Inspired by a few recent posts that involved crock pots, I'm looking to dust off our seldom, if never used crock pot.

I'm looking for some good recipes that I can set up to have a good dinner that cooks while we are at work.

Problem I'm finding is that some many recipes I see online call for short cuts like including a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup, or lipton onion soup mix, or some other similar unappetizing additive.

Other things I see call for browning/searing meat prior to putting in the crockpot.. I suppose this is important if you want a richer gravy, etc, but to me seems to undermine the whole benefit of the "one pot" meal... not to mention, its not something you can do at 7:00am prior to leaving for work... obviously for some dishes, however, its essential.

Anyhow, appreciate it if people can post any favorite recipes they have here, from Stew, to Pot Roast, to Pulled Pork, etc... In addition, any tips or techniques would be welcome as well.

I know it SEEMS like you can't brown at 7 a.m. but I think it's worth getting up 15 minute earlier to brown the meat. I make sure to do that, just because it seems like if you put something in to cook for 9 or 10 hours...you probably want to make sure it's done as properly as possible. Otherwise you might be eating pizza delivery for dinner.

I'm sure you've seen my lentil soup and pulled pork recipes. I'm always looking for more to do in the slow cooker as well. I did a roast last weekend, but that's pretty basic (brown the roast, drop in some beef broth or onion soup mix, garlic cloves, Worcestershire and wine, and then leave it alone for 6 hours). I'll be watching this thread fo sho!

I sometimes cook whole chickens in the crock pot.

Season chicken as desired (salt and pepper and your choice of herbs or chilies and spices)
place on bed of potatoes, onions and carrots
pour in some chicken stock (I guess you could use wine, but I'd mix in some water or stock as well)
cover and cook on low for 8 hours or so

Use the cooking liquid to make a gravy. Serve with stuffing if desired.

My friend said there is a Williams Sonoma slow cooker recipe book that is outstanding.............

I have a cookbook of one pot meals....will dig up name

I've got a grew Provencal Chicken Stew recipe for the crockpot ... I'll dig it up and post it. There's a lot of website out there with nothing but crock pot recipes - http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&sour ... q=&aqi=g10

I posted it here already as a pressure cooker recipe but you can just as easily make it in the crockpot.

Beef tips and rice
2 lbs beef stew meat . .or brisket or top round or anything, really. As long as it's cheap and tough.
1 carrot, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 cup water
1 cup beef stock
1 cup red wine
salt and pepper

If the amount of liquid is not enough - adjust it to any quantity you need - just use equal parts water, stock and wine.

Toss everything in the slow cooker and cook on low for 8-12 hours or until the meat falls apart. Serve over white rice.

There are lots of things you could optionally do with this recipe.
1. Brown the meat first (coated in flour or not). Always a good idea but totally optional.
2. At the end, thicken with water and cornstarch to bring everything together into a sort of gravy/ragout
3. Optional ingredients range from garlic, ginger, soy sauce, cumin, chili, whatever.

I doubt the browning has to do with doneness but rather flavor. Browning gives you the most calorie free flavor in the world. Carmelization is the difference, many times, between bad food and good food. When I braise short ribs, I double brown. I brown before I cook them and then I brown them under the broiler before serving.

thanks for the replies so far folks, keep them coming!
Have a pot roast going today in the cooker based on a recipe from Williams-Sonoma:

Ingredients:
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
4 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 lb. red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch
pieces
1 1/2 cups beef stock
1 cup tomato sauce
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 beef rump roast, 3 to 4 lb.
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
Put the onion, carrots, potatoes, stock, tomato sauce, garlic, thyme and bay leaf in a slow cooker and stir to combine.

Season the roast with salt and pepper. Put the flour in a large bowl, add the roast and toss to coat evenly.

In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil until nearly smoking. Add the roast and brown on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Transfer to the slow cooker, cover and cook on high for 6 hours according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Transfer the roast to a carving board, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice the meat and arrange on a warmed platter. Remove the bay leaf and serve the vegetables and sauce alongside.



