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Slow Cookin the Ink way

inkfreq

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 4, 2011
Messages
5,641
So, most of the folks on the board who know me, know that I love to cook. I mean love it. I cook every day, sometimes twice a day, and I plan to compete in Master Chef one day.

And it's the time of year when I bust out my slow cooker and make nice soups, chilis, stews... all the good stuff to keep you warm in the colder months.

So I thought I'd share some of the slow cooker recipes I do with anyone who cares.

For the next two weeks, the only dinners that will be cooked in my house will be prepped the night before, and then cooked in a slow cooker the day of. I do this in the colder months because both the wife and I are handicapped, her with RA, and me with a lot of bad lifestyle choices over the years.

First up on the list, slow cooker chicken leg quarters. First I make my Beer Can Rub for the outside of the chicken:

2 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder

Rub that on the leg quarters nice and thick. I like a lot of flavor in my food. Let it set for an hour to really adhere to the meat.

In a large skillet, heat up olive oil just below the smoke point. Olive oil is a quick breakdown oil, so it smokes fast. We want medium-high heat, but not enough to break down the oil.

Now cook each side of the leg quarters for three minutes per side... just enough to crisp up the outer skin a bit, but not enough to actually cook the meat.

Slice up 5 celery ribs, 5 carrots, 5 potatoes, and half a medium yellow or white onion. Don't dice the onion, just slice it up.

Lay those in the bottom of your slow cooker in a nice layer. Once the chicken is cooked on each side, plate it in a pile on top of the veggies and taters.

Put the crock pot in the fridge. In the morning, set it to Low and let it cook all day. Add in one cup of water for the veggies.

By the time you get home from work, it's going to be smelling so good. Some times I like to add roasted garlic to the mix as well. Just wrap a head of garlic in tin foil real tight, and roast in your oven at 425 degrees for about 35 minutes.

The thing I love about slow roasting is I can prep it the night before in about 10-15 minutes, and then let it cook all day, so I am not too tired to cook when I get home from work. Sometimes if I am tired, I prep before work in the morning when I am feeling fresh and rested.
 
I've been with my wife for 13 years and I can count on two hands the number of times she's cooked for us. My choice, I hate people in my kitchen.

Looking forward to seeing what your stews look like. I have a few soups and a decent chili but nothing beyond that. :cheers:
 
Hey Ink, create a YouTube account and show us some food! I want to see these skills!
 
Hey Ink, create a YouTube account and show us some food! I want to see these skills!

I've been thinking about doing that. Got a lot of people on Google+ asking for videos as well.

I just don't have any decent way to shoot them.
 
Tomorrow's Dish: Pork Roast Slow Cooked

Tonight's prep work will be making the rub, rubbing down the roast, and then searing it off.

The rub is pretty basic:

Ingredients
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt to taste (I like a little more salt than some)


I mix all of that into a ziplock bag and shake it until it mixes well.

For the roast I use a pretty large roast so I have leftovers. I plan to use those is a navy bean and pork soup the next day.

I like to cut slits into my roast and place roasted garlic in the slits for extra flavor as well.

Run the roast down on all sides and let it sit for one hour, covered, so the seasoning really adheres well.

Heat up some olive oil, and sear the roast all the way around. I use tongs the position the roast where it's still not seared to get every inch done. It usually takes about 3-4 minutes to sear it in a hot pan.

Now I ball up about four gold ball sized pieces of aluminum foil. Heavy duty is the best for this. Pick each one up, and slam it down on the counter top, to flatten one side.

Now place those balls in the bottom of the roaster flat side down. They will form a stand for the roast that will keep it out of it's own juices. Place the roast on the stands, and place on High heat for one hour, then on low for the rest of the day.

For this particular dinner, I am going to do pork and rice, which is why the foil is so important. When I get home from work, I will remove the roast to a cutting board long enough to drain the juices in the bottom of the crock put into a pyrex measuring cup, then put the roast back in the pot.

Take the juices, and strain them through some cheesecloth to get the solids out. Take the juices and mix with water to make 3 cups of liquid. Use this to cook the rice in.

Slice up the roast into nice pieces and serve over top of the rice.
 
I've been thinking about doing that. Got a lot of people on Google+ asking for videos as well.

I just don't have any decent way to shoot them.

I would be your first subscriber.
 
Do you do dessert, too? Ever tried divinity? It's really sweet and seems very complicated. I've never made it, but my dad used to.
 
Do you wash out cheesecloth somehow or throw it out and get a new piece each time?
 
Do you do dessert, too? Ever tried divinity? It's really sweet and seems very complicated. I've never made it, but my dad used to.

I do some desserts, but it's not really my strong suit. I'm more of a classic guy... apple pie, pumpkin pie, and all kinds of sweet breads. Never been much for chocolate.
 
