. :D

I've got a 3.5l slow cooker which I'm guessing is appropriate? What size is shoulder of lamb? (I've never cooked lamb before) Or are the sizes all roughly the same?

When you say garlic is this the actual root or is it powdered? (Never used garlic before :o)

So to summarise veg: onions, garlic and celery?

Chicken and lamb stock is like oxo cubes and boiling water?
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You need a bit of lamb that fits in the pot :) About half a shoulder will do the job for your size cooker. Ask your butcher for the knuckle end and this will have more marrowbone which will melt out into your sauce yum yum.

I use root garlic. Chop it up and fry it off with the onion. Veg should be at least onions carrot and celery - the celery melts down to fortify the stock, but use what you have - leeks are great!

I'm a bit of a food geek and make stock a lot (in the slow cooker using left over chicken carcasses or bones from lamb/beef!) then freeze it down to use as and when needed, but at a push, stock cubes are great, just don't use those knor cubes that have herbs in. OXO cubes are fine, read the instructions for volume of water per cube.

Last weekend I also put a good chunk of root ginger in the pot - about a thumb length and about 4mm thick - gave the sauce a slight fiery taste - perfect for these bloody cold winter days. Pluck it out before serving though.

Please let me know how it goes :)
 
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I'd always heard that the meat should be covered by the fluid in a slow cooker but it seems that is not the case, just so long as there is enough liquid that it doesn't "boil" dry???

Might have to give the lamb a try soon, it sounds lovely!
 
valve90210 said:
I'd always heard that the meat should be covered by the fluid in a slow cooker but it seems that is not the case, just so long as there is enough liquid that it doesn't "boil" dry???
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Yep, pretty much! The slow cooker liquid will condense on the top of the lid and fall back in keeping the meat from drying out. When using less liquid, you need to be a bit careful if your slow cooker has a hole in the lid for a ladel as otherwise the steam will escape and it can boil dry. If it does, just lay a sheet of greaseproof paper over the top before you put the lid on.

Here's what I'm cooking tonight:

Fish Noodle Stew with Miso Broth! Easy as sin:

Chop a single carrot into thin strips, chuck it in the pot.
Thinly chop 4 spring onions on a diagonal, chuck them in
Chuck in a handful of mushrooms, I'm using oyster mushrooms which you don't have to do anything to - if you are using closed cup, slice them thinly.
Peel and Chop a 3cm cube of ginger into matchsticks and bung it in.
Cut a red chilli in half, de-seed, chop it up into matchsticks. Slap it in.
Put in a thick fillet of white fish per person - I am using cod tonight as it was on the cheap at the supermarket, but I would have preferred to use haddock or maybe even trout.

Make up 2 pints of fish stock (I used stock cubes) using boiling water. Add a glug of Mirin or rice wine, a glug of dark soy sauce, a splash of Fish Sauce and three tablespoons of dark Miso. Stur to dissolve the Miso and throw it over the fish making sure all the ingredients are submerged.

Cook on low for an hour then get a handful of king prawns, cut them down the back and remove the duct and throw them in. Cook for another hour on low. (If your king prawns are raw, chuck them in with the fish at the start).

15 Minutes before times up, hook out the fish with a fish slice, flake it up and put it back in then throw in a bunch of noodles - I am using sharwoods Thai Style Ribbon Noodles.

When its done ladel the miso broth and noodles into a big bowl and dress with Coriander leaves. Eat immediately.

Never made this before, I'll report back.
 
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Would I be able to pick the collective brains of all your slow-cooking aficionados?

I was bought a Crock Pot Saute Slow Cooker for Christmas, but I don't really like the look of the thing and it's USP doesn't really work on the hob I have without using a trivet. Plus I sort of like the idea of having a glass lid, as silly as that might sound.

The Morphy Richards Sear and Stew Slow Cooker has caught my eye, especially with it's aluminium cooking pot, but is the whole 'removable pot' thing an unnecessary addition to what should be a simple machine and I should just go for a more basic unit?
 
glitch said:
The Morphy Richards Sear and Stew Slow Cooker has caught my eye, especially with it's aluminium cooking pot, but is the whole 'removable pot' thing an unnecessary addition to what should be a simple machine and I should just go for a more basic unit?
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Don't know about that specific make but mine has a removable bowl that I wouldn't want to be without. Once my stew is done & I've had some I let it cool then just shove the pot in my fridge with the lid on.
Also how would you clean it out properly if you couldn't remove the inner bowl ?
 
