Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: FlamingCobra on February 10, 2019, 04:24:48 pm
Title: What's Cooking? (2019 Edition)
Post by: FlamingCobra on February 10, 2019, 04:24:48 pm
Some of you may remember the "Family Recipes" thread I made a long time ago where I posted a large batch Brunswick stew recipe. I decided to do the math convert it to a quantity suitable for slow-cookers. Other HLPers on the Discord expressed interest in a new "What's Cooking?" thread, so I thought I'd make the first post. Without further ado, here's
T-Rog's Crock Pot Brunswick Stew (for a 3.5qt slow cooker) (all quantities are approximate)
(https://i.imgur.com/SCFDnUh.jpg)
0.875 lbs of stew beef
0.904 lbs of chicken (a mixture of dark and white meat is preferred)
9.248 oz of green lima beans
0.4375 lbs of onions
28 oz of crushed tomatoes
12 oz of corn
66 g of butter
1 tbsp of liquid smoke
29.2 g of white sugar
1.458 lbs of potatoes
salt, black pepper, red pepper, and chili seasoning to taste
My process, which needs serious refinement:
Chop and cook the chicken via boiling. Use chicken broth or chicken boullion to make broth. Keep the broth. Store chicken.
6:50 PM -- Stir pot. Add chicken to crock pot and begin boiling beef. Skim foam off of the surface of the pot beef is being boiled in. Once the beef is cooked, add it to the crock pot as well. Stir pot.
11:18 AM -- Say "**** it, it's done," even though the beef hasn't cooked apart like it's supposed to. Stir pot. Taste. Find out your stew tastes scorched and cry like a *****.
Afterword (My plan for next time based on what I've learned): Trying to replicate my parents' and grandparents' cooking process in a slow cooker instead of in a cauldron over a wood fire was probably a mistake. I think I should have cooked the the beef and chicken by themselves in a mixture of beef and chicken broth the crock pot the night before. This should give the chicken and beef more time to tenderize and fall apart. The next morning, add the onions and lima beans at the same time. Cook for four hours on low. Stir. Add potatoes and crushed tomatoes. Don't use San Marzano tomatoes this time. Cook for four hours on low. Add corn, butter, sugar, and seasonings. Stir and cook on low for one hour.
I'd love for you all to try and make this recipe, but don't **** it up like I did. It'd be great if anyone could give me some tips or a general guideline for what I should do instead next time.
Title: Re: What's Cooking? (2019 Edition)
Post by: Madsag on February 10, 2019, 07:48:27 pm
Very interesting, i want to try
Title: Re: What's Cooking? (2019 Edition)
Post by: theperfectdrugsk on February 11, 2019, 06:43:00 am
Might have to try that recipe. I don't know about yours, but my slow cooker is way too hot on "high" but not quite hot enough on "low"...which means I have to keep changing the setting and kinda defeats the point of a slow cooker.
Too late for pictures, but last night I spatchcocked a chicken for the first time and made "chicken under a brick." Turned out quite well; skin was nice and crispy, and now I've got a load of tasty chicken drippings and grease in which to cook up some taters (or make gravy, I haven't decided).
Title: Re: What's Cooking? (2019 Edition)
Post by: Buckshee Rounds on February 11, 2019, 10:10:20 am
Does your slow cooker not have an auto setting? It should start off on high then go back down to low once it reaches the right temp.
In regards to recipe above - I don't think I've seen a slow cooker used that way before. Beef is hard to stew I think, you need smaller cuts for it if you want it to fall apart. Beef mince is usually quite good in a slowcooked stew. In all honesty though, that recipe is way too advanced for me.
Being the lazy bastard I am, I prefer to just do the minimum of prep and precooking before shoving everything into the pot and leaving it alone for a few hours. I've tried just doing prep and no precooking at all to push the boundaries of minimum effort, but I find that the veg ends up tasting really bland and the meat flavour doesn't get drawn out as much.
Slowcooked jalapenos are my favourite - add in some kidney beans and chopped tomatoes, it's a guaranteed way of making chilli mince.
Title: Re: What's Cooking? (2019 Edition)
Post by: Colonol Dekker on February 11, 2019, 11:45:47 am
MRE. Nomnomnom.
Title: Re: What's Cooking? (2019 Edition)
Post by: theperfectdrugsk on February 11, 2019, 12:09:46 pm
Nah, my slow cooker is a barebones crock pot... Just warm, low and hot.
Honestly, if I'm going to pay for beef, I usually just buy something grill-worthy. My thinking is that while expensive beef is better than any cut of pork, cheap pork is much better than cheap beef.
Also... MREs? Bleh. I've never been able to sweat enough to require that much sodium intake.
Title: Re: What's Cooking? (2019 Edition)
Post by: Colonol Dekker on February 11, 2019, 01:33:54 pm
I have. And I have recently. So omnomnom ;)
Also, what's with the username? :)
Title: Re: What's Cooking? (2019 Edition)
Post by: theperfectdrugsk on February 11, 2019, 08:24:05 pm
Hah...when I was a kid (back in ye olde dial-up days) I really liked Nine Inch Nails. Now I'm old and lazy and not clever enough to come up with a new name, so I keep using that one for various forums and such.
Title: Re: What's Cooking? (2019 Edition)
Post by: Colonol Dekker on February 12, 2019, 12:13:40 am