I actually browned the meat last night, and had everything ready to go in the cooker insert and stuck it in the fridge. Turned it on this morning.. probably not as effective as browning right before cooking it, but we will see...

will have to try those beef tips as well, sounds nice and simple.

I meant done as in handled, not done as in cooked all the way through.

It's a pretty basic book, but I find the book "Not your mother's slow cooker handbook" to be pretty decent. Good simple recipes for all the basic slow cooker things, and easy enough to build off of.

Oddly enough, my mother gave me her copy of this book....

The flavor from the browning won't go away. When I make braised short ribs, I brown the ribs before I marinate them overnight.

I have successfully browned the meats and veggies at night, thrown everything into the crockpot, left it in the fridge overnight, and plugged it in in the a.m. for a spectacular meal 8-10 hours later.

My strongest recommendation (after browning) is to use less liquid in the recipe than you think you will need. Sweat veggies (if not browning) before using. Biggest problem with crock-pot meals IMO is too much liquid in the finished product if not managed ahead of time.

Totally agree Jaye...........

My pot roast from last night came out pretty good flavor wise. But I see your point about liquid. I had quite a bit of liquid leftover (much more than went it), and it was a watery consistency, not a sauce/gravy consistency, despite dredging the roast in flour prior to browning. Obviously this is something you need to experiment with to get the proportions right. However, do you risk losing flavor that the braising liquid imparts if there is not as much in contact with the meat?

I sometimes end up with too much liquid . . who doesn't unless you a. follow a recipe or b. cook this way all the time. If I am going to for a thickened stew kind of deal . .certainly anytime where I've tossed the meat in flour beforehand .. I will thicken at the end with a little cornstarch in cold water. Not very chefly but always saves the day . .and nobody has to know

The solution (as Jaye noted above) is to brown or sweat your veggies before they go into the slow cooker because if not, they release all sorts of excess water into the pot. You already have a dirty pan of some sort from browning the meat so once you brown the meat, brown the veggies in the same pot and then throw everything into the slow cooker. I just made pot roast this weekend and it came out great. I also threw a little tomato paste in as well to help thicken it up and add flavor but the veggies are the key. Celery and onions are practically all water.................

And to answer your question about loss of flavor with the braising liquid ... you would be surprised how little you need since the food steams in its own juices. I usually only add 1/2 cup of wine as my liquid for a pot roast ... and nothing more. Veggies should always be on the bottom. Meat always sits on top.

prepped this last night and its cooking today.. will report back on how it turns out:

Crock Pot Beef Burgundy

Ingredients
2 lbs boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 1/2 cups pinot noir wine
1 cup beef broth
3 slices thick cut bacon, cut into 1/8 inch pieces
1 large yellow onion, chopped (approximately 3 cups)
3-4 medium red potatoes, cut each into 8 pieces (approximately 3-4 cups)
5 medium carrots, 1/2 pieces (approximately 2 cups)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 (14 ounce) bag frozen white pearl onions, slightly thawed (I used fresh)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup fresh parsley
salt
pepper

Directions
1. Place potatoes in bottom of slow cooker.
2. Season beef with salt and pepper, dust with flour and set aside.
3. Cook bacon in large skillet over medium-high heat until most of the fat is rendered. Remove with slotted spoon to slow cooker.
4. Brown meat in bacon fat, working in batches if necessary. Remove meat to slow cooker.
5. Heat olive oil in skillet. Add onions and saute until translucent and fragrant, approximately 5 minutes. Add garlic, sauté for 1 minute. Add carrots and sauté for 5 more minutes. Transfer entire contents of skillet to slow cooker.
6. Optional: Deglaze pan with wine and add to slow cooker.
7. Add all remaining ingredients to slow cooker except mushrooms, pearl onions and parsley. Turn slow cooker to low cooking setting. Cook for 6-7 hours.
8. Add mushrooms and pearl onions. Season. Turn cooking setting to high and allow to cook for 1 hour.
9. Season to taste and transfer to serving dishes. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

So? How was it????