slow cookers

[Vince Green]

We would be lost without ours, best thing we ever bought.

[Dougy]

Used mine for years. In fact probably 30 odd years. One of world's best inventions, stews,roasts,pate,currys, steam puddings, just remember to either part boil root veg or dice small.

Very good for making gravy too, chuck in a load of trim and bones, cover with water and leave on for a day on Auto.

[Mice!]

Well I got up this afternoon and wife has been out and bought one, 2.7litre morphy Richards half price at £20 Argos I think so probably wake up tomorrow to something like a curry cooking I think.

 

She thinks its a great idea, we regular got out before or around dinner get back and have to have what she says is a carp tea or spends an hour indoors when its nice doing the tea, won't be long she will be saying it was her idea all along

 

Shame she is a vegi,

Thanks all 👏

[jam1e]

Wife uses ours reasonably often. She puts meat, peas, carrots, sweetcorn, potato in there chopped up with water and granules, various herbs and let's it get on with it.result is a nice stew. if the kids like what you are putting in the slow cooker they will like it. it doesn't make stuff like mush

Same as above.

We use one regularly for stews and the like. She sometimes puts 6 chicken thighs in with all the veg, then at the end of the day removes the meat, removes the bones and returns meat. Then drains all the fluid out and reduces it down to a gravey.

I even snook in the best parts of a squirrel once, and de-boned it before she got home and stirred it in. She came home, did her thing, then myself, the wife and kids tucked in. Everyone loved it! After dinner I coughed to the squirrel. I wasn't popular for a day or 2 but everyone loved the taste!

Back on track... I did moan a little about her getting one as she hates cooking, but were all chuffed with it. Even the Mrs!

[GingerCat]

I love mine. If your smart you can prepare two meals at the same time and pop one in the slow cooker the following morning and freeze any left overs of last night's.

Comes into its own for stews and the like when the weather is cold.

Veg curry or any curry for that matter is great in them.

[Walker570]

The best slow cooker I have is a 45gal drum with the top six inches cut off and then the 'waist' crimped so the lid(the top six inches will fit over. One rack for the smoking wood and charcoal about 4 inches from the bottom to one side. Another rack six inches from the top and on the opposite side. A roasting dish slung beneath this for water. Drill a two inch hole in the side beneath the fire and another in the lid. Make a sliding door to turn across this hole to control air flow. A temperature gauge in the lid.

 

Brisket ... large piece maybe 3 to 4 lb trimmed of any excess fat. Make up a mixture of your choice to marinate this brisket for 12hrs or a bit more. I usually put it in the fridge about mid day, the day before, turning it occasionally. 8am the day you are going to eat the brisket, set a good layer of charcoal in the bottom rack ..think of half a normal bucket full. Then I have an old 1/2gal paint tin which I have burned out and put a handle on, punched holes in the sides to start some more charcoal and when this is nice and grey I tip this on top of the charcoal in the cooker. I will already have some chunks of apple or plumb or cherry, which I will have soaked in water for an hour or so. Place these on top of the charcoal and now having retrieved the meat from the fridge, rubbed the outside all over with mustard, then brown sugar, double wrap in cooking foil and place on the top rack. Fit lid and forget about it until mid day ish. Check the charcoal and replenish if needed, check the temp and try to keep it at 300 or below. Turn the package over, fit the lid and then about 4..30pm have a look check the meat temperature and if cooked ...beef rare, unwrap the foil and let it sit with the lid on but let the fire die out. This should crisp up the outside. Add more damp wood chunks at this stage if you like it heavily smoked. We would normally eat about 6pm.

Served this up with jacket potatoes and a good mixed salad and never a smidgen has been left on the carving board.

You do need a good sized piece to be really successful and keep it moist. I usually buy my brisket whole and cut it in half.

 

Timing is not critical and if you like a heavy smoke then let the meat be naked on the grill for the first hour, then wrap.

Edited May 1, 2017 by Walker570

[Mice!]

Veg stew today when I woke up, come tea time missus was at a loss because she had sorted it all earlier job done.

 

And it was 3.5 litres I was thinking of something else.

