In my slow cooker today.... part 2

Popperwell

Greenqueen wrote: »

I had a yellow stickered turkey leg to cook yesterday. Unfortunately it was too big to fit in the slow cooker so I put it in the oven on the lowest setting (fan oven).

Checking the electricity meter units this morning gave me a shock :eek: (I monitor it every day). It appears that my oven uses 6 times as much power as the slow cooker even at 90degrees. :mad:

That turkey was mighty good though!

No wonder you are shocked, I risked doing some oven chips in mine the other week but they did do pretty quick. I must learn how to use the combi function on the microwave, I hope I assume that will use less than the fan oven(if only because it is smaller so may heat up quicker)

And I still have to use the halogen oven, my George Foreman grill. I may have a go at doing my chips in a heavy saucepan on a hob like Nigella did the other day. Gordon Ramsey has shown me in his new series how much more can be done in a fying pan.

I love my slow cooker...

Glad you enjoyed the turkey though:D

2+4

Hi, can anyone give me some advice. When I cook any meat in my sc it turns out very dry, even though I have loads of juices in the cooker. This is really putting me of using it so any help would be much appreciated. Thanks

Popperwell

2+4 wrote: »

Hi, can anyone give me some advice. When I cook any meat in my sc it turns out very dry, even though I have loads of juices in the cooker. This is really putting me of using it so any help would be much appreciated. Thanks

This may depend if you have any or enough liquid in the SC...I put all my meals in roasting bags to save cleaning/washing the pot. I leave the top of the bags open so there is some steam/moisture in the SC but even if you use the pot I would say if you are doing a casserole you'd need to add liquid. If cooking say a full roast chicken lots of juice will come out of the meat. I know all the meat that I have cooked has been very moist. Sometimes so moist it falls apart.

I hope someone can advise you, I haven't been using mine very long.

Hopelessly_Hopeful

I have two pork shoulders in the slow cooker, I brined them overnight, rubbed with dry spice rub and am expecting heaps of delicious and very economical pulled pork by 6pm this evening.


Got the dry rub mix of the internet. First time I have brined anything so fingers crossed.
So today it's off to Wilko for me to top up my plastic freezer storage boxes. Geeky of me I know but I like to keep to the same ones where possible so they stack neatly, save space and you dont have the faff of which lid fits which container.

determined_new_ms

2+4 wrote: »

Hi, can anyone give me some advice. When I cook any meat in my sc it turns out very dry, even though I have loads of juices in the cooker. This is really putting me of using it so any help would be much appreciated. Thanks

is your sc letting out the moisture? My old one used to and I ended up with very dry meals (and lots of evidence of splatters of liquid on the outside of the sc and sides). I purchased a morphy richard's sc and don't have this problem now and I need to put a lot less liquid in the sc when I put the meal in as the steam generates more liquid. hths

Hopelessly_Hopeful

2+4 wrote: »

Hi, can anyone give me some advice. When I cook any meat in my sc it turns out very dry, even though I have loads of juices in the cooker. This is really putting me of using it so any help would be much appreciated. Thanks

Hi

I have never had this.....

Are you cooking on low?

What meat?

I don't mean to be rude but are you cooking for long enough? I appreciate that may sound daft as you'd think longer you cook drier it would be..... but I find the longer I cook meat it gets more tender. Cooked pork loin the other week and it just melt in your mouth. One of my pals describes food as dy when she means tough. I suggested she try cooking for longer and it worked for her. Is it worth a try?

I agree with Popperwell chicken produces lots of fluid. I think the driest meat I do is gammon and even that is tender and succulent.

PS I don't use a bag or any fluid at all infact. Occassionally I throw onions in etc.

Good luck with it.

HHx

1jim

Hopelessly_Hopeful wrote: »

I have two pork shoulders in the slow cooker, I brined them overnight, rubbed with dry spice rub and am expecting heaps of delicious and very economical pulled pork by 6pm this evening.


Got the dry rub mix of the internet. First time I have brined anything so fingers crossed.
So today it's off to Wilko for me to top up my plastic freezer storage boxes. Geeky of me I know but I like to keep to the same ones where possible so they stack neatly, save space and you dont have the faff of which lid fits which container.

That sounds really nice, I don't suppose you could let me know how you do it, recipe for rub and how you brined it.
Sounds delicious

pink_princess

I have a bacon joint in mine for this weeks lunches.

Hopelessly_Hopeful

1jim wrote: »

That sounds really nice, I don't suppose you could let me know how you do it, recipe for rub and how you brined it.
Sounds delicious

Normally I just rub in nandos seasoning or any supermarket jerk or all purpose stuff ontop the meat, cook on slow and ta de dah, magic!


There were loads of brining lots of information on the internet. Much of a muchness. I went with this one becausI always appreciate it when people go to the trouble to do pictures.

http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dinner/perfect-pulled-pork-slow-roasted-seasoned-savory.html

I used two of these joints (never fails to amaze me how cheap cuts are fantastic in the sc)
http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Product/Details/?id=260708566


I soaked the meat from 8pm yesterday. I used one of the salad boxed in the bottom of the fridge. Took the box out at 6am and left to dechill until 8am. I took the mesh off so I could get to more meat and I didnt want it soaking up the flavour, probably negligble but it's mine, all mine! I put more rub on the joints and put on low in the slow cooker.

Planning to leave until 6pm this evening.

Will report back.

Hope that helps.

HHx

PS I didn't have any cayenne pepper so just did a few twists of black. No garlic powder either so just crushed a clove of fresh.

1jim

Mmm, when you put it in the slow cooker do you add any liquid or put it on a bed of onions or anything?