It’s time for some hearty cooking so dig deep into your pantry and dust off your trusty crock pot!
The wonderful thing about a crock pot is you can do all the prep early in the day, and be ready to serve dinner right when you walk in the door from work! The “Set It and Forget It” aspect is great for a busy schedule.
Today’s crock pot recipes have gotten more modern with delicious twists like in my recipe for Crock Pot Fragrant Soy & Ginger Beef, cooked until succulent with green onions, shitake mushrooms, and cabbage. Marinate the beef overnight with a garlicy, spicy soy marinade, then layer into the slow cooker with onions, mushrooms, and wedges of cabbage. Pour the marinade over the whole thing and set to cook. After 8 or 9 hours, you’ll have a rich, super-flavorful sauce with delicious meat and tender veggies. Perfect to serve with steamed rice. PS – you may want to put the cooker under your stove hood (turned on) as it can be quite “fragrant” with the cabbage.
Another fork tender recipe is my Orange Chili Slow-Cooked Pork made with chili spice rubbed pork butt, fresh squeezed Sunkist Orange juice, coriander seed, tomato paste and garlic. Super flavorful!! Great to serve in DIY soft tacos.
And there are a ton of great crock pot cookbooks out there from everything from soups and chilis to even cakes!
Have a favorite oven-braising recipe? These can be easily adapted for crock pot cooking. Just remember to add your vegetables on top of the meat or poultry – this way they won’t get overcooked. –Kathy
Crock Pot Fragrant Soy & Ginger Beef with Green Onions & Cabbage
Makes about 6 servings
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 1/2 pounds beef brisket roast
2 slices fresh ginger root
3 cloves of garlic
1 star anise pod
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. red chili flakes
1 yellow onion, peeled and cut in 6 wedges
1 very small head green cabbage, cut in 6 wedges
1 bunch green onions, ends trimmed off, cut in 2-inch pieces
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
Heat oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Place beef into pan, fat side down, and brown the first side. Turn over and brown the other side. Transfer beef to a non-corrosive bowl or baking dish.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the ginger root, garlic, star anise, cinnamon, brown sugar, soy, vinegar, and chili flakes and pour over the meat, turning the meat to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Then next day, remove the meat from the dish and place in the bottom of the slow cooker (reserve marinade). Next, layer in the onion wedges, then the cabbage and green onions. You may need to push down the cabbage a bit to make it fit.
Whisk the cornstarch into the reserved marinade until blended, then pour over the top. Cover tightly with the lid and set to cook on high. Cook undisturbed for about 8 – 9 hours.
To serve, remove the cabbage and onions to a platter and the meat to a cutting board. Slice the meat against the grain and place on the platter. Spoon the sauce over the meat and vegetables.
Recipe by Kathy Casey Food Studios®
Orange Chili Slow-Cooked Pork Tacos – Yum!
Photo by Kathy Casey Food Studios®.
Orange Chili Slow-Cooked Pork
This full flavored pork is great to get cooking before heading off to work. Serve over rice, as a pulled pork sandwich or in tacos.
Makes 6 hearty servings
1/4 cup chili powder
1 Tbsp. coriander seed, crushed
1 Tbsp. salt
1 boneless pork butt (shoulder), about 3 pounds, cut into 2 pieces
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup fresh squeezed Sunkist Orange juice
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. minced fresh garlic
1 large onion, sliced
To prepare the pork, mix the chili powder, coriander seed, and salt in a large, shallow bowl. Roll the pork in the mixture.
Put the pork in a slow-cooker. (Add in any extra seasoning that did not stick to the pork.) In a small bowl whisk together the tomato paste, orange juice, vinegar and garlic. Pour over the pork and then scatter with the onion. Cover set the cooker on high. Let cook for 8 hours or until very tender. Serve as desired.
Chef Notes:
Recipe created by Kathy Casey Food Studios® for Sunkist®.