Do you wash out cheesecloth somehow or throw it out and get a new piece each time?

I do wash out the cheesecloth. Honestly, I'm too cheap to keep buying it.

I rish it out very well in hot water, and then I use one the wife's nylon bags.. the ones they use to wash out their super-delicate nylons, and toss it by itself in the washer on hot water and hot rinse.

I get maybe 20 uses out of them before I do have to toss them and buy new ones.
 
Last night I prepped for tonight's dinner, a slow roasted pork roast. Tonight I am going to prep for the nest dinner using the leftover pork roast, a navy bean and pork roast soup.

This is my easiest recipe. It takes almost nothing to make, but is one heck of a delicious meal.

I start by breaking down the leftover roast. Unlike a fresh ham, this is going to be a stringy meat because it was a slow roasted pork butt, so it won't make for neat little chunks.

I pull it apart, and slice it down to size. It requires no additional seasoning, and is simply ready to go.

I soak the navy beans overnight. In the morning before work I will pick the beans, to take the little casing off.

Into the crockpot we go:

Leftover Pork Roast
Navy beans (16 oz. package, soaked overnight and picked)
10 sprigs fresh parsley (I grow mine in the kitchen window sill)
2 sprigs fresh Thyme (Grow this myself too)
4 cups Chicken Stock
4 cups cold water
1 medium onion, chopped
4 carrots, halved and then sliced
2 bay leaves, whole
2 cloves roasted garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper to taste

Toss that all in the crockpot before work, and set on low heat.

This also works amazingly well with ham hocks instead of pork roast. If you have a ham hock, and a pork roast, it's the best there is.

I buy my pork roasts when they are on sale, and stock them in the freezer. They cost me about $12 each for a really big one that gets divided among two meals, one roast and one soup.

So the total cost for this easy to cook and delicious soup is only about $10 for all five people in my house, after herbs and ingredients.

I get away even cheaper, because I make my own chicken stock and can it up.
 
I do wash out the cheesecloth. Honestly, I'm too cheap to keep buying it.

I rish it out very well in hot water, and then I use one the wife's nylon bags.. the ones they use to wash out their super-delicate nylons, and toss it by itself in the washer on hot water and hot rinse.

I get maybe 20 uses out of them before I do have to toss them and buy new ones.

I hadn't thought of that. I have a beer brewing grain bag I could probably use that way. Or maybe I could weigh it down with mugs in the dishwasher.
 
Tonight will be a very simple Spaghetti, slow cooker style.

I will use Mild Italian Sausage for my protein. That goes into the crock pot on low heat. Over that I add my homemade spaghetti sauce which I can about twice a year when tomatoes go on sale in Arizona, fresh oregano, basil, parsley, and thyme.


-----------
This recipe is for a LARGE quantity of sauce, and then canned into quart size jars, so bear that in mind.

25 pounds tomatoes
4 large green peppers, seeded
4 large onions, cut into wedges
4 cans (6 ounces each) tomato paste
1 cup canola oil
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup salt
8 garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice

The green peppers and onions need to be very finely chopped. This is one of the few times I break out my food processor because I just can't chip it fine enough by hand without losing digits.

After chopping, I get my canning pot boiling.

Bring it all to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.

I add all the ingredients to a large stock pot except the lemon juice. This is going to simmer for hours until it reduces to the right consistency, usually about three or four hours, but on a really cold day, it's taken six.

Then I add the lemon juice. The bottled stuff has the right acidity for canning. Fresh lemons sometimes do and sometimes don't have the right acidity, so I don't risk it.

Can away.

---------------------

Now, most people will tell you that you need to blanch the tomatoes by boiling them first in order to peel them. Bah... hogwash. Much easier way is to cut them in half, and using the palm of your hand for pressure, run them across the large hole side of a cheese grater.

The skins peel right away and you're left with just beautiful tomato pulp for sauce.

Remove the Italian Sausage from the crock pot and slice into medium slices, and then re-add to the sauce.

In the last 10 minutes before it's time to serve it all up, I boil my noodles. If I am not working that day, I will make my noodles, but usually if I am doing the crock pot, it's because I am working, and I use pre-made noodles.
 
Well, I got sick yesterday and today and it derailed my week of slow cooking. Tonight the wife ordered pizza since I am down with some kind of "crud".

However, tomorrow I hope to be better, and good enough to work on my Jambalaya. If I can, I'll post details here.
 
My Jambalaya, as promised... it's a really easy dish to make.

For the ingredients:

32oz Chicken Broth
5 Andouille sausages (polish works if you don't have access to andouille)
4 chicken thighs, boned and skinned
3 cups long grain rice
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Green Bell Pepper
1 yellow onion, medium
4 Celery ribs
3 cloves roasted garlic
2 cans of diced tomatoes in juice
Cajun Seasoning


Get your pan for the sausage and chicken nice and hot. Once it's hot and water will dance off the surface, add some olive oil. Just a few tablespoons for cooking the meats.

