Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever (27 page)

French bistros serve an assortment of comfort foods, and many days there will be some type of stew on the menu. This stew is flavored with Dijon mustard, wine, tarragon, and shallots, and transports you to a sidewalk bistro in Paris. Serve this stew over noodles, or, my favorite, garlic mashed potatoes.

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 pounds beef sirloin, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 medium shallots, cut into half rounds

1 cup dry white wine or vermouth

½ cup Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon dried tarragon

1 cup beef broth

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

sprinkle 1½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper evenly over the meat. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the meat a few pieces at a time and brown.

transfer the meat to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the shallots to the same skillet over medium-high heat and sauté for 1 minute, until they begin to soften. Deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and add the mustard and dried tarragon.

transfer the mixture to the slow cooker and stir in the broth. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours, until the meat is tender. Skim off any fat from the top of the sauce and stir in the fresh tarragon.

mix the butter and the flour together to form a paste. Add the butter mixture in pieces to the cooker. Cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes, until the sauce is thickened.

season with salt and pepper before serving.

serves 6

Brisket is a cut that comes from the foreleg and just behind in the breast section of the cow, and tends to be very tough but has great flavor. When slowly cooked, brisket becomes tender and is the centerpiece of many great meals, such as pot roast and barbecued beef sandwiches. Corned beef can also be a brisket cut, and the flat, first cut is the piece to buy. Some wholesale clubs sell whole brisket for the barbecue, but for the slow cooker, you will need only one side of the brisket.

Sweet, crisp Riesling adds a delicious counterpoint to the spicy and salty corned beef in this simple slow-cooker classic.

12 small Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed

2 cups baby carrots

3 medium sweet onions, such as Vidalia, coarsely chopped

2 cups Riesling wine

½ cup whole-grain mustard

¼ cup Dijon mustard

¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

4 whole black peppercorns

2 bay leaves

One 3½- to 4-pound corned beef, rinsed and fat trimmed

1 large head green cabbage, cut in half, cored and thickly sliced (see savvy)

layer the potatoes, carrots, and onions in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Whisk together the riesling, mustards, and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in the peppercorns and bay leaves.

place the brisket on top of the vegetables in the slow-cooker insert. (If you are using a 5-quart cooker, you may need to cut the brisket in half and stack the pieces to fit.) Pour the riesling mixture over the brisket and strew the cabbage over the top of the brisket.

cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Remove the brisket from the cooker, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for about 20 minutes.

using a slotted spoon, remove the vegetables and arrange them on a platter. Slice the brisket across the grain and arrange over the vegetables. Strain the liquid from the cooker through a fine-mesh sieve and ladle a bit over the meat and vegetables before serving.

serves 6

cabbage savvy

Sliced cabbage blankets the brisket and adds some of the cabbage flavor when laid on the platter with the other vegetables. If you would like to serve quartered cooked cabbage with your corned beef, add it during the last 2 hours of cooking time. It will still retain its crispness.

Braised in ale with mustard seeds and brown sugar, this corned beef is terrific thinly sliced and served with whole-grain mustard on dark bread. This is great food for tailgating or watching sports on TV; the sliced beef can be returned to the cooker to stay warm for guests to serve themselves.

Two 12-ounce cans Guinness or other stout or dark ale

¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 teaspoons mustard seeds

6 whole black peppercorns

1 bay leaf

2 allspice berries

3 large sweet onions, such as Vidalia, sliced into ½-inch-thick half rounds

One 3½- to 4-pound corned beef, rinsed

stir the Guinness, sugar, mustard seeds, peppercorns, bay leaf, and allspice berries together in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the onions and top with the corned beef. (Cut it in half to fit, if necessary.)

cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, until the meat is fork tender. Remove the meat from the cooker, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 20 minutes.

remove the bay leaf, peppercorns, and allspice berries from the cooking liquid. Thinly slice the brisket across the grain to serve.

serves 6–8

Intensely flavored brisket gets a sweet and savory touch in this dish. Dried fruits contribute to a delectable sauce that is terrific served over buttered noodles.

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup Dijon mustard

¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

One 3- to 4-pound first-cut or flat-cut brisket, fat trimmed

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 large sweet onions, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons dried thyme

½ cup red wine

½ cup beef broth

1 cup dried figs, halved

½ cup dried plums, halved

½ cup dried apricots, halved

2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in ¼ cup water or beef broth

combine 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, the mustard, and brown sugar in a small bowl. Rub the mixture over the brisket. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

add the brisket and brown on all sides. Remove the brisket and transfer to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the onions and thyme to the same skillet over medium-high heat and sauté until the onions are softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the wine and broth, scraping up any browned bits, and bring the liquid to a boil.

pour the mixture into the slow-cooker insert and add the dried fruits around the brisket. Cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or low for 8 to 10 hours, until the meat is fork tender. Remove the brisket and fruits from the insert and cover with aluminum foil.

transfer the liquid to a saucepan or saucier. Skim off any fat from the top of the sauce.

bring the sauce to a boil, add the cornstarch and stir, bringing the sauce back to a boil. Season with salt and pepper.

trim any fat from the brisket and thinly slice it across the grain. Serve the brisket surrounded with the fruit and napped with some of the sauce. Serve the remaining sauce on the side.

serves 8

This savory braise of beef and vegetables in a rich, beefy gravy is one your family will love. The beef is melt-in-your-mouth tender after ten hours in the slow cooker and the vegetables are infused with the flavor of the meat. Brisket gives off at least three cups of liquid during the braise, making a delicious gravy with the flavors of the rub.

