Crockpot basics

I was just going to post the same thing.  I find the meat is dry as well, like not juicy, melt-in-your mouth, more like a chicken breast that has been overcooked.  However, after readin this thread, I haven't cooked the meat for 12 hours, maybe 6.  Could that be why?

I suspect that the culprits are your choice of moisture and how you cut the hunks o flesh. See my other post. Or, additionlaly, if it's boneless skinless meat you're cooking, as in breast or thigh of chicken, you might need to add some fat.

Dry as in you almost think I over cooked the damn thing but in reality I cooked it for about 6-8 hours.  I always have lots of water in my crock pot but maybe I need to use something else now that I see your suggestions.  Can you cook with wine and feed young kids?  Will it affect them? Is that wrong? LOL

When I cut the meat I just take the knife and slice, I don't really know what direction I am cutting I use an electric knife most times to cut it and just start at the top and slice down.  

Is there a right way to cut meat?

Hmmm, okay. Regarding slicing: Yes there is a right way, it's called "across the grain." If you are looking at your hunk-o-meat and seeing strands, you gotta cut across those. If you pull your meat and get strings, you need to cut across them. Think about this concept with your next hunk o meat and it shoudl make sense. This is MEGA important with lean cuts of beef like flank steak, shoulder, skirt steak etc. You gotta cut them DIAGONALLY across the grain or they are inedible. So, no strings allowed on the meat and you're going in the right basic direction. Improve on this basic concept by holding your knife at a 45 degree angle when you slice.

Tenderize your hunk o meat with something acidic. Wine in crockpot to tenderize beef will NOT hurt kids, alcoholics or anyone else. Think about Beef Burgundy (Google that) and Julia Child. French people would have long since died out if cooking beef in booze was harmful. Ditto basically every European except British. And the Brits are known for their ****ty food, right? Nuff said.

Quit using water to boil your meat. That's disgusting and English. Icky poo. Be civilized and use wine or beer and don't boil it. Sear your meat off first and THEN put it in the pot with the veggies and booze. But don't boil it. YUCK YUCK YUCK. Good Lord, that would inspire everyone to be vegetarians. (My MIL boils her meat and grosses me out. At last Easter she gave me custody over the potatoes and gravy, in which I invested lots of fat and booze, and they LOVED it LOL.)

Can't answer that one, especially, I shake my pork roast in the dry onion soup mix and add several cups of water, then carrots, celery, onion, potatoes run it ultra hot for a bit and when I leave turn it way down.

Easy recipes:
meat balls that are already cooked. I use Costco

OR

drumettes or wings, whatever is cooked


Either of these works with either of those:

Equal parts grape jelly and chili sauce, mix til they are merged, dump over meatballs, let simmer all day.

equal parts bbq sauce and orange marmelade, same thing, mix til merged, dump on meat of choice, simmer all day. This one is QUITE tangy

don't let anyone see you make them or they won't even try them. It IS weird, but oh so nummy


I serve with plain white rice on the side (cooked in my free rice cooker, of course), but you purists can just go for the brown rice or whatever.

Frozen meats, yay or nay in crockpots?

I have heard both so I am not sure.

Sure, throw em in frozen. Just be sure you have LOTS of time to cook.

Frozen sometimes. I have done chicken breasts and thinner cuts frozen. The BIG hunks need to be thawed.

Also, the coke thing...it tenderizes the meat in addition to flavoring it. Coke Cola, Dr Pepper or Rootbeer will work equally well.

As for the wine...alchohol evaporates so all you get it the flavor.  Reds for beef and some pork...whites for chicken, pork and seafood.

A lil bourbon or whiskey is good with BBQ sauce and beef.

COOK AWAY!!!

Bourbon? Did I hear bourbon? GIMME GIMME GIMME.

My BIL gets many bottles of whiskey from hunters who come on their property each fall, cuz he is the Brother In Charge of Permission Slips. I dunno why the hunters all assume whiskey is the thankyou gift of choice, but oh well. The relative newcomers invariably give him Jack Daniels or some other **** stuff by the half gallon. People who know him, know what booze to give him, which is RC, Candian Club or any of several flavors of good schnapps.

Bottom line is he has a closet full of cheap whiskey **** that he won't drink. I love this because I get to flame the beef with amazing amounts of booze when I grill. Jack Daniels makes bigger flames than other cheap **** FYI. It also ruins mushrooms.

Okay, I'm rambling, but I'm sitting here in 88 degrees of heat at 10:30 at night and wishing I could flee back to Montana. So I'm justified. Have you told me yet what weekend is better for you next July? Gimme a date brat, y'hear? And bring Dawn with you or else.

Bottom line is he has a closet full of cheap whiskey **** that he won't drink.

BLASPHEMY!!!!! If you live somewhere that alcohol is illegal even cheap alcohol becomes desirable.