Fix-It and Forget-It Revised and Updated: 700 Great Slow Cooker Recipes (49 page)

2. Pour barbecue sauce over each layer of ribs.

3. Cover. Cook 8-9 hours on Low, or until meat begins to fall off the bones.

Note:

I live on a farm, and so we have an abundance of beef and pork in our freezer. I love ribs, but I don’t always have time to prepare them. One day I decided to put ribs in my slow cooker and spoon barbecue sauce over them. They cooked all day on Low. By supper-time, they were deliciously tender.

Beef Ribs

Maryann Westerberg

Rosamond, CA

Makes 8-10 servings

Prep. Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 8½ hours

Ideal slow-cooker size: 4-qt.

3-4-lb. boneless beef roast,
or
short ribs

1½ cups barbecue sauce,
divided

½ cup apricot,
or
pineapple, jam

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1. Place ribs in baking pan.

2. Combine ¾ cup barbecue sauce, jam, and soy sauce. Pour over ribs. Bake at 450° for 30 minutes until brown.

3. Take out of oven. Layer beef and sauce used in oven in slow cooker.

4. Cover. Cook on Low 8 hours.

5. Mix remaining ¾ cup barbecue sauce with sauce from slow cooker. Pour over ribs and serve.

Chianti-Braised Short Ribs

Veronica Sabo

Shelton, CT

Makes 4 servings

Prep Time: 30-40 minutes

Cooking Time: 6 hours

Ideal slow-cooker size: 5- to 6-qt.

8 beef short ribs on bone (4-5 lbs.)

salt to taste

pepper to taste

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cups Chianti wine

2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 tsp. tomato paste

salt to taste

pepper to taste

1. Season ribs with salt and pepper.

2. Add vegetable oil to large skillet. Brown half the ribs 7-10 minutes, turning to brown all sides. Remove to slow cooker.

3. Repeat browning with second half of ribs. Transfer to slow cooker.

4. Pour off all but one tablespoon of drippings from skillet.

5. Sauté onion in skillet, scraping up any browned bits, until slightly softened, about 4 minutes.

6. Add wine and tomatoes to skillet. Bring to a boil.

7. Carefully pour hot mixture into slow cooker.

8. Cover. Cook on Low 6 hours, or until ribs are tender.

9. Transfer ribs to serving plate and cover to keep warm.

10. Strain cooking liquid from slow cooker into a measuring cup.

11. Skim off as much fat as possible.

12. Pour remaining juice into skillet used to brown ribs. Boil sauce until reduced to one cup.

13. Stir in tomato paste until smooth.

14. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serving suggestion: Serve sauce over ribs or on the side.

Reuben Sandwiches

Maryann Markano

Wilmington, DE

Makes 3-4 servings

Prep. Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 3-4 hours

Ideal slow-cooker size: 3½-qt.

1-lb. can sauerkraut

1 lb. sliced corned beef brisket

¼ lb. Swiss cheese, sliced

1. Drain sauerkraut in sieve, then on paper towels until very dry. Place in bottom of slow cooker.

2. Arrange layer of corned beef slices over sauerkraut. Top with cheese slices.

3. Cover. Cook on Low 3-4 hours.

Serving suggestion: Toast
rye bread
. Spread generously with
sandwich spread
or
Thousand Island dressing
. Spoon ingredients from slow cooker onto toasted bread, maintaining layers of sauerkraut, meat, and cheese.

Smoky Brisket

Angeline Lang

Greeley, CO

Makes 8-10 servings

Prep. Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 10-12 hours

Ideal slow-cooker size: 4½- to 5-qt.

2 medium onions, sliced

3-4-lb. beef brisket

1 Tbsp. smoke-flavored salt

1 tsp. celery seed

1 Tbsp. mustard seed

½ tsp. pepper

12-oz. bottle chili sauce

1. Arrange onions in bottom of slow cooker.

2. Sprinkle both sides of meat with smoke-flavored salt.

3. Combine celery seed, mustard seed, pepper, and chili sauce. Pour over meat.

4. Cover. Cook on Low 10-12 hours.

Easy Barbecued Venison

Tracey B. Stenger

Gretna, LA

Makes 6 servings

Prep. Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 8-10 hours

Ideal slow-cooker size: 5-qt.

2-3-lb. venison,
or
beef, roast, cubed

2 large onions, sliced in rings

1-2 18-oz. bottles barbecue sauce

1. Put layer of meat and layer of onion rings in slow cooker. Drizzle generously with barbecue sauce. Repeat layers until meat and onion rings are all in place.

2. Cover. Cook on Low 8-10 hours.

Serving suggestion: Eat with au gratin
potatoes
and a
vegetable
, or slice thin and pile into
steak rolls
, drizzled with juice.

Note:

To be sure venison cooks tender, marinate overnight in 1 cup vinegar and 2 Tbsp. dried rosemary. In the morning, discard marinade, cut venison into cubes, and proceed with recipe.

Old World Sauerbraten

C.J. Slagle

Roann, IN

Angeline Lang

Greeley, CO

Makes 8 servings

Prep. Time: 10 minutes

Marinating Time: 24-36 hours

Cooking Time: 6¼-8¼ hours

Ideal slow-cooker size: 4-qt.

3½-4-lb. beef rump roast

1 cup water

1 cup vinegar

1 lemon, sliced but unpeeled

10 whole cloves

1 large onion, sliced

4 bay leaves

6 whole peppercorns

2 Tbsp. salt

2 Tbsp. sugar

12 gingersnaps, crumbled

1. Place meat in deep ceramic or glass bowl.

2. Combine water, vinegar, lemon, cloves, onion, bay leaves, peppercorns, salt, and sugar. Pour over meat. Cover and refrigerate 24-36 hours. Turn meat several times during marinating.

3. Place beef in slow cooker. Pour 1 cup marinade over meat.

4. Cover. Cook on Low 6-8 hours. Remove meat.

5. Strain meat juices and return to pot. Turn to High. Stir in gingersnaps. Cover and cook on High 10-14 minutes.

Serving suggestion: Slice meat. Pour finished sauce over meat.