tuesday tidbits - crockpot temps & timing

So, you've been told that it's nearly impossible to overcook anything in a crockpot? Me, too. And then you plowed your way through a dinner that bore more resemblance to a bowl of chalk than meat & veggies? Me, too. But fear not, fellow improvers! There's hope!

Turns out, the crockpots that our mothers received as wedding gifts cook slower than the ones we've been receiving for the past 10 years or so. Which means, if you're either 1) using a recipe from a while back, or 2) relying on a rule of thumb your mother taught you, you're in danger of overcooking your meat every time.

So here's the deal, for each kind of meat (Oh, and the picture? Not actually my mom's, but it's the exact same one she had when I was growing up. Ahhh, the 70s):

Boneless, Skinless Chicken: when you start with thawed, expect it to be done in 2-2.5 hours on low; when you start with frozen, expect it to be done in 5-6 hours. No cooking all day with boneless, skinless chicken.

Bone-in Chicken: if you're using dark meat (thighs or drumsticks), figure 4 hours for thawed, 7-8 for frozen; if you're using breasts, figure 3 hours for thawed, 6-7 for frozen.

hawaiian chicken

At a family reunion on Mr. Improv's side, I met his cousin-in-law over a pot of her homemade Hawaiian chicken. A Hawaiian native, she grew up making this classic dish the right way (i.e. - don't ask what's in it, just pretend you're on vacation - calories on vacation don't count, right?). No joke, cousin-in-law Kelly didn't give me measurements, so I pass the recipe on to you just as I received it in grandma's kitchen that day. Please, attempt to work within all this ambiguity. For you rule-followers who simply can't handle not having a single measurement, I've given loose measurements at the bottom. It's just so much more fun to make it without measuring!

caribbean jerk chicken

Sometimes it's worth just buying a bottle of marinade at the store and displaying it proudly. I have no idea how to make Caribbean Jerk marinade. Someday I'll find out. While I have 2 youngsters who each pull at one pant leg while I'm making my grocery list, shopping for groceries, putting food away, and making food, there are days when I really don't care how to make this marinade. I just pour it on and walk away with a big fat smile on my face. And 2 people hanging on to my legs.

crockpot bbq chicken

***A pork roast will work just as well here - just follow the same instructions (update: approximately a 3 pound roast).

BBQ anything is good, but meat cooked in BBQ sauce & slathered with BBQ sauce & served with bread is even better. This chicken makes really good sandwiches, especially served with fresh avocado-lime slaw. Just remember - any BBQ dish is only as good as the sauce used to make it, so buy the good stuff, even if it's a couple dollars extra.

beef stew

After years of making stew that was sometimes delectible, sometimes just decent, my husband finally forced me to write down exactly what I'd done one night when the stew came out perfect. Even my can't-follow-any-recipe-exactly-to-save-my-life disease doesn't interfere with it now, because it comes out perfect every time, just as it is. I learned that lesson the hard way. The one exception that is allowable, if absolutely necessary, is for the red wine: use 2T red wine vinegar plus enough mild juice (like apple) to make 1/2 cup.

crockpot chicken chile verde

So easy, this hardly qualifies as a recipe. It tastes like it was slaved over all day, but leaves plenty of time to make a side of easy guacamole and toss some cabbage & spinach in salsa to wilt them a bit before serving with tortilla chips. Now I'm hungry again. Sigh.

beef tips over rice

Super simple with a short list of ingredients, this recipe belies the fact that this is one of the tastiest beef crockpot dishes I've ever had. It was given to me by a family friend as a going-away-to-college gift because I'd requested it a number of times when I'd had dinner at their house.