4T5 said:
Also how would you clean it out properly if you couldn't remove the inner bowl ?
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Sorry, poor choice of words on my part.

As with all slow cookers, the Crock Pot Saute and Morphy Richards Sear and Stew both have removable bowls, but with theirs you can can use it on a hob to start things off.

From what I can tell, the usual bowls are ceramic and not suitable for the sort of heat you'd get from a hob, where the Crock Pot has a stoneware one and the Morphy Richards is aluminium.

I guess my question is just how useful a bowl that you can use on a hob actually is. Although the aluminium one strikes me as being easier to handle and wash-up afterwards.
 
DcD said:
As I posted on another thread;

Carolina Pulled pork.

Dry rub a pork shoulder in;

2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 handful brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cumin
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
8 tablespoons paprika

Stick it in the slow cooker, then add a mixture of;
Half a cup of tomato ketchup
A generous helping of Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup Apple cider vinegar
1/2 handful brown sugar
Mild chilli flakes
A small amount of hickory liquid smoke, if you can get it.

Leave for minimum 8 hours on low, when done drain the liquid, remove the meat, shred to the fibres with two forks and then readd some of the juices to make it more succulent.

Server in buns with 'slaw.

WIN.
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I just ate this, put it in the cooker before work, now stuffed to the gills, could not eat another thing, amazing. Thanks!
 
wesimmo said:
I just ate this, put it in the cooker before work, now stuffed to the gills, could not eat another thing, amazing. Thanks!
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I've done it again and got it in the fridge waiting to be put in to the slow cooker tomorrow morning.

This time I've put the right amount of sugar in having taken some out last time, put a bit less cumin, a bit more sweet smoked paprika, onion granules, garlic granules (tempted to put some ground cinnamon in too but didn't).


DcD for MoH 2013 to be honest.


Got 2x500g diced chuck steak as well for a chilli and also going to do a stew/curry (undecided which atm).

Slow Cooker ftw! :D
 
glitch said:
Sorry, poor choice of words on my part.

As with all slow cookers, the Crock Pot Saute and Morphy Richards Sear and Stew both have removable bowls, but with theirs you can can use it on a hob to start things off.

From what I can tell, the usual bowls are ceramic and not suitable for the sort of heat you'd get from a hob, where the Crock Pot has a stoneware one and the Morphy Richards is aluminium.

I guess my question is just how useful a bowl that you can use on a hob actually is. Although the aluminium one strikes me as being easier to handle and wash-up afterwards.
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I guess the only real benefit I can see is that you use the removable bowl on the hob for searing large chunks of meat. In which case, you preserve all the flavours from searing when using the same bowl to sear and slow cook with.

I guess the alternative is to just use a heavy based frying pan for the searing job, tip the juices into the slow cooker pot afterwards.

I've never had a slow cooker meal that tasted dull though, its hard to go wrong, so for me personally, I'd just stick with the conventional type (i.e. removable ceramic bowl).

But its a personal choice (I think, unless somebody can provide an alternative reason?).
 
Any recommendations for a slow cooked meal where I have the following spices already:

paprika
cumin
crushed chilli's
brown and white sugar
cayenne pepper
pepper, salt
wine,
extra virgin olive oil
newmans sticky BBQ sauce (couple bottles)
cider vinegar
Jalapenos
beer
worcestershire sauce
marsala galum


I tried the pulled pork which was delicious and was wondering if there are any recommendations that will use some of the above to keep my costs down.

Thanks. :)
 
Virgin olive oil has a much lower burn temperature than sunflower, you are using your oil in this recipe to brown the meat so will not be able to get your pan so hot until the oil itself burns. If it burns it goes black and makes the meat taste bitter.

You could just use a lower heat and cook the meat initially for longer, but you wont get the caramalisation on the meat that makes the sauce rich and umptious. Extra virgin is really a dressing oil rather than a cooking oil.

Personally I use groundnut oil - its got a high burn temp so you can get your pan scalding hot and fast cook stuff (good for the wok).
 
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