Crock-tober
Using small appliances to assist in meal preparation has been around as long as appliances have been around. I remember my grandmother using an electric skillet when she cooked a chuck roast. She would simmer it on a low setting, covered with a rich broth, for a couple of hours. About 30 - 40 minutes before it was done, she would add potatoes and carrots so that they would all be ready at the same time. My appliance of choice is probably a slow cooker, especially at this time of year when days are getting shorter and the weather is getting cooler. Here are some of my tried and true slow cooker recipes.
Slow Cooker Pork Butt
Ingredients
1 pork butt roast, 2 -3 lbs,
2 large sweet onions, sliced
Your favorite rub or seasoning mix (I’ve used a Greek seasoning mix which turned out well, and also used a rub made for pork, which gave the roast a little more flavor.)
Chicken broth
Instructions
Rinse pork roast and pat dry. Cover entire roast generously with the rub or seasoning mix.
Place onion slices in the bottom of the slow cooker, and put seasoned pork butt on top of the onions.
Put in enough chicken broth to cover the pork butt.
Cover and cook on high for 6 hours, or low for 8 – 9 hours.
Remove pork butt from slow cooker and let cool enough to handle. Use 2 forks or meat claws to shred the meat.
Scoop onions from the broth and serve with the roast.
This is a very versatile way to prepare a pork butt. I’ve served it with some of my favorite sides, used it to make tacos and stuff loaded baked potatoes, and added bbq sauce to make sandwiches.
Mississippi Pot Roast
Ingredients
1 – 2 to 3 lb chuck roast
6 pepperoncini peppers (jarred)
1 stick of butter
1 packet au jus gravy mix
1 package buttermilk ranch dressing mix
Instructions
Rinse chuck roast, pat dry and place in slow cooker.
Sprinkle the gravy mix and ranch dressing mix on top of the roast, spreading evenly.
Scatter the pepperoni peppers over the roast.
Place the stick of butter on top of the roast.
Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours.
Remove roast from slow cooker and shred the meat, then put the shredded meat back into the gravy in the slow cooker.
Serve the meat and gravy over pasta, rice or mashed potatoes.
Slow Cooker Potato Corn Chowder
Ingredients
2 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 small onion, diced
1 rib of celery, sliced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp dried thyme leaves
3 cups chicken broth
4 potatoes, peeled and diced
3 cups frozen corn
1 cup light cream
2 tbsp cornstarch
Toppings: shredded cheddar cheese,
chopped green onions, additional
crumbled bacon
Instructions
Place the potatoes, corn, bacon (the 2 cooked and crumbled slices), onion, celery, carrot, and garlic in a crock pot.
Pour the chicken broth on top and season with the salt, pepper, and thyme leaves.
Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours until the potatoes are tender and cooked through.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the cream and cornstarch. Stir this mixture into the crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes to thicken the soup.
Serve warm topped with the cheese, green onions and additional bacon.