[Dougy]

The best slow cooker I have is a 45gal drum with the top six inches cut off and then the 'waist' crimped so the lid(the top six inches will fit over. One rack for the smoking wood and charcoal about 4 inches from the bottom to one side. Another rack six inches from the top and on the opposite side. A roasting dish slung beneath this for water. Drill a two inch hole in the side beneath the fire and another in the lid. Make a sliding door to turn across this hole to control air flow. A temperature gauge in the lid.

 

Brisket ... large piece maybe 3 to 4 lb trimmed of any excess fat. Make up a mixture of your choice to marinate this brisket for 12hrs or a bit more. I usually put it in the fridge about mid day, the day before, turning it occasionally. 8am the day you are going to eat the brisket, set a good layer of charcoal in the bottom rack ..think of half a normal bucket full. Then I have an old 1/2gal paint tin which I have burned out and put a handle on, punched holes in the sides to start some more charcoal and when this is nice and grey I tip this on top of the charcoal in the cooker. I will already have some chunks of apple or plumb or cherry, which I will have soaked in water for an hour or so. Place these on top of the charcoal and now having retrieved the meat from the fridge, rubbed the outside all over with mustard, then brown sugar, double wrap in cooking foil and place on the top rack. Fit lid and forget about it until mid day ish. Check the charcoal and replenish if needed, check the temp and try to keep it at 300 or below. Turn the package over, fit the lid and then about 4..30pm have a look check the meat temperature and if cooked ...beef rare, unwrap the foil and let it sit with the lid on but let the fire die out. This should crisp up the outside. Add more damp wood chunks at this stage if you like it heavily smoked. We would normally eat about 6pm.

Served this up with jacket potatoes and a good mixed salad and never a smidgen has been left on the carving board.

You do need a good sized piece to be really successful and keep it moist. I usually buy my brisket whole and cut it in half.

 

Timing is not critical and if you like a heavy smoke then let the meat be naked on the grill for the first hour, then wrap.

 

 

The title is "Slow Cookers" Not

 

"Slow at cooking my dinner, it will be ready next week after Ive prepared the barrel, cut down the orchard and started a little fire in me barrel "

 

 

 

sorry but it does sound rather good. I tried using an Old Sherry Barrel but dropped a clanger by cutting an opening out of the side. I screwed all the timbers to the bands, but didn't think of the wood drying and opening out. The door just was not going to fit any where near the sides. Its now got my mint in it

[Walker570]

Dougy ... appreciated, but thought I would open the debate. :-)

[Dougy]

Walker,

I dropped a major clanger and cussed loads after drilling and screwing every single one of the barrels bands twice. Planning to put a door on it to make easy access to the contents. After cutting out the door the barrel started to open out, very slightly to begin with. The the following day, the day I planned to put the hinge and catch on my new acquired door to my smoker.

 

I was gutted and disappointed in my pure stupidity of not realising that I had not thought of the sections starting to separate. As I said I now have my mint growing in it.

 

Going back to the slow cooker, I was bought a Tower 6 lt one back in the early 80s and still had it up to about 3 year's ago. A brilliant invention and we'll worth the money money.

[lord_seagrave]

Inspired by this thread, I have blasted three short ribs in the oven and then chucked them in the slow cooker with onions, turnips, carrots and mushrooms and a bit of stock.

 

Good times.

 

LS

[kyska]

Inspired by this thread, I have blasted three short ribs in the oven and then chucked them in the slow cooker with onions, turnips, carrots and mushrooms and a bit of stock.

 

Good times.

 

LS

Nice, I like to cook whole chickens, when cooked strip (easily) every scrap of meat off, bones back in, top up with water and veg then slow cook over night for amazing soup stock.

 

Chilli is very good in a slow cooker too.

[ditchman]

liven the stews up and put some homemade dumplings in it...................with fresh parsley in the dumplings....then serve up the stew or cheap lamb chops and dumplings with good old colmans mustard..........

 

 

and for proper stews add pearl barley...........

Edited May 3, 2017 by ditchman

[Blackpowder]

Use mine a lot really handy as I use a wall mounted timer and its great to come home to a hot meal. For pigeon pies I precook chopped and browned pigeon breasts for about 6 hours in beef stock on low before creating first class pies.

