Good meat for the crock pot?

I know this site is about smoking, but I figured you guys will know the answer. We have never had success with the crock pot, always finding the meat to get either dry and/or chewy. Interestingly, it always seems to break apart when portioning it for serving, but it's somehow chewy. Unfortunately, my wife buys the meat and i don't know what kind she gets (says she mixes it up trying to find something that works). However, last time, it was Top Sirloin Tip at 3 lbs. She added the veggies, water, etc and left it on low until we got home (total of 10 hours). I suspect that is too long, though it takes a long time for the veggies to cook/soften.

anyway, do you know where we are going wrong? Each of the different meats have turned out the same way and all are 3-5 lbs. Don't know if we ever tried a pork butt, but given the size, i doubt it.

I will get you our recipe for pork but in a crock pot. It is one that I got from the NC Pork Producers. Might be some responses that it is better to cook it in the WSM or some other smoker, but I respect your question and won't give a lecture on why not to do it in a crock pot It turns out OK when we do it, you may have to try it to see how you like it. It does break apart, but it is a "Allmost" pulled porkj receipe. I will post the recipe when I can find it.

David,

I just used beef chuck in my CP and it was fall-apart tender after 10+ hours on low. In the past I have used round which was less tender.

Jim

Well, I'm somewhat of a crockpot fanatic (we own three). For me a crockpot is for cheap cuts of meat. I'm not sure that Top Sirlion fits that bill.

I made a three pound chuck roast in the crockpot a couple of weekends ago.

I cooked it on low for about 10 hours and it was fall-apart-fork-tender.

I've had good luck making Irish Stew with plain beef "stew" meat.

Just last weekend I used the crockpot to "hold" a turkey that I had made on the WSM. I ate leftovers for four days afterward and never got a dry piece. We've also done the same thing with brisket and pulled pork.

Basically when making something in the crockpot I make sure I have plenty of liquid. I usually use a can of a comparible stock, beef stock for the roast and brisket, chicken for the turkey, etc.

Also, the cardinal, never-to-be-broken rule for crockpot cooking: Leave the lid on! I once heard a rule to live by on a BBQ show, "If you're looking, you ain't cooking". Yes, it's tempting to open the crockpot and get a whiff of the steam but don't do it.

I agree Dan. Chuck roasts are great for the crock pot. I use them all the time either whole or cubed for stew meat and stuff like that. I find that I like the flavor of the meat best when I brown it well in a cast iron pan first and then put it in the crock pot to cook. then I only add enough liquid to go up about 1/2 way on the meat to let it braise. It makes for a great weeknight meal.

Probably any meat that would benefit from low/slow WSM would be a canidate for the CP. One particular difference is you do need to trim fat fairly well for a CP cook. It won't drip into the waterpan like it does with your WSM. I do chuck roast, bottom round roast, venison roast, etc.

IMO, a great tool.

Paul

Davidd, here's one from the folks at Cook's Illustrated/Cook's Country that sounds good and should be reliable. I just pulled this one for a friend. If you'll send me your email addy (click on my name), I'll be happy to send you more as I get them for her.

Rita

SLOW-COOKER BRISKET AND ONIONS

Makes 8 servings. A slow cooker works best on tough pieces of brisket that require prolonged cooking to become juicy and tender. Many slow cooker recipes endorse a dump-and-cook approach to recipes, but we found that a little prep work ensures the best results.

Test Kitchen Discoveries
* Briskets can release varying amounts of liquid as they cook, resulting in sauces that are ei-ther too thick or too thin. Finishing the sauce on the stovetop at the end of cooking allowed us to achieve a more consistent result. We used the opportunity to skim off excess fat from the sauce.
* Browning your brisket before slow cooking is one way to add flavor to the meat. However, many briskets are simply too large to effectively brown in a skillet. Rubbing the meat with spices—in this case, onion and garlic powders, paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt—-and letting it cure overnight in the refrigerator proved just as effective as browning for flavor purposes.
* We replaced red wine with red wine vinegar, a substitution that added complexity and a touch of acidity.
To make the meat especially juicy and easy to slice, turn off the slow cooker and let the fully cooked brisket rest in the sauce for half an hour before carving it.

The leaner flat-cut brisket is the better choice for this recipe. The thicker point cut is much fattier— good thing on the grill, where the excess fat can drip away, but a disadvantage in a slow cooker, where the fat can make the sauce greasy. If you end up with an especially thick piece of brisket, extend the cooking time to 11 hours.


1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 pounds large onions (about 3 large), halved and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
Salt
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (plus 1 teaspoon)
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (5-pound) beef brisket flat-cut, trimmed of excess fat
3 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
3 bay leaves


EVENING BEFORE COOKING

1. ONIONS. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook onions, brown sugar, and 1–4 teaspoon salt until onions are golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and flour and cook until darkened, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth and cook until sauce thickens, about 4 minutes. Off heat, stir in 2 tablespoons vinegar and transfer mixture to bowl.

2. SEASON BRISKET. Combine 1 teaspoon salt, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne in bowl. Using fork, prick brisket all over. Rub spice mixture over brisket and wrap tightly in plastic. Cover bowl with onion mixture with plastic wrap. Refrigerate brisket and bowl with onion mixture overnight.

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

THE NEXT MORNING

3. Add half of onion mixture to slow-cooker insert. Add thyme and bay leaves and place brisket, fat side up, on top. Spread remaining on-ion mixture over brisket. Set slow cooker to low, cover, and cook until brisket is fork-tender, 9–10 hours (or cook on high for 5–6 hours). Turn cooker off and allow brisket to rest for 30 minutes. (While you prepare accompaniments such as potatoes or egg noodles.)

4. Transfer brisket to cutting board, cut across grain into 1/2-inch slices, and transfer to serving platter. Tent with foil. Pour sauce into large skillet, discard herbs, and simmer over high heat until slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Skim fat, add remaining vinegar, then pour half of sauce over brisket. Serve with remaining sauce on side.

The Incredible Shrinking Brisket
Don't be alarmed if the edges of the brisket sit above the liquid in the slow-cooker insert. As the brisket cooks, it will shrink and the edges will become submerged in the liquid.

MENU IDEAS: Boiled or mashed potatoes; egg noodles; spaetzle, dumplings, a steamed vegetable, a salad

IDEAS FOR LEFTOVERS. Sandwiches with dipping sauce/gravy; Sloppy Joe-type sandwiches; taco or burrito filling

How about red beans amd rice in a crock pot? Never tried it, always just cook them in a big pan.

we use chuck roast and it comes out fine.
either water or broth. i've never done it
over 8 hours and its fine. i don't like it
in the shred version.

oops, one thing i wanted to mention was
that it seems many have forgotten the
pressure cooker. works great on cheap meat
and quickley too.

Moving to Recipe Requests forum.

Regards,
Chris