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The pot has its given place on the stove for a large part of the year. As darkness creeps in, let the slow cooker stand for a warming, nourishing dinner. While the pot is simmering, you also have time to do other things!
Which meat really goes best with what? Is there anything I can do with this steak that is deep in the freezer? Do I need a special pot or will a regular pot suffice? And why should the meat be browned? Here we help you with some cornerstones in the noble art of slow cooking.
How long is a slow cooker?
How long should a slow cooker actually be cooked?
The answer to that is that it depends entirely on the meat you use. For example, different cuts of the same animal have different cooking times and are suitable for different types of cooking methods. On cattle, details that sit far forward on the animal tend to (high rib, bow, rib, cheek) to become more tender as those muscles move more and therefore contain a higher percentage of connective tissue. This makes it better suited to dishes where you want the meat to fall apart when done (for pulled meat & chili, for example).
Meat that sits further back on the animal (e.g. French or inner thigh) have a lower percentage of connective tissue and are generally a more low-fat option, which makes them better suited to stews and cooking where the meat must be in clear pieces – such as calops or whole roast.
You should probably always count on at least a couple of hours in the oven or on the stove for really tender meat.
What meat do you want to use?
High reef
This favorite is hard to get dry and boring. Give it time and it will give your taste buds love. Depending on what you’re going to cook, it can be good to keep an eye on it so that it doesn’t go on for too long, as it eventually dissolves and loses its consistency completely – which are features we want for e.g. chili or pulled beef but not in the shell.
French/Roast Beef
Beef steak is a cut detail that contains french fries, inner and outer thigh or roast beef. This allows you to think of it just like the French when cooking. As with the inner thigh, the French contains a smaller amount of fat than many other cuts. This is usually prepared either as a pot roast or a regular roast. Then it is important to remember to tie it up with twine so that it keeps its shape. It is also fine to make stew in the French style, then you should think just like with the inner thigh that it is important to cut the fibers to avoid it becoming tough.
Meat on the bone
There are several different details that come on the bone, such as leg of lamb, oxtail, and chicken drumsticks and pork (see more below). These are at their best if they are allowed to cook for a long time in a good sauce, then the large meadow connective tissue and fat release a lot of good taste. Cook the meat in the sauce until the meat comes off the bone, then you know it’s done.
Pork meat
The most common meat to use in slow cooking is beef, probably because it is a meat with more details that risk becoming dry and boring when cooked, and therefore it has historically been used more for just that. We still want to take a shot at slow-cooking pork as well. Pork generally has a higher fat content and thus an incredible natural flavoring that will lift your stews to the sky! Try our recipe on night-baked loin of pork, long-boiled bay leaves ragu or pulled pork with Christmas flavours!
Choose recipes according to who will be eating dinner. If it is a dinner for many adults, perhaps a slow-cooked meal based on red wine, such as bouef bourguignon, is better suited than if there are many small, picky mouths. Then it might be better to work with simpler flavors where the accessories can be varied, such as pulled beef or chili stew (with an adapted amount of chili, of course).
What are the building blocks of a slow cooker? How to think there?
The meat
In a slow cooker, a protein is needed. Which protein you choose will determine the cooking time, but always count on at least 1.5-2 hours of cooking. Read on in our guide to cooking meat to learn more about internal temperatures during slow cooking.
Meat and onions will be extra good if you brown them before they end up in the pot. It releases the nutty umami flavor of the meat. If you want to skip this step, add the meat to the already simmering sauce base.
Sauce base
The meat will release a lot of liquid during cooking, but unfortunately not enough to be cooked in it alone. Therefore, you need to add some more liquid. If you choose wine, tomatoes or broth is entirely up to you. Just keep in mind that creamy products can curdle if cooked too long and are therefore better added at the end.
Seasoning
Regardless of whether you choose to season with mushrooms, herbs or chili, it is important to season in batches, from when you brown the meat at the beginning, to the middle of cooking to just before serving.
Stew or… Stew?
A solid cast iron pot does you many favors, not least by distributing the heat evenly and steadily. But, don’t let it stop you because you didn’t shop at Le Creuset before making a pot! A regular saucepan works just as well, as long as you keep the temperature low to medium, and stir occasionally.
But, what can I do with the inner thigh?
The inner thigh is one of the parts at risk of becoming dry and tough if treated incorrectly, and which is all too often incorrectly ends up in a long boil. Let the inner thigh get its due with faster cooking instead. But, you can still make a stew! How about a classic sailor steak? Or slice thinly and fry quickly in this autumn stew.
So don’t cook the inside of the thigh for too long, then it risks becoming tough.
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