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Making Beef Stew in Crock Pot
November 5, 2010

Call for Recipes: Crock-Pot Favorites

From the Kitchen of Katie Kick

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Lately I’m feeling the need to use the crock-pot more than I used to. A little back story here. Remember how I told you all about how unhappy we were with Logan’s school? Well, about a month ago we got a call from one of the charter schools we had applied to. They had a few no-shows and did another lottery – guess what? Logan’s name was drawn. We were so excited! He is doing great there and we’re much happier with the school as a whole.

Making Beef Stew in Crock Pot

The only draw back is that I’m spending more time in the car driving to and from school. We used to be within walking distance and now it’s a 20 minute drive. It’s not as bad as I thought it would be and I actually don’t mind it in the morning because it makes us all get up and get moving on our day instead of putzing around. Eric picks up 2 days a week and I do the other 3. Those 3 days are the days that I find crock-pot meals to be a big help to me.

So….what’s your favorite crock-pot recipe? And while we’re at it, what kind of crock-pot do you have? My crock-pot is 8 years old and not so great to begin with, so I’m in the market for a new one. Do you have any suggestions?

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Updated: January 21, 2025

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  3. Great idea! I have a crock pot that get so little use because have no recipes for it-can’t wait to see some of yours.

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  4. I just saw you are looking for a new slow cooker when I re-read your post. I like the Hamilton beach 3 in 1 because you get a 2, 4, and 6 quart crock that all fits the same base. It’s a great one if you only plan on owning 1 slow cooker.

    But my newest love is the Cuisinart PSC-350 3-1/2-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker. It has low and high – but it has a simmer setting too. The new slow cookers run almost twice as hot as the older ones and this setting is the closest I’ve gotten to the old low. It means I can cook more dishes all day without worries!

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    • Oh I didn’t know they made a 3 in 1, I was in the market for a 2 & 4 and now only have to buy one. I also would recommend a programmable one with a warm setting if you are going to be gone a lot.

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  5. I love my crockpots and use them all the time (I have 5 of different sizes) My favorite is my newest one which is a Rival with a “warm” feature that I got at Costco 6 months ago or so. We cook everything from baby food (great for baby purees!) to side dishes and desserts, but mostly main dishes like my 1-2-3 pot roast and pork carnitas.

    1-2-3 pot roast goes like this: 1 package of onion soup mix and 1 can of beef broth, 2 tsp of garlic, chopped, and 3 lbs of pot roast (+/- this isn’t exact) I usually use eye of round since that’s relatively cheap and easy to get at Sams/Costco. Cook for 8 hrs on low and then either slice or shred, depending on how I’m gonna use it.

    Pork carnitas are just as easy… Get a bottle of Mojo marinade (in the hispanic section of most groceries, made by Goya) and put it and a large pork shoulder (or boneless Boston Butt) roast into a zip top bag. Cover with marinade (one bottle of marinade does two batches usually) and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, dump the whole thing into the crockpot and cook for 10-12 hrs on low. At the end of cooking, remove any large globs of fat/sinew and then shred the pork in the sauce. It’s great as is over rice or potatoes, but you can make pork carnita tacos by taking some of the shredded pork and sauteeing in a pan until a little browned and crispy. I add a little cumin to mine when I saute it. Serve on fresh corn tortillas with chopped white onion, fresh cilantro and some cotilla cheese with a squeeze of lime juice and you’ve got some fairly authentic carnitas 🙂

    For some more great crockpot recipes, check out Stephanie O’Dea’s blog A Year of Slow Cooking which includes recipes like making yogurt in your crockpot and many other fun things!

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  6. My favorite crock pot recipe is pulled Mexican Pork. Cut a pork roast into 1″ chunks and place in the slow cooker with 1 chopped green bell pepper, 1 small chopped onion, and 12-16 oz of your favorite salsa. I like to add a minced clove of garlic and about a tablespoon of cumin. Stir everything up and cook it all day (8 hours on low). Add a tablespoon or two of quick-cooking tapioca to thicken and let it cook for another 10-15 minutes. Let it cool slightly, then use tongs to crush up the pork (it should be so tender that it easily falls apart). Serve in tortillas with sour cream, lettuce, tomato, cilantro and lime wedges.

    I have a small 4-quart Rival that I use when I’m just cooking for myself and the 6.5 quart model pictured in the post for larger meals. I love the programmable crock pot!

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  9. LOL, I was going to post about French Dip sandwiches, but Liz beat me to it! My recipe is a little different though.

    Anyway, I hear ya. My oldest started a new school this year, and it takes 20-25 minutes to get there. Not huge, but it definitely adds up…

    I have a 5.5 qt Crock Pot Smart Pot, very similar to the one you pictured. I’ve had it a couple of years. It’s not great, but it gets the job done. I also have a smaller one (maybe 3-4 qt), but it seems to run hot and I only use it for shorter cooking times.

    One thing my kiddos like is meatball sandwiches. I’ll throw frozen (cooked) meatballs in the slow cooker, and then add a can of crushed tomatoes, and seasonings and let it cook for a few hours. When we get home, toast some buns and make sandwiches!

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  10. I like to make braise pork in the crockpot! I would LOVE to have one the new cuisenart crockpots with the stovetop safe insert. Brown your meat and stick it in the pot!

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  11. I’m partial to my own cookbook of course! I have six slow cookers. I really like the Hamilton Beach one that has a single base but 3 inserts that you can choose from – 2 qt. 6 qt and 4 qt. Perfect for any recipe!

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  14. Katie,
    This is a wonderful recipe that I use often. You can use any Barbecue sauce you like! The end result is wonderful. Hope this helps. ~Liz

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