Death By Slow Cooker

Anybody want some pork?

I've been asked to compete in a Slow Cooker Contest on a local TV show I often appear on. For 5 days, 5 chefs will show how to make a slow cooker recipe, and the station's weather guy will taste each one, one each day, and judge which is the best. I agreed to make a pork roast. I hope he's not Jewish.

So I've been doing some experimenting, as is my wont. I've made 7 different pork recipes, borrowing crock pots from all the neighbors. One night I had 5 going at once, each making a different idea.

So to say the least, we've had our fill of pork.

Throughout this Crock pot/pork odyssey I've learned two main things.

1. Not all Crock pots are made the same. We couldn't believe the differences in cooking quality.

Our old stand by, the Rival, stinks as does our neighbors mini Rival.

This Fagor Multi-cooker does a lot of things, one of them slow cooking, and it does it pretty well.

This Hamilton Beach Slow Cooker does a fair job but...

The All Clad Slow Cooker is AMAZING. The meat was so much more tender and evenly cooked. While they don't give it away ($199) if you're going to do any amount of Crock pottery, this is the one for you.

2. Slow cooking is quite different from the normal fast cooking that I love and practice.

I made 6 recipes (7 actually) and 2 were total bombs. Complete failures. Of all my experiments, of which there are many, I haven't had such losers like these 2.

I'll list the recipes. Which ones do you think FAILED and which was the best? Cast your vote in the comments.

I'm on tomorrow, wish me luck.

Rob

www.cookingfordads.net

Slow Cooker Thai Pork

2 lbs pork tenderloin cut in 4 pieces and sprinkled with salt and pepper

2 large red bell peppers, cut in to slices

1/4 c soy.

1/4 c sugar,

1 sp fresh ginger

2 sp rice vinegar

1 sp red pepper flakes

2 garlic minced

1/4 creamy peanut butter

green onions

chopped peanuts

spray slow cooker with non-stick spray.

place soy, sugar, ginger, rice vinegar, and garlic into cooker,

stir

add pork and red peppers,

cover and cook on low setting until pork is tender (8 or 9 hours)

remove pork, and cut into small pieces.

add peanut butter to slow cooker and stir to combine with liquid

Place pork back in cooker to coat.

Serve over rice, squeeze a little lime juice on top and add chopped peanuts and green onions.

and here are the other two I'll throw together just to show how easy it can be.

Root Beer Pork

2 lbs pork tenderloin cut in 4 pieces and sprinkled with salt and pepper

1 can Mug rootbeer

1 small onion cutt in medium pieces.

1 inch butter

Rob's Coconut Pork

2 lbs pork tenderloin cut in 4 pieces and sprinkled with salt and pepper

1 can coconut milk (shake before opening)

1 spoonful red curry paste

4 spoonfuls sugar

2 spoonfuls fish sauce

Dump everything in to the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.

Remove pork and cut in to small pieces or fork apart. Return to pot. Combine with sauce.

Serve on rice with sprinkled shredded coconut over the top

Rob's No Brainer Crock Pot Pork

2 lbs pork tenderloin cut in 4 pieces and sprinkled with salt and pepper

1 can Cream of Celery (Mushroom) Soup

1 small can crushed pineapple

2 spoonfuls tabasco sauce

1 spoonful Montreal Seasoning

Dump everything in to the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.

Remove pork and cut in to small pieces or fork apart. Return to pot. Combine with sauce.

Serve over rice.

Citrus Pork

2 lbs pork tenderloin cut in 4 pieces and sprinkled with salt and pepper

1 lime cut in half

1 lemon cut in half

1 orange cut in half

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup chicken stock

Dump everything in to the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.

Remove pork and cut in to small pieces or fork apart. Return to pot. Combine with sauce.

Serve over rice.

Saucy Pork

2 lbs pork tenderloin cut in 4 pieces and sprinkled with salt and pepper

1 can Campbell's Tomato Soup

1 small can crushed pineapple

1 spoonful Italian seasoning

Dump everything in to the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.

Remove pork and cut in to small pieces or fork apart. Return to pot. Combine with sauce.

Serve over rice.