Crock pots are amazing little contraptions: just throw the ingredients in there, set it, and forget it! They make cooking delicious meals so easy! See just how easy it is to make mouth-watering pulled BBQ chicken in a slow cooker, with little to no effort!
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Finding the Right Slow Cooker
When I first purchased my slow cooker about two years ago, I had no idea what this little contraption could do. I just wasn’t into the whole Crock-Pot thing. But I kept hearing about how amazing they were, and how you could just throw a bunch of ingredients in a pot, then “set it and forget it.” So I decided to take the plunge and check out slow cookers.
I wanted something that had good reviews and would be durable but also inexpensive (I didn’t know whether I would enjoy using it or not, so I certainly didn’t want to spend a lot of money on one). For safety reasons, I don’t like to leave an appliance on when I leave the house, so I didn’t need one that would automatically turn off. I also use my oven timer and was able to get along without that feature. After doing a lot of research into the various slow cookers available, I decided to buy my handy-dandy little Hamilton Beach “crock-pot” (found here).
It’s not fancy, being manual with no complicated settings or timers, but it was a great buy at about $28 and works fantastically. I’ve made quite a few recipes with it, and it really is super easy to use. I can just place all the ingredients in the slow cooker, turn it on, set my timer, and move on to whatever else I have to do at home that day.
There may still be some prep work involved: for example, browning meat or chopping vegetables. But the actual cooking doesn’t take any effort on my part. Over the course of the day, I might check on it; you’re not supposed to lift the lid, as this lets out the trapped heat and can increase the cooking time, but it’s still oddly satisfying observing the clear lid all covered in fog/condensation and smelling the yummy scents emitting from the pot. (I’m smiling just thinking about it!)
Why Use a Slow Cooker?
The prep for a slow cooker recipe is really all the effort you need to put in. For a beef stew, you may need to chop the potatoes and carrots and sear the meat. When making chili, you might be dicing bell pepper, mincing garlic, and browning meat.
(Tip: always brown beef before putting it in a slow cooker; this helps to provide more flavor to the dish. If this step is skipped, the beef will remain pink, even when fully cooked. Trust me, I know – it puzzled me greatly the first time I made the Cuban dish ropa vieja (seasoned shredded beef) in the crock-pot. Even though I was absolutely sure there was no way the beef could be undercooked and it was shredding super easily, I couldn’t hide my amazement at the pink color.)
Prep might take a little extra time at the beginning, but the trade-off of being able to let the food simmer for hours without any further action on your part is quite wonderful.
You can make all sorts of things in a slow cooker. This method allows flavors to marinate and meld together to create a delightfully flavorful dish. I’ve found a wonderful chili recipe that combines a multitude of spices and sweetness into an incredible smoky hot supper. Classic beef stew, which always sounded intimidating to me, becomes super easy when you just chop up everything, sear the meat, and pour all of it into the pot along with spices and broth. Raw chickpeas can even be cooked to perfection in just three hours rather than soaking overnight. It’s just such a versatile cooking method.
Even a classic favorite, pulled barbecued chicken, can be made simply in your crock-pot. I found this recipe from Sam Merritt with Sugar Spun Run, and I couldn’t resist trying it. That was almost two years ago, and it remains a classic in my recipes book.
Let’s Make Some BBQ Chicken!
When I start cooking, I like to set up my space appropriately. My small kitchen doesn’t have much counter space, so I place a plastic cutting board mat over my stovetop. (Of course, ensuring that it’s off!)
The recipe calls for 3.5 pounds of chicken. Since I’m usually batch cooking for two and I cook multiple recipes, I always reduce this down to 1-1.5 pounds. (If you’re interested in tips on batch cooking, check out my post here!) I *love* me some sauce, though, so I maintain the same amount of all of the other ingredients.
This dish starts with your favorite BBQ sauce, and adds apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, and various spices to round out the flavor. Sam likes to use Sweet Baby’s Ray’s, a highly commendable choice. As for me, I discovered Sticky Fingers Carolina Sweet, and I just adore it – it’s certainly sweet but oh-so-good.
Just combine the BBQ sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and spices, add the chicken, and cook for 6-7 hours on low.
As I mentioned above, it’s so pleasant to check on the pot throughout the day and just savor the aroma.
Then after 6.5 hours, I carefully take out the chicken and shred it using two forks. I then dump it back in the pot to mix in with all that yummy sauce.
Now just load some of it up on a bun, and you’ve got yourself one heck of a delicious sandwich!
Check out this and other recipes by Sugar Spun Run, and be sure to tell her I sent you!
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