 

Blackpowder

[ditchman]

Use mine a lot really handy as I use a wall mounted timer and its great to come home to a hot meal. For pigeon pies I precook chopped and browned pigeon breasts for about 6 hours in beef stock on low before creating first class pies.

 

Blackpowder

 

 

that sounds nice....

[Walker570]

Keep it up, you've almost persuaded me to buy one

[Mice!]

Twenty quid at Argos worth a punt I thought given what folk have said.

[lord_seagrave]

Delicious dinner, beef falling off the bones, rich, thick gravy etc etc.

 

Top tip is to blast whatever meat you are using in a really hot oven for a bit beforehand. You then get all the roasty, crispy, meaty flavours that just aren't there if you start off with raw ingredients straight in the pot.

 

I rubbed my beef ribs with a little rapeseed oil before giving them 15 minutes at 250 degrees. The fat and outer membrane crisped up almost to burning, and the bone ends were bubbling when I slung them in the pot, but 10 hours on low with plenty of veg turned them into a gloriously silky stew.

 

Second top tip is that if you are cooking beef, chuck in plenty of turnips. Essentially turnips taste a little bit like horseradish, and that sweet, radishy flavour is deliciously complementary.

 

 

LS

[johnnytheboy]

Slow cooker technology has just went mental, I just bought one no it has loads of functions, so is vide, shallow fry, slow cook, keep warm, it might be worth looking at that as it opens up loads of options, the sous vide bit is very interesting! I just need a vac packer and I'm sorted!

[hawkfanz]

go on micey u know its makes sense i wouldn,t be without mine my other essentials are goerge foreman n microwave.

[Mice!]

Bought one on the 30th mate only had a veg stew in it so far but pork and chicken with some onion and carrots going in tomorrow see what happens?

[ditchman]

right how about this then......................

 

 

a nice big oxtail chopped up with onions and carrots...nice thick gravy....served up with old fashioned boiled potatoes and loads of spring greens...................

[Mice!]

Success, first proper meal in the slow cooker, diced up some pork chops to go with chicken drumsticks, browned it off in a pan then into the slow cooker with carrot parsnip and some seasonings, at least that's what the lady wife told me, she gave it a shake and a stir and jib done. We were outside enjoying the afternoon sunshine while the tea sorted itself.

 

Kids wolfed it down and I've got a portion for later as well, wife went Tesco for hers you couldn't make it up the joy if being a vegi.

[Mice!]

Delicious dinner, beef falling off the bones, rich, thick gravy etc etc.

 

Top tip is to blast whatever meat you are using in a really hot oven for a bit beforehand. You then get all the roasty, crispy, meaty flavours that just aren't there if you start off with raw ingredients straight in the pot.

 

I rubbed my beef ribs with a little rapeseed oil before giving them 15 minutes at 250 degrees. The fat and outer membrane crisped up almost to burning, and the bone ends were bubbling when I slung them in the pot, but 10 hours on low with plenty of veg turned them into a gloriously silky stew.

 

Second top tip is that if you are cooking beef, chuck in plenty of turnips. Essentially turnips taste a little bit like horseradish, and that sweet, radishy flavour is deliciously complementary.

 

 

LS

Now can I ask did you add any liquid to this? Sounds very nice indeed I'm just wondering if I just put ribs in do they dry up or do you always need to add some liquid??

[lord_seagrave]

Now can I ask did you add any liquid to this? Sounds very nice indeed I'm just wondering if I just put ribs in do they dry up or do you always need to add some liquid??

Yes, about a pint of stock.

 

It does come out VERY beefy with stock, and did need sharpening slightly at the other end (I just used a squeeze of lemon juice, but some red wine or red wine vinegar would have been my first choice).

 

Wine, rather than stock, probably would have been better, and balanced out the flavour from inside, if you know what I mean.

 

Next time.

 

Those short ribs are perfect for slow cooking - meaty and bony, but no fiddling about. Not as cheap as they used to be, but you still shouldn't pay more than a quid each, I reckon.

 

LS

 

By the way, the following day the leftovers (with a couple of spuds) went into the nutri-bullet and got blitzed down to an unctuous soup the next day.

 

Crazy easy, and super delicious.