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[Quality Start Machine]

Fuck, where's BBM when we need him?

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

Cooking question.

I've recently acquired a Crockpot.  Now, if I were to make a beef dish or some kind of goulash, would I need to cook or brown the beef before I place it in the Crockpot or will the Crockpot cook the beef over the course of 8 hours or so?

This question would also apply to other meats in the Crockpot.

I'll hang up and listen to my answer.

Some recipes will suggest you brown the meat before you dump it into the pot, but I've never really undertsood the reasoning behind this suggestion.  Clearly it can't be because they're worried that the meat will be underdone, because at 8 hours, even on low heat, that shit'll get cooked just fine.  There might be another justification that pertains to texture or something (or maybe excess grease that you typically take care of by browning (and draining) the meat beforehand?) that one of the amatuer cooks in here might know, but I otherwise don't understand this suggestion.  Throw all the shit in and turn it and go to the titty bar.

Browning is never really about making sure the meat isn't underdone so much as it's about the flavor.

The Maillard reaction involved in browning meat is responsible for developing distinctive meaty flavor compounds and it will never happen cooking at the lower temperature a crockpot operates at.

Brown the meat and then deglaze the browning skillet in order to hang onto all the delicious brown bits that get left behind.

This.  It's all about the flavour, baby.  Six or eight hours in a crockpot will cook the living shit out of pretty much any joint of meat you care to mention.

Top tip - if you're cooking a joint, brown it and then chuck half a bottle of beer in the crockpot with it.  Add mustard if it's beef or venison.  Drink rest of beer.  Profit.

That's not how I cook a joint.  You just need to make sure it's rolled evenly so it burns straight.  You people sure are strange.

[PenPho]

Cooking question.

I've recently acquired a Crockpot.  Now, if I were to make a beef dish or some kind of goulash, would I need to cook or brown the beef before I place it in the Crockpot or will the Crockpot cook the beef over the course of 8 hours or so?

This question would also apply to other meats in the Crockpot.

I'll hang up and listen to my answer.

Some recipes will suggest you brown the meat before you dump it into the pot, but I've never really undertsood the reasoning behind this suggestion.  Clearly it can't be because they're worried that the meat will be underdone, because at 8 hours, even on low heat, that shit'll get cooked just fine.  There might be another justification that pertains to texture or something (or maybe excess grease that you typically take care of by browning (and draining) the meat beforehand?) that one of the amatuer cooks in here might know, but I otherwise don't understand this suggestion.  Throw all the shit in and turn it and go to the titty bar.

Browning is never really about making sure the meat isn't underdone so much as it's about the flavor.

The Maillard reaction involved in browning meat is responsible for developing distinctive meaty flavor compounds and it will never happen cooking at the lower temperature a crockpot operates at.

Brown the meat and then deglaze the browning skillet in order to hang onto all the delicious brown bits that get left behind.

This.  It's all about the flavour, baby.  Six or eight hours in a crockpot will cook the living shit out of pretty much any joint of meat you care to mention.

Top tip - if you're cooking a joint, brown it and then chuck half a bottle of beer in the crockpot with it.  Add mustard if it's beef or venison.  Drink rest of beer.  Profit.

That's not how I cook a joint.  You just need to make sure it's rolled evenly so it burns straight.  You people sure are strange.

After 8 hours in a crockpot, you could pretty much have your shoe come out tender, but I definitely recommend the browning for taste. 
Same deal with a dutch oven (which are even better than crockpots, but not really something you'd want to leave in the oven for 8 hours unattended.)

[Richard Chuggar]

Cooking question.

I've recently acquired a Crockpot.  Now, if I were to make a beef dish or some kind of goulash, would I need to cook or brown the beef before I place it in the Crockpot or will the Crockpot cook the beef over the course of 8 hours or so?

This question would also apply to other meats in the Crockpot.

I'll hang up and listen to my answer.

