For a long time people stayed away from pork thinking it was not a healthy meat to eat. These days we know that couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, pork is frequently a less fatty option to beef or chicken. There are more and more pork recipes surfacing and many of them are for the crock pot, which is great because pork is a perfect meat for crock pot cooking.
Pork provides many different cuts of meat: bacon, ground sausage, ham, pork butt steaks, ribs, loin, and chops. Each has its own characteristics and provides different options for how it can be cooked. In the slow cooker you can use just about all of those cuts if you like. The leaner cuts will give you the least fat if you are watching your diet.
As with other cuts of meat you will find cooking cuts with bones take longer than those without. When cooking boneless pork chops or tenderloin make sure to set your crock pot on low and at the lower end of the cooking time setting. You can take the guess work out with a programmable crock pot. Many will switch to the warm setting when your meat reaches the proper temperature. If your pork has not come pre-seasoned you can easily add flavor by adding a packet of dry onion soup mix.
Once you have added your pork cut and onion soup mix, pour about one cup of water and any other flavorful sauces, such as soy or teriyaki sauce into your slow cooker. Veggies can be tossed in now if you want to add them. You can use fresh or frozen veggies either one.
Pork sausage balls can make a great appetizer or even a refreshing topping for spaghetti. You can make these from scratch using fresh ground pork sausage, or you can do it the easy way and just use frozen. Add your sausage balls to the crock pot and add some liquid and sauce. If you are making BBQ balls, use BBQ sauce, if you are using them for spaghetti you can throw in spaghetti sauce. See what I mean about options? Set them to cook on low for at least 2 hours. Depending on how many balls you are cooking, and your cookers cooking temperature it can take up to 4 hours for them to completely cook.
Most people think about ribs on the grill or in the smoker, but if you want the most tender ribs you've ever tasted try them in the crock pot! You will be pleasantly surprised. You can choose any type of seasoning or rub to use on them, just as you would on the smoker. You don't need to parboil on the stove before you get started, just make sure you've marinated them overnight for the best flavor and stick them in the crock pot. You will need to cook them for 6 to 8 hours.
You have to make sure you add some liquid to the ribs in the crock pot. The crock pot uses moist heat, and you have to provide the moisture. About an hour or two before the cooking time is up go ahead and add your favorite BBQ suace. The sauce will permeate the meat creating delicious ribs. When your cooking time is up you will find the most tender, fall off the bone ribs you've ever eaten. Delicious.
If you have a special dinner you need to cook, and you'd like it to be as hands off as possible and ready when you need to eat you can't beat a ham in the crock pot. Give it a good glaze an hour or so before you need to cook it. You can use brown sugar or honey, and don't forget the pineapple. Take a look at the packaging for cooking time. You can easily convert to crock pot cooking time. If it says 50 minutes to 3 hours you are looking at 8 to 18 hours in your crock pot, so plan accordingly.
Pork is a great meat to use in the slow cooker. Just be aware of your cooking times for boneless meat as opposed to bone-in varieties. The last thing you want is a dried out piece of meat that no one enjoys. How do I know that you might be asking? Take my word for it its not delicious by any stretch of the imagination.
Pork provides many different cuts of meat: bacon, ground sausage, ham, pork butt steaks, ribs, loin, and chops. Each has its own characteristics and provides different options for how it can be cooked. In the slow cooker you can use just about all of those cuts if you like. The leaner cuts will give you the least fat if you are watching your diet.
As with other cuts of meat you will find cooking cuts with bones take longer than those without. When cooking boneless pork chops or tenderloin make sure to set your crock pot on low and at the lower end of the cooking time setting. You can take the guess work out with a programmable crock pot. Many will switch to the warm setting when your meat reaches the proper temperature. If your pork has not come pre-seasoned you can easily add flavor by adding a packet of dry onion soup mix.
Once you have added your pork cut and onion soup mix, pour about one cup of water and any other flavorful sauces, such as soy or teriyaki sauce into your slow cooker. Veggies can be tossed in now if you want to add them. You can use fresh or frozen veggies either one.
Pork sausage balls can make a great appetizer or even a refreshing topping for spaghetti. You can make these from scratch using fresh ground pork sausage, or you can do it the easy way and just use frozen. Add your sausage balls to the crock pot and add some liquid and sauce. If you are making BBQ balls, use BBQ sauce, if you are using them for spaghetti you can throw in spaghetti sauce. See what I mean about options? Set them to cook on low for at least 2 hours. Depending on how many balls you are cooking, and your cookers cooking temperature it can take up to 4 hours for them to completely cook.
Most people think about ribs on the grill or in the smoker, but if you want the most tender ribs you've ever tasted try them in the crock pot! You will be pleasantly surprised. You can choose any type of seasoning or rub to use on them, just as you would on the smoker. You don't need to parboil on the stove before you get started, just make sure you've marinated them overnight for the best flavor and stick them in the crock pot. You will need to cook them for 6 to 8 hours.
You have to make sure you add some liquid to the ribs in the crock pot. The crock pot uses moist heat, and you have to provide the moisture. About an hour or two before the cooking time is up go ahead and add your favorite BBQ suace. The sauce will permeate the meat creating delicious ribs. When your cooking time is up you will find the most tender, fall off the bone ribs you've ever eaten. Delicious.
If you have a special dinner you need to cook, and you'd like it to be as hands off as possible and ready when you need to eat you can't beat a ham in the crock pot. Give it a good glaze an hour or so before you need to cook it. You can use brown sugar or honey, and don't forget the pineapple. Take a look at the packaging for cooking time. You can easily convert to crock pot cooking time. If it says 50 minutes to 3 hours you are looking at 8 to 18 hours in your crock pot, so plan accordingly.
Pork is a great meat to use in the slow cooker. Just be aware of your cooking times for boneless meat as opposed to bone-in varieties. The last thing you want is a dried out piece of meat that no one enjoys. How do I know that you might be asking? Take my word for it its not delicious by any stretch of the imagination.
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Find more pork crock pot recipes for your 6 quart rival slow cooker or any other brand for that matter come to http://best7quartcrockpot.itsawahmlife.com
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