Crockpot basics

I live by the crockpot.  EN, thanks!

@Sam, I never heard of those clean-up bags...Hallelujah!  We have some moldy last-week crock pot yuckum on the counter right now.  I could have used that last week!  

The crockpot liners are worth five times what they cost, and they are frequently available on sale or at dollar stores. Mr. EN still tries to sterilize the crock despite having the liner, but that's okay.

I must admit, I bought a cook book. 

http://www.amazon.com/Everyday-Low-Carb-Slow-Cooker-Cookbook /dp/1569244286/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1283477113&sr=8-2-s pell

The best investment I have made, besides the crockpot.

Once you get the basic pantry stuff she has listed, which is NORMAL stuff and EASY to use, you can get into it and make some pretty tasty stuff.

To make life even easier I bought a food processor.  Put all my veg in there, take it for a spin, put on my crockpot "protection" (liner) and let it cook away while I am at work.

My favorite receipe so far is Bistro Skillet Steak, which I have adapted to roast.  It is 1/2 cup of sweet cherry peppers, one onion sliced, 1 tsp minced garlic, and 1 can diced tomatoes.   Talk about YUM!!! 

Crockpots RULE!!!!!

Yes indeed! I have a crockpot cookbook too! (that I can't find right now but I got a copy for Anne S. and annotated it to death....) Notice in your fave recipe that the Four Steps are intact. Easy peasy!!

Any suggestions for making BBQ in the crockpot? I've for about 40 pounds of Boston Butt pork roast that needs to become BBQ sandwiches.

I'd just do hunk o meat and bottle o barbecue sauce. Don't skimp on the sauce, get a nice yummy one.

I would initially cook the pork with some onions and water. Then add the BBQ sauce at the last hour. Otherwise, the sauce tends to burn and you get very upset at yourself. Don't ask. :-(

Another good use for that pork roast is to throw it in the crockpot with a jar of green salsa. I like to puree it in the blender before pouring it over the roast. Nom, nom, nom! Shredded pork for tacos, enchiladas, by itself, etc.

Ohh---I like the green salda idea!

The BBQ recipe I've been using calls for cooking the pork with salt, pepper, and 1.5 cups of vinegar. Remove it from the crockpot after 12 hours, and reserve 2 cups of the juice. Shred the pork and return to pot. Add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon of hot sauce to juice, stir, and pour over meeat and simmer until you're ready to serve. It's good, but I think I'll also toss in a bottle of sauce.

Okay here is my crock pot dummy question. I have on several occasions cooked a pork roast in my CP and when I go to cut it the damn thing is DRY. What am I doing wrong?

What do you mean by "dry"? Is this a literal lack of moisture thing, or the meat is dry/not chewable, or something else?

How do you cut the meat? Across the grain, at an angle, long ways, something else?

This "dry" description means different things to different people. Sorry to bug you for details about what seems obvious to you.