While that is all heating up, dice your onion, and both bell peppers, and celery. Normally in cajun cooking, they only use green bell peppers, but I like green and red to add a splash of color to the dish. mince your garlic nice and small.

About now you should be able to add the sausages and chicken thighs to the skillet and get some color on them.

Place the veggies in a saute pan with butter, and saute them until the onions are translucent.

Add the veggies to the crock pot, along with the diced tomatoes and 4 cups of chicken broth. Add the rice over top of that.

Remove the sausages when they are barely firm. They will not be cooked through, but they will be firm enough to slice. Slice them up and add them to the crock pot with the veggies and liquids. Add in the garlic.

Pull the chicken into small pieces and add to the pot. Add three tablespoons of Cajun Seasoning, and salt to taste.

I usually like to add about a pound of medium shrimp as well, but it's optional. My wife hates all seafood (I hate my wife) so I have to cook the shrimp for about 5 minutes and add to the pot at the end, after I dish her up.

Place this on low for about 6 hours, then set to warm until ready to eat. The liquid should be fairly well soaked in, but you don't want the Jambala to be dry, so periodically you may need to add more broth during the cooking process.
 
I feel like this part requires some specificity.

Just a bottle of your favorite Cajun Seasoning. It's a spice.

Two tablespoons is usually enough for most folks in a this recipe. I use a LOT more in mine because I like it spicy.

I also usually add cayenne, but I realize most people don't like Jambalaya that hot. It's really not supposed to be a spicy dish.
 
Today was a big crock pot full of Fully Loaded Potato Soup. I have to make mine gluten free for the wife, but it's really easy and super delicious.

You need:
5lbs. of potatoes, cut up, but not peeled. Dicing them really small is the best for this.
Fresh chives
Fresh green onions
Yellow onion (medium)
1lb. bacon
64 Oz. Chicken Stock
2 cups milk
10 cloves of garlic, whole
block of Sharp Cheddar (shredded if you are lazy or handicapped)
Salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet or dutch oven (dutch oven works best if you have a nice campfire style cast iron model) cook the bacon to the firmness you prefer. I like mine nice a crispy. Start out by cutting it into 1/4" strips, and sprinkle them apart, and then fry them up.

When you are done, drain off all but about 1/4 cup of the bacon grease. Add in your dice onions to that. Cook until they are translucent. Takes about 5-6 minutes. When you have about two minutes left on them, add in the 10 cloves of whole garlic. You don't need to mince the garlic this time.

Put the 5lbs. of potatoes in the crock pot and add the bacon, and the onions and garlic with whatever bacon grease you have left in the pan you cooked it in. Add the chicken stock to cover the potatoes. Add two cups of milk.

Dice up your green onions, about half the bunch and dice up the chives, again, about half the bunch.

Set on high. It's going to take about 4 hours at this point, so go watch some sports and try to avoid the Honey-Do List. Enjoy the day.

After 4 hours, check the potatoes. If you can easily push a fork through them, you're ready to go.

With a measuring cup or soup ladle, drain about half the crockpot into a blender, potatoes and all. Blend the hell out of it until it's nice and creamy. Add that back to the crockpot.

This will give you a nice chowdery texture, but leave some potatoes in the pot too. If you didn't dice them real small, use a potato masher to break them down a little.

Now slice the rest of the green onions and chives, and shred the sharp cheddar with a grater using the large holes.

Garnish the top with a pinch of green onions, chives, and sharp cheddar, and if you dig it, a dollop of sour cream.

You have a delicious potato soup, fully loaded.
 
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and on the issue of the potato soup... this pot had to be the best I have ever made. I think I've had five bowls so far tonight, and it's just sooooo delicious.

I have an 8 quart crock pot, so I make large batches at a time. I like to leave it on warm until it's gone, and occasionally add water as it gets thick.

Nothing better on cold days than just having a nice bowl of potato soup at the ready any time you want it.
 
and on the issue of the potato soup... this pot had to be the best I have ever made. I think I've had five bowls so far tonight, and it's just sooooo delicious.

I have an 8 quart crock pot, so I make large batches at a time. I like to leave it on warm until it's gone, and occasionally add water as it gets thick.

Nothing better on cold days than just having a nice bowl of potato soup at the ready any time you want it.

OK. It's a busy week, but you've got me wanting to make the time to do this.

I'll cook my bacon in the oven though. When I'm adding bacon to a recipe rather than just eating it alongside some breakfast, oven bacon is just easier. You do it all at once rather that a skillet-full at a time.
 
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