4 medium sweet onions, such as Vidalia, quartered

4 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch lengths

4 large red potatoes, quartered

3 medium parsnips, cut into 1-inch lengths

2 tablespoons sweet paprika

1 tablespoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

2 teaspoons dried thyme

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon celery seeds

4 beef bouillon cubes, crumbled, or

4 teaspoons Better than Bouillon beef soup base

¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

One 4-pound brisket, fat trimmed

combine the onions, carrots, potatoes, and parsnips in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Mix the paprika, garlic salt, onion powder, thyme, pepper, celery seeds, bouillon, brown sugar, and flour together in a small bowl.

rub the mixture over the brisket and transfer the brisket to the cooker. (If the brisket is too large, cut it in half and stack to fit.) Cover the cooker and cook on low for 10 hours, until the brisket is tender.

remove the brisket from the cooker and cover with aluminum foil. Carefully lift the vegetables from the sauce, arrange on a platter, and cover with aluminum foil.

skim off any fat from the sauce and leave in the cooker set on warm. Thinly slice the brisket across the grain and arrange it on a serving platter with the vegetables. Spoon some of the sauce over the top of the brisket, and serve any remaining sauce in a gravy boat.

serves 6–8

This recipe is an adaptation of one that was popular in the 1970s that used a can of beer, chili sauce, and Lipton’s onion soup mix. It was a no-brainer to make, but the flavor just wasn’t quite there. This version has onions and a simple sauce, with beef that is falling-apart tender and tastes like it belongs at the backyard barbecue. Serve the brisket on soft rolls with coleslaw or potato salad on the side.

4 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

One 4- to 5-pound flat cut brisket, fat trimmed

4 large onions, thinly sliced

1½ cups ketchup

2 cups tomato purée

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

¼ cup molasses

¼ cup Dijon mustard

combine 2 tablespoons of the oil, the garlic, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl. Rub the mixture all over the brisket.

heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the meat and brown on all sides. Transfer the brisket to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the onions to the same skillet over medium-high heat and sauté until the onions begin to soften, 5 to 7 minutes.

add the remaining ingredients to the skillet and stir to combine. Transfer the contents of the skillet to the cooker, lifting the meat, and evenly distribute it in the cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours.

remove the meat from the slow cooker, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Skim off any fat from the sauce, pour the sauce into a saucepan, and boil to reduce and concentrate the flavor, about 10 minutes.

taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings. Slice the meat at an angle across the grain and transfer back to the slow cooker.

pour the sauce over the meat and leave in the cooker set on low until ready to serve, for up to 4 hours.

serves 6–8

Lighting the barbecue or the smoker in the dead of winter in Minnesota isn’t my idea of a great time, but with a slow cooker, you can “smoke” a brisket and enjoy the flavor of barbecue all year-round! Spicy and smoky, this brisket is perfect to serve on rolls with pinto beans and slaw on the side. Yee haw!

4 medium onions, cut into half rounds

2 tablespoons sweet paprika

2 chipotle chiles in adobo, minced

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

One 4-pound brisket, fat trimmed

1 cup ketchup

spread the onions on the bottom of the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker and turn the machine on low. Stir the paprika, chiles, pepper, cumin, sugar, Worcestershire, and vinegar together in a small bowl.

rub the mixture over the brisket and place the brisket on top of the onions in the slow cooker. Cover and cook for 10 hours on low, until the brisket is tender. Remove the brisket from the cooker and cover with aluminum foil.

skim off any fat from the cooking liquid and strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a saucepan. Stir in the ketchup and simmer for 20 minutes, until thickened.

slice the brisket across the grain to serve, accompanied by some of the sauce.

serves 8

There are many varieties of ground beef. The leanest ground beef has only 5 percent fat but is usually not very tasty. I recommend using ground beef with 15 percent fat. Ground chuck generally has the most flavor, and you can ask the butcher to grind it fresh for you. Some fat is necessary to keep the beef moist and tasty.

Meat loaf, once relegated to the category of “mystery meat” in cafeterias around the country, has now gained recognition as a culinary comfort food. It’s not just diner fare anymore! Meat loaf is a formula in some respects, with different seasonings and sauces changing the flavor. It’s simple to prepare a meat loaf; the loaf can be shaped the day before and refrigerated until you are ready to place it in the slow cooker with the sauce. Meat loaf sandwiches are a great reward the day after! Make sure to cook the meat loaf on high for the first hour to guard against any bacteria growth in the raw meat.