Slow Cooker Short Cuts

I use my slow cooker for a variety of things, but I really use it for prep work for my recipes.  Here are some of my favorite "short cuts":

Cooking Dry Beans:  I will soak my beans first.  I usually do a "quick soak" where I put 1 package of dry beans in a pot with 1 quart of water and heat on the stove until boiling.  Boil for 1 minute and take it off the heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour.  Then I get my crock-pot out and fill it with 1 quart of water and set it on high and let the water heat up during that hour.  Drain and rinse the beans with hot water (if you use cold water, the beans will split), then place in the slow cooker with the hot water and cook on high for 4-8 hrs (depending on the bean: pintos--4 hrs, black--6-8 hrs, great northern-- abt 6hrs).  You do have to be careful to not overcook the beans, though.  Then season as desired (I use garlic, salt, onions, etc.)

Baking Potatoes:  Especially in the summer, I don't want to heat up my whole house baking potatoes in the oven, so I use my slow cooker.   I wash the potatoes (any potato: russet, swet, yams, etc), then spray the outside lightly with oil and wrap in foil.  Set in the slow cooker and with lid and bake on high for about 2-3 hrs.

Baking Winter Squash:  Super Easy!  Wash the outside of the squash (butternut, acorn, spaghetti, whatever).  Slice in half lenthwise and set the 2 halves in the slow cooker, skin-side down.  Cover and cook on high for about 2-3 hours.

Making Homemade Stock:  I like to make my own chicken and beef broth.  It is super easy and convenient in the slow cooker.  I'll use the chicken for an example but the same steps apply to any meat stock.  Roast a whole chicken in the oven.  Remove meat from bones and place carcass in the slow cooker and enough water to cover the bones (I add all the bones and skin).  You can also add onion skins, potato skins, carrot skins, celey tops, etc. for more flavor.  Cook in the slow cooker for at least 12 hours on high, for any longer on low.  I've kept it in the crock-pot for 2 days until I had time to put it away.  Then drain the broth and remove the meat from the bones (I usually get about 1 cup of meat from the carcass to use in a soup or something).  Discard the bones and vegetable peelings.  You can freeze the broth or use it within 2 weeks.

Our First Meeting!

The idea for this group came from a group of us talking about how we needed new ideas of what to make for dinner.  We all seemed to be stuck in the same rut and always seem to make the same things over and over.  We thought it would be nice to have a way to try new recipes and at the same time try it risk-free.  I hate nothing more than buying ingredients for a new recipe that "looks" good in a magazine or on the internet only to find that I made it wrong or nobody likes it--not even my husband who is so kind-hearted not to say it's gross (I can just tell by the look on his face).  So, if we have a group where everyone brings their own recipes along with a sample to try we can know for sure if it's going to be a keeper or maybe even inspire us to add to it and make it better. 

We decided our first meeting will be recipes with slow-cookers.  I am a bit worried with the recipe I've chosen because this is something I've learned to love living in El Paso.  Brisket is the popular choice of meat (or at least in my family) for most get-togethers in El Paso.  My mom would marinate the brisket for a couple of days with this marinade sauce and then slowly cook it at 275 degrees overnight.  We would wake up to a house smelled of yummy brisket.  So, the secret and the reason as to why I'm so worried is the marinade that we use.  You either like it or hate it.  I use Claude's Barbeque Brisket Marinade Sauce.  For the longest time, you couldn't find this stuff outside of El Paso.  I would stock up on this when I'd come home from college.  Once I moved here to Austin, I was surprised to see it at HEB.  In fact, I was surprised to see the variety of products Claude's has come up with: Fajita Sauce, Variety Sauce, Hot & Spicy Sauce, Western Sauce, Chicken Rub, Steak Sauce, Mesquite, Hickory, plus a whole variety of seasonings and other products all made in good ol' El Paso, TX.  Sadly, I've only tried Brisket Sauce.

Anyway, sorry to those who are vegetarian, but when you put a cut of brisket in the crockpot with Claude's Brisket Marinade Sauce and turn it on low for a good 6-8 hours the results are delicioso!  Takes me back to my hometown and great memories.  I serve this with baked potatoes, salad and vegetables or the El Paso style with rice, beans, tortillas and salsa.  Enjoy!

Slow-Cooker Brisket with Claude's Barbeque Brisket Marinade
 
Cut of Brisket (with a good marble)
Claude's Brisket Sauce (follow amount on bottle)
Turn on Slow Cooker on low for 6-8 hours
Meat will shred really well