Carnitas

Things we love:  slow cookers, roasts, meat under $2/lb., flavorful meals, healthy food, minimal active prep, leftovers.  Why not put it all in one recipe?

“Carnitas” literally means “little meats.”  It is a Mexican way of preparing pork that involves braising a pork roast until it is tender and falls apart.  Because the meat is braised, you can get away with using an otherwise tough and undesirable chunk of pork.  This means you can often find it at a good price.  The last two weeks, WinCo has had pork chuck roast on sale for $1.69/lb.  So of course I bought too many.  It may also labeled as “shoulder,” “Boston butt,” and “picnic ham.”

The meat itself is so flavorful that it is delicious by itself.  I like the meat rolled in a warm tortilla with no competing flavors.  For the kids, I add cheese, sour cream or yogurt, corn, and salsa.  Robbie discovered that it is excellent with my neighbor Fred’s green salsa.  I’ll have to pry that recipe out of him.

If you want, you can trim the meat before cooking it, but I prefer to leave it until after it is cooked.  Not only does it contribute to the flavor, but it helps keep the meat moist by providing a barrier for water evaporation.

Carnitas

1 c. water

1 Tbsp. chicken bouillon

2 bay leaves

1 pork shoulder roast (about 4 lbs.)

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cumin

¼ tsp. paprika

dash cayenne pepper (optional)

½ tsp. oregano

1 tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. cinnamon (optional)

Place water, bouillon, and bay leaves in bottom of slow cooker.  Place roast in crock, fattiest side up.  Sprinkle remaining spices over top.

Cook on low 8-10 hours.

Spoon some of the broth over top to rinse the spices off.  Remove any fat.  Shred meat using two forks.

Slow Cooker Roasted Chicken

I recently posted a recipe for a delicious oven roasted chicken and mentioned how it's really too hot to use the oven now.  However, the summer is the season of the slow cooker in our house!  I've made whole chickens in the slow cooker before, but was never very impressed with how they turned out, so I tried a different method this time and was pleased with the results.  Let me just say that while the chicken itself was delicious, we didn't eat it as is - I used it in another recipe, which I'll share at a later time.  This is a great way to get (cheap - buy it on sale!) shredded chicken without heating up your kitchen!

Slow Cooker Roasted Chicken
1/2 cup water
1 whole chicken (mine was almost 5 lbs), giblets removed
Quartered onions, carrots, garlic cloves, etc. to stuff the cavity
1-2 Tbsp oil
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp rubbed sage
1 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder

You can brine your chicken if you'd like, but I didn't have time to brine mine.

Pour water in bottom of slow cooker crock.  Stuff chicken with aromatic fillers or choice.  I used garlic cloves, onions, and carrots.

Combine oil, thyme, rosemary, rubbed sage, pepper, and garlic powder; rub all over chicken.

Place chicken in slow cooker and cook on low 6-8 hours, on high 4-6 hours, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 180 degrees.

Remove from slow cooker and let rest 10 minutes before cutting or shredding.

Not the prettiest chicken I've ever made!  It gets so tender, it falls apart when you take it out of the slow cooker.

Slow Cooker Taco Meat

It’s been hot here lately.  And we try not to use our air conditioner.  Needless to say, I haven’t been wanting to do much cooking involving the oven or the stove.  Out comes the slow cooker.

A while ago I found a great sale on cross rib roasts and bought too many.  So last week I took one out of my freezer and let it thaw in the fridge for a few days.  Normally, I would sear the outside of the roast to develop the flavor (like this), but this time I didn’t want to stand in front of the hot stove.  So I literally dumped everything in the slow cooker and let it go.  It turned out great!

This recipe makes a lot of meat, but it freezes well.  After serving it the first night, I ended up with three containers of leftovers.  I froze two and used the third to make chili the next day.

Slow Cooker Taco Meat

1 chuck roast or cross rib roast

½ Tbsp. beef bouillon

½ c. taco seasoning

1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes

Place roast in slow cooker.  Sprinkle with bouillon and taco seasoning.

Pour tomatoes over top.  Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or high for 4 to 6.

