Crock Pot 101

When I married in 1975 one of the wedding gifts I received was an avocado green Crock-Pot; Rival had just introduced their slow cooker in 1971 so it was a popular wedding gift, just as it is today.  It served me very well for many years, producing countless roasts, stews, soups, and game day queso.  In the great divide I left it behind and I’ve regretted in since as it was a far better Crock-Pot than the newer models. It had a low setting that was really low, taking hours to cook your meal to perfection. Sometime ago while browsing in a thrift store I saw one just like it and snapped its picture as a remembrance of a faithful cooking appliance.  I could not bring it home as I already have 4 different size Crock-Pots and could not justify another.

Last fall a fellow Blogger shared her experiences using a Crock-Pot in their camper.  This blog post brought back sweet memories of my family’s camping days and using a Crock-Pot in our pop-up camper.  I promised her a post with a favorite slow cooker recipe, so Betty, this one is for you!  Be sure to read her post Slow Cooker Stroganoff and follow her delightful blog.

I have countless Crock-Pot recipes and never hesitate to try one that looks appealing.  I do usually halve the recipes to make them suitable for me.  Just to note – I have a small Crock-Pot I use to make hot dips, a medium-small one that I bought to cook cocktail wieners for the breakfasts I would cook for my Sunday School class that has proved to be a very convenient size,  one that is the same size as the one in the picture, and one large, oval that is what I call “family size”. Storage space is a little tricky, but they are all necessary in my opinion!

In this post I’m sharing two meat recipes that I’ve used many times and have always been a success.  First is Slow and Easy Chuck Roast from the Southern Sideboards cook of the Jackson, MS, Junior League (my copy was published in 1978).

Using a chuck roast helps to stretch the budget and produces a very tender roast.  The cooking time is based on an older slow cooker with a much lower temperature, so the cooking time should be adjusted.  I’ve used the high temperature setting with equally good results.

The second recipe is for barbequed shredded chicken, but there are countless recipes for shredded chicken that always produce very moist, delicious chicken.  It is a no fail method to cook chicken for sandwiches for a large crowd. I don’t know where I originally found this recipe, so no credit can be given.

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup bbq sauce
• 1/4 cup Italian dressing
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• salt to taste

Season chicken lightly with sea salt and place in crock pot.  In a small bowl, combine the bbq sauce, Italian dressing, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce and mix well.  Pour over chicken and cover.  Cook on high for 3-4 hours. Shred with 2 forks when done and continue cooking for about 1-15 minutes more.  Serve in a wrap or on a bun or however you prefer.  I like to top it with a mayonnaise based coleslaw.

I cut this recipe in half (somewhat) for the small-medium size crock pot, using 2 chicken breasts and estimated ingredients. It is a very flexible recipe!

With cold weather headed to South Texas this weekend you can be sure that I will be using my Crock-Pot at least once!