Crock pot ideas/Recipie

[indysteel]

kalua pork, courtesy of my friend rose in honolulu:

1 4 lb pork roast, rump or shoulder
2 tbs hawaiian sea salt
2 tbs liquid smoke

**bonus pre-step: brine the pork for a few hours in salt + liquid smoke mixture.**

• rub pork w/ salt + liquid smoke
• put pork in crock pot
• fill crock put w 1 inch of water
• cook on low for 3 hours
• turn the pork over
• cook on low for 4-5 hours
• shred the pork like crazy
• eat the ono kalua pork
• break your mouth. so. damn. good.
• repeat last 2 steps every day until it is gone

you can line the pot with banana leaves, or not. you can add cabbage towards the end, or not. you can eat it with white rice and soy sauce and sirrachha. you can use mesquite or hickory smoke. you can share it with your friends.

Yum. Is Hawaiian sea salt substantially different from other sea salts?

My standard crock pot pulled pork recipe recipe is equally easy. I just place about a 4-5 pound pound piece of trimmed pork shoulder (or whatever cut you like) into the crock pot with a generous coating of pepper, onion and garlic salt and whatever other spices you might like. You can throw in some Liquid Smoke, Worchestshire or fresh garlic, too. To that, add enough root beer to almost cover the pork. Cook on low for about 6-7 hours. Turn it over halfway through cooking. Add more root beer if necessary.

After it's cooked, drain the remaining liquid from the crock and then shred the pork. Place shredded pork back into the Crock, add some (additional) Liquid Smoke and Worchestshire. Mix in your favorite BBQ sauce. Let it sit for another half hour to an hour before serving. I like to serve this with a vinegar-based slaw and sweet potatoe fries or baked beans. Yummy!

[tangentgirl]

Yum. Is Hawaiian sea salt substantially different from other sea salts?

Um...well...to tell the truth, I don't know. My friend's recipe said Hawaiian. I just used sea salt from the trader joe's, 'cause I couldn't find anything that said Hawaiian, and I didn't feel like going to another store to explore salt varieties. Prolly not.

[GLC1968]

OK, I just have to post this recipe here. I've made it a bunch of times and we just gobble it up every time. SUPER easy, too.

Crockpot Mexican Tortilla Soup

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts - frozen
10 oz enchilada sauce
16 oz chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1 4 oz can diced green chilies
1 can corn
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 cup water
1 onion, chopped/diced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

shredded cheese
tortilla chips
chopped cilantro

Ready for this? Throw the first 14 ingredients into the crock pot and cook on low for at least 7 hours. Chicken should be frozen. That's it!

An hour or so before serving, shred chicken with a fork. It should be super tender by now and almost falling apart anyway.

Top with shredded cheese, broken tortilla chips and fresh cilantro and serve.

I've heard that people top it with sliced avocado as well but in my mind, that's just ruining it.

[tulip]

That sounds amazing, GLC! Thanks for posting it. I would definitely add the avocado, and serve it over rice. Yum.

[GLC1968]

That sounds amazing, GLC! Thanks for posting it. I would definitely add the avocado, and serve it over rice. Yum.

Ooh yeah, over rice. I forgot that I used to do that! I've since dropped the rice in favor of more chips (I'm watching points!).

I'm also thinking of tossing in some sliced, grilled zucchini before serving to up the veggie factor a bit too.

[Owlie]

Sounds pretty good. The tomatoes: Is that a 28 oz or 14 oz can? I'm thinking of replacing the chicken with a roughly equivalent amount of leftover shredded roasted chicken, because the idea of putting raw meat in a crockpot just doesn't sit right with me.

[GLC1968]

Sounds pretty good. The tomatoes: Is that a 28 oz or 14 oz can? I'm thinking of replacing the chicken with a roughly equivalent amount of leftover shredded roasted chicken, because the idea of putting raw meat in a crockpot just doesn't sit right with me.

The tomatoes are a 14 oz can. I have also used 2 10 oz rotel cans (with chilies) and left out the green chillies with good success, too. The 'hot' version gives the soup a really nice heat!

The original recipe calls for cooking and shredding the chicken separately. The first time I did it, I put it in with the other ingredients like the recipe said and the chicken was pure mush and really gross. The second time, I put it in about an hour before the end and it was better. Then I starting thinking that it was such a pain for me and my schedule. The soup was always at a good boil by the time I got home, so I figure it could cook the chicken itself. That's why I put it in there frozen - I don't want it defrosting until the liquid is already cooking. So far, it's worked wonderfully.

I should mention that my days are long, so when I make this, it's cooking for about 10 hours before I get to eat it.

[indysteel]

Sounds pretty good. The tomatoes: Is that a 28 oz or 14 oz can? I'm thinking of replacing the chicken with a roughly equivalent amount of leftover shredded roasted chicken, because the idea of putting raw meat in a crockpot just doesn't sit right with me.

Most of the things I use the crockpot for involve raw meat. I use a meat thermometer to check for doneness just as I otherwise would. Assuming no other cross contamination, I'm no more worried about cooking meat in the crock than, say, cooking it in the oven.