Remove meat from crock.  Shred with two forks and return to juices in slow cooker.  Stir to mix thoroughly.

This versatile meat can be used for burritos, tacos, enchilada casserole, quesadillas, or taco salad.

Saint Patrick's Day Corned Beef and Cabbage

Tomorrow is Saint Patrick’s Day.  In our house, that means corned beef and cabbage!  I’ve learned over the years that corned beef and cabbage is one of those dishes that people either love or hate.  It does not actually have its roots in Ireland, but in America.  For a quick history, see the Wikipedia article on Saint Patrick’s Day.  Regardless of where it originated, it has become a Saint Patrick’s day tradition across the United States.  (I’d be interested to know what other countries eat on Saint Patrick’s Day.  International readers, please chime in on the comments!)

Perhaps someday I will brine my own corned beef, but for now I just buy it.  In the United States, most corned beef is made from brisket and is sold as “flat cut” or “point cut.”  The point cut is fattier and a little tougher, making it less expensive, so that’s what I buy.  The extra fat also makes it tastier and can help keep it from drying out during cooking.

The key to ending up with tender corned beef is to cook it low and slow with a little liquid.  The slow cooker is the perfect appliance for the job.  Resist the urge to add too much water.  Also, be sure to slice the meat across the grain to increase tenderness.

I always add potatoes to my corned beef and cabbage.  Because red potatoes were on sale this week, I went ahead and bought them.  But russets work too.

Saint Patrick’s Day Corned Beef and Cabbage

About 5 red potatoes (enough to cover bottom of slow cooker in single layer)

1 corned beef brisket

1 cabbage

1 c. water

Cut medium/large potatoes into quarters, small potatoes into halves.  Place in bottom of slow cooker.

Place brisket on top of potatoes, adding juice and spices from package.

After washing cabbage, peel off 2-3 outer leaves and discard.  Cut cabbage into quarters and remove center stem.

Place cabbage on top of brisket.  If cabbage sticks up above top of crock a little, no worries.  It will cook down.  Add water.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours (preferable) or on high for 4-6 hours.  Remove meat to platter and let rest 5-10 minutes before slicing across the grain.

Be sure to cut across the grain in long strokes with a sharp,
non-serrated knife.

The potatoes and cabbage absorb a ton of flavor from the
meat.  I eat them with a little butter, salt and pepper.

Yum!!!

Beef Pot Roast with Gravy

My husband is a very meat-and-potatoes type of guy, so pot roast is right up his alley!  I tried many pot roast recipes (most ending in disappointment) before scrapping recipes and just throwing things together.  After trying different things, this is what I do now.

Beef Pot Roast
3 lb chuck roast (remember to get it on sale when it's under $2/lb!)
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 packet onion soup mix (save other 1/2 for gravy)
Onions, wedged
Potatoes, halved
Carrots, cut into sticks

Place onions in bottom of slow cooker.

Coat both sides of roast with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Sear both sides of roast in a very hot skillet.

Place roast in slow cooker.  Deglaze your skillet by placing about 1/4 cup water in hot skillet.  Scrape the yummy bits the roast left behind; then pour into slow cooker.

Add additional cup of water to slow cooker, along with half of the onion soup packet.

Cover roast with desired amount of carrots and potatoes.

Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours (or until meat is tender).  Be careful not to overcook your roast, as that will lead to dry meat.

Gravy
2 cups juice from slow cooker
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1/2 packet onion soup mix
Garlic powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
Beef bouillon (optional)

To make gravy, take 2 cups liquid from the slow cooker (if you have more liquid and want more gravy, use it and adjust recipe accordingly).

In a saucepan, melt butter; add flour and mix.

Cook over medium heat approximately 2 minutes.

Add juice from slow cooker and whisk until gravy has thickened.

Add onion soup mix and garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste.  If additional beef flavor is necessary, add beef bouillon to taste.  Serve immediately.

*Note: I like my gravy a little on the thick side, which is why I use 3 Tbsp butter and flour per 2 cups of liquid.  Typically it's 1 Tbsp butter/flour per 1 cup liquid, so if you don't like thick gravy, cut back on the butter and flour by 1 Tbsp each.