Some recipes will suggest you brown the meat before you dump it into the pot, but I've never really undertsood the reasoning behind this suggestion.  Clearly it can't be because they're worried that the meat will be underdone, because at 8 hours, even on low heat, that shit'll get cooked just fine.  There might be another justification that pertains to texture or something (or maybe excess grease that you typically take care of by browning (and draining) the meat beforehand?) that one of the amatuer cooks in here might know, but I otherwise don't understand this suggestion.  Throw all the shit in and turn it and go to the titty bar.

Browning is never really about making sure the meat isn't underdone so much as it's about the flavor.

The Maillard reaction involved in browning meat is responsible for developing distinctive meaty flavor compounds and it will never happen cooking at the lower temperature a crockpot operates at.

Brown the meat and then deglaze the browning skillet in order to hang onto all the delicious brown bits that get left behind.

This.  It's all about the flavour, baby.  Six or eight hours in a crockpot will cook the living shit out of pretty much any joint of meat you care to mention.

Top tip - if you're cooking a joint, brown it and then chuck half a bottle of beer in the crockpot with it.  Add mustard if it's beef or venison.  Drink rest of beer.  Profit.

That's not how I cook a joint.  You just need to make sure it's rolled evenly so it burns straight.  You people sure are strange.

After 8 hours in a crockpot, you could pretty much have your shoe come out tender, but I definitely recommend the browning for taste. 
Same deal with a dutch oven (which are even better than crockpots, but not really something you'd want to leave in the oven for 8 hours unattended.)

Agreed on the dutch oven.  It's way better than the crock pot, but  you have to be home to make whatever in it.  It does get really hot and keeps everything in way better than the regular crock pot.  And if you're going to put meat in there, at least sear it or give it a little char before you put it in the pot. 

[flannj]

Cooking question.

I've recently acquired a Crockpot.  Now, if I were to make a beef dish or some kind of goulash, would I need to cook or brown the beef before I place it in the Crockpot or will the Crockpot cook the beef over the course of 8 hours or so?

This question would also apply to other meats in the Crockpot.

I'll hang up and listen to my answer.

Some recipes will suggest you brown the meat before you dump it into the pot, but I've never really undertsood the reasoning behind this suggestion.  Clearly it can't be because they're worried that the meat will be underdone, because at 8 hours, even on low heat, that shit'll get cooked just fine.  There might be another justification that pertains to texture or something (or maybe excess grease that you typically take care of by browning (and draining) the meat beforehand?) that one of the amatuer cooks in here might know, but I otherwise don't understand this suggestion.  Throw all the shit in and turn it and go to the titty bar.

Browning is never really about making sure the meat isn't underdone so much as it's about the flavor.

The Maillard reaction involved in browning meat is responsible for developing distinctive meaty flavor compounds and it will never happen cooking at the lower temperature a crockpot operates at.

Brown the meat and then deglaze the browning skillet in order to hang onto all the delicious brown bits that get left behind.

This.  It's all about the flavour, baby.  Six or eight hours in a crockpot will cook the living shit out of pretty much any joint of meat you care to mention.

Top tip - if you're cooking a joint, brown it and then chuck half a bottle of beer in the crockpot with it.  Add mustard if it's beef or venison.  Drink rest of beer.  Profit.

That's not how I cook a joint.  You just need to make sure it's rolled evenly so it burns straight.  You people sure are strange.

After 8 hours in a crockpot, you could pretty much have your shoe come out tender, but I definitely recommend the browning for taste.  
Same deal with a dutch oven (which are even better than crockpots, but not really something you'd want to leave in the oven for 8 hours unattended.)

Agreed on the dutch oven.  It's way better than the crock pot, but  you have to be home to make whatever in it.  It does get really hot and keeps everything in way better than the regular crock pot.  And if you're going to put meat in there, at least sear it or give it a little char before you put it in the pot.  

I did a variation on this recipe on a cold snowy Sunday this past winter.
"Pork Shoulder alla Porchetta" substituting 10 hours in the crockpot instead of 2 1/2 in the oven.
Which made it an absolute must to sear all sides of the meat first in a cast iron pot.
Shredded and served on toasted ciabatta rolls.
Fucking outstanding and made the house smell like slow cooked