Monday, March 14, 2016

8 hours on low, stupid


I tore this recipe out of Western Horseman magazine awhile back because 
pulled pork cooked in a crock pot is one of the specialties of this house 
and it looked like an interesting variation on the theme. 
I made it for Ethel when she was visiting last fall, and I remember it being a big hit, 
so I made it again when Danni and Paul visited recently.


I cooked it in the crock pot on high for 4 and 1/2 hours, just like the recipe said.
But when the time was up and three very hungry people were ready to eat,
the darned thing wasn't close to done! As I scurried about the kitchen 
working on a backup plan, I heard Danni say, "8 hours on low, stupid."
I was a bit taken aback. It was so unlike Danni to make a derogatory remark.
Then she said it again.


Then I realized she was simply reading what I had written on the recipe the last time
I had made it, when the same damned thing happened. Silly me forgot to look at my note.
We ate posole for dinner instead and I set the crockpot to cook for another four hours.
I would be asleep by the time it finished, but the crockpot would automatically switch 
to the "warm" mode and I would deal with it in the morning.
Except the crockpot never shut down. Oh well. The good news was that it is impossible
to overcook pulled pork. The bad news was that I needed a new crockpot.


So the new crockpot arrived. 
I needed to prove to myself that the old one was indeed faulty, not the recipe,
so I set out to make the Southwestern Chipotle Pulled Pork yet again,
on high for 4 and 1/2 hours.


But let me digress for a moment to extol the wonders of this new crockpot.
The pot part is stovetop-safe and weighs a mere fraction of 
the stoneware boat anchor of a pot it replaced. It was love at first sight lift.



Anyway, the recipe calls for green chile and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.
This is not a recipe for sissies.



If your mouth is watering right now, you're an honorary New Mexican.



I set the timer, then left on a very long ride with Lucy 
so I wouldn't have to smell the spicy goodness all afternoon.


Sure enough, 4 and 1/2 hours later, the pork was perfectly pullable.


I returned the pork to the pot as instructed, where it is now warming
and absorbing all those chile flavors
and I'm trying not to drool on the keyboard.
It will be ready to eat in a few minutes. Gotta go.



17 comments:

  1. I really like cooking that doesn't need me too much.

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  2. Para chuparse los dedos!!! (finger-lickin' good, I bet it was)
    This dinner, after that very long ride with Lucy, presumably on a very beautiful day - we have an expression for that: To live like God in France. Yay for you! :)

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  3. I was wondering why such the short amount of time (4.5 hours) for a pork shoulder/pork butt (and why they call it that when that is not actual location of the cut ???). Anyway, traditionally a large cut of slow-cooked pork could be cooked for 6 to 8 hours ... or even overnight.

    I don't have a slow cooker that will handle that cut, I use a large tall-sided cast iron skillet and the oven on a low heat. The last pork shoulder wouldn't fit in the tall skillet, so I used the turkey roasting rack that fits in the 9x13 pan.

    If you still have your old crockpot insert, it can be used for baking No-Knead bread or other foods in your oven.

    Dinner looks great!

    M in Nc

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  4. Mouth watering. Maybe I should go and unearth my cockpot----

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  5. Yumm! Butt/shoulder roast cut?

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  6. What is the pot made of?

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    Replies
    1. I already threw away the manual but I think is was something like DuraCeramic?

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  7. If you want an even better pulled pork soak it in a brine for 24-48 hours. We did this last time and it made a huge difference in taste. We also slow roast in the over for 10-12 hours as our crock pot can barley handle a small roast. Pintrest has some amazing recipes!

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  8. Crock pots are the best. I can almost smell that the goodness, mmmmmm

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  9. Yummy! I make crockpot yumminess every Sunday. I don't do much cooking, but the crockpot is a beautiful thing for sure! Happy Monday.

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  10. I have the exact same Crockpot! I absolutely love it. I make pulled pork in it all the time! I also love making chicken with salsa in the crock - very versatile, can turn into tacos, echiladas, even a southwest style chicken soup!

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  11. I always whack the roast into several smaller pieces before cooking. Might make it cook faster. (?)

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  12. I think I need a crockpot but what could it be called in French? le pot du croc?

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  13. An American in Tokyo3/14/16, 6:57 PM

    Oh yummy yum yum!!
    I love my crockpot, too!! I use it to make all kinds of meats!!

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  14. Yay! You got your new one- I'm so happy you like it!!
    And I'll never forget that moment in the kitchen when you looked at me with that shocked look on your face after I read your handwritten note out loud from the margin of that recipe. Hahahahaha

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  15. I don't know how old your old crock pot was, but "vintage" crock pots cook at a much lower temperature than crock pots that are 20 years old or newer. Something about risk of e-coli and all sorts of other bad things when food is in the "danger zone," temperature-wise. I had my mom's old crock pot from the 70s forever, and it died about 5 years ago and I cried. I burn everything I cook in my new one. LOL!

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