PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING
Hello Forumites! However well-intentioned, for the safety of other users we ask that you refrain from seeking or offering medical advice. This includes recommendations for medicines, procedures or over-the-counter remedies. Posts or threads found to be in breach of this rule will be removed.Dry meat in my slow cooker, where am I going wrong?
Options
Comments
-
Try adding fat.
A cut like shoulder of pork has a lot of fat that will lubricate the meat. Lots of cuts of beef have next to no fat in them. That's why dishes like coq au vin and beouf bourginon have bacon in them.
Try adding some streaky bacon, some pork back fat or even just some olive oil or butter.
Liquid doesn't make slow cooked meat moist, fat/oil does. It took me years to work that out.
A cheap lovely slow cooker dish is a piece of pork belly (fatty you see) on top of a mix of onion, garlic, celery and carrots and chopped parsley or sage with most of a small bottle of dry cider poured over it (drink the last bit if you fancy). Cook on low for about 5 hours then take out to rest for a bit.
Take of the skin and 'crackle' it in a fry pan or under the grill.
Nom!0 -
Thanks for the advice, will try finding fatty meat, which totally goes against the grain for how I normally cook! Will have to re-educate myself for slow cooking.
I've never wrapped in foil to slow cook, I've seen a few images where people scrunch up foil and place it in the bottom before adding a whole chicken.
That pork belly recipe sounds goods Generali, I nearly bought some pork belly in the butchers yesterday but didn't as I couldn't think of a recipe I knew off the top of my head, will pop back today and get it!0 -
This is interesting! i cook gammon in the SC all the time and it isn't dry. I put in a mug of water (i don't ever cover the joint unless i'm making soup at the same time....) . I don't use foil, and i don't seal it.
Regards Beef joints, Pink always said she wouldn't SC a beef joint. Here's our existing thread
our existing gammon in SC thread may help. I'll merge this later
ZipA little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men :cool:
Norn Iron club member #3800 -
I only have a small SC (enough for two people), I haven't found meat to be dry at all but then I do put in a lot of liquid. I regularly cook a brisket of beef with carrots, onions and a good slug of black pepper. I put the veg in first and the meat on top and then top up with water so that there is about an inch of water above the meat. I tend to cook on the auto setting and have never had a problem, sometimes I will use the low setting and again no problem. I never faff with foil.0
-
Thanks for the advice, will try finding fatty meat, which totally goes against the grain for how I normally cook! Will have to re-educate myself for slow cooking.
I've never wrapped in foil to slow cook, I've seen a few images where people scrunch up foil and place it in the bottom before adding a whole chicken.
That pork belly recipe sounds goods Generali, I nearly bought some pork belly in the butchers yesterday but didn't as I couldn't think of a recipe I knew off the top of my head, will pop back today and get it!
Prob goes against the point of using a slow cooker, but i dont like fatty meat either, so if i use a fatty joint i cook it the day before, let it cool then scoop off the hardened fat. Then reheat the meat in the microwave when i want to eat it
But then again, im not using the slow cooker as a means to have a hot meal ready to go when i get home from work. Im just using it as a cooking method, that doesnt need watching.0 -
I have a tiny 1.5l slow cooker and it certainly boils things if left on High for too long.
And the only time I cooked beef in it, it was horribly dry - and not for want of liquid. Lesson learned. Thanks for the tip about adding some fat!Better is good enough.0 -
I use mine for things like spag bol, chilli, pulled pork etc. I have cooked whole chickens in it, they come out lovely and moist but i wouldn't cook a whole joint in it unless it was something like brisket or other cut that needs slow cooking. I put the chicken in breast side down on top of onions and potatoes with about half an inch of stock. I love my slow cooker.0
-
A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men :cool:
Norn Iron club member #3800 -
Thanks for the advice, will try finding fatty meat, which totally goes against the grain for how I normally cook! Will have to re-educate myself for slow cooking.
I've never wrapped in foil to slow cook, I've seen a few images where people scrunch up foil and place it in the bottom before adding a whole chicken.
That pork belly recipe sounds goods Generali, I nearly bought some pork belly in the butchers yesterday but didn't as I couldn't think of a recipe I knew off the top of my head, will pop back today and get it!
You don't need tons of lard and once it's cooked you can either scoop excess fat off the top of the juice or leave it to cool and just peel it off.0 -
Cheaper cuts of meat tend to cook best in the slow cooker. You need some fat to keep them moist..... and it can make very tough stewing steak incredibly tender.
I don't cook joints very much as I've noticed that gammon, etc. can go stringy quite easily. A whole chicken cooks well with skin on and finished in the oven to brown though.somewhere between Heaven and Woolworth's0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 343.2K Banking & Borrowing
- 250.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 449.7K Spending & Discounts
- 235.3K Work, Benefits & Business
- 608K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 173.1K Life & Family
- 247.9K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 15.9K Discuss & Feedback
- 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards