Crock-Pot recipes are back. Trust me. The media can’t seem to get enough of them. Last week I was at Logan Airport looking at magazines. Right in between this month’s Bon Appétit and Cooking Light was a slow cooker recipe book! Of course I bought it.
Slow cooker recipes fit perfectly into our lives right now. The save time and money and they all qualify as comfort food. My crock pot has seen more action this year than it has in a long time. I have 4 new slow cooker recipes – each with a distinctly different flavor.
Pulled Pork Sandwich for the Crock Pot
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 6-10 hours
Serves: 8
- 3 lb pork roast
- 7-8 Tbsp. Victoria Taylor’s Kansas City Seasoning
- 1 onion
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 bottle (19 oz) KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce
- optional garnish: coleslaw and dill pickle slices
Completely coat the roast with Kansas City Seasoning. Cut the onion in half and place flat on the bottom of the crock pot. Add ½ cup vinegar. Place the roast on top of the onion, and cook on high for 6 hours or on low for 10 hours. When it is done, take two forks and shred or pull the pork from the roast. Add the BBQ sauce, and cook for another ½ hour on high (1 hour on low). Serve on a bulkie roll. For that extra taste, layer the pulled pork with coleslaw and dill pickle slices on the roll.
Brisket with Victoria Taylor’s Toasted Onion Herb Seasoning for the Crock Pot
Preparation: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 8-10 hours
Serves: 4
- 4 pounds of beef brisket
- ½ cup Victoria Taylor’s Toasted Onion Herb Seasoning
- 4 Russet Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
- 3 Carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 large Onion cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ cup Red Wine
- 2 cups Beef Stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup flour
Remove any excess fat from the brisket with a sharp knife. Liberally coat the brisket with 6 tablespoons of Toasted Onion Herb Seasoning, reserving the rest of the seasoning. Place the potatoes, carrots, and onions on the bottom of a large crock pot. Add remaining Toasted Onion Herb Seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, wine, and beef stock to the pot. Place the brisket on top of the vegetables (if you have a large brisket, simple cut it in half and stack the two pieces on top of each other). Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low heat for 8-10 hours or on high heat for 4-5 hours.
About 1 hour before serving, remove 1 cup of liquid, combine with the flour, and add it back into the pot to allow the broth to thicken. Remove bay leaves and serve.
Tip: Since you are cooking with a large piece of meat, I like to remove the brisket, slice it, and place it back into the crock pot just before serving. This way each piece of meat gets a nice coating of gravy as it is served.
Moroccan Chicken Stew for the Crock Pot – With Victoria Taylor’s Moroccan Seasoning
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 4 Hours
Serves: 6
- 8 medium carrots cut into 1” pieces
- 2 red bell peppers cut into 1” strips
- 2 medium onions cut into 1” chunks
- Zest and juice from 2 lemons
- 2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh ginger
- 1 medium butternut squash cut into 2” chunks
- 1 can (15 oz) chick peas drained
- 1 can (28 oz) whole plum tomatoes
- 6 bone-in skinless chicken thighs (about 2 lbs.)
- 5 Tbsp. Victoria Taylor’s Moroccan Seasoning
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Chopped fresh Italian parsley for garnish
Coat the chicken thighs with 3 Tbsp. of the Moroccan seasoning and set aside. Combine the carrots, bell peppers, onions, lemon juice and zest, ginger, squash, chick peas, and tomatoes in the crock pot. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp. of Moroccan seasoning. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables. Cook on high heat for 4 hours. Add salt & pepper to taste. Serve over rice or couscous and garnish with chopped parsley.
Tip: This recipe can be cooked on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours – whatever fits your schedule best.
Pork Tenderloin and Winter Vegetables with Victoria Taylor’s Herbes de Provence for the Crock Pot
This fall-apart tender meat will melt in your mouth, and the added sweetness of the vegetables will have guests asking for more.
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-7 hours
Serves 6
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 3 Tbsp. Victoria Taylor’s Herbes de Provence
- 1 pork tenderloin, (1½ – 2 lbs.)
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into eighths
- 1 large red onion, cut into eighths
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut in 2-inch pieces
- 8 ounces parsnips, peeled, woody core removed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup red wine
- Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp. Herbes de Provence over pork. Place tenderloin in skillet; searing all sides until browned; about 5 minutes. Place tenderloin in a 4-5 quart slow cooker. Add vegetables, water, wine and 2 Tbsp. Herbes de Provence. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours, or on high for 4 to 6 hours. Remove from cooker. Season to taste.
10 TIPS FOR SLOW COOKER RECIPES
- Before starting a recipe in your slow cooker, spray it with non stick cooking spray for easier cleanup.
- Once you start cooking, try to keep the lid on during the whole cooking time. Removing the lid during cooking can add significantly to the overall cooking time needed.
- As a general rule, if you are cooking meat and vegetables, put the vegetables on the bottom and the meat on the top.
- Slow cookers are especially good for cooking lean meats. When choosing meat for your recipe, select the leanest meat possible. The slow cooker will make it taste great and you will avoid having fat accumulate in your finished recipe. Another benefit is that the leaner cuts of meat tend to be less expensive.
- An easy way to thicken your recipe toward the end of cooking is to combine 1/3 cup flour with 1 cup milk or one can tomato paste and stir it into the pot for the last hour of cooking.
- Another way to thicken your recipe is to remove the slow cooker lid during the last hour of cooking to reduce the amount of liquid.
- Try to start your recipe with ingredients at room temperature. Since the slow cookers use lower cooking temperatures, starting with cold or partially frozen ingredients can add significant time to the required cooking time.
- Season your slow cooker recipe to taste near the end of the cooking time. Taste the recipe to determine if it needs additional seasoning, salt & pepper before serving.
- Tender vegetables like mushrooms, peas, tomatoes and summer squash should be added during the last hour of cooking so they do not become too soft.
- Cooking on “high” is generally twice as fast as cooking on the “low” setting. Eight hours on low is basically the same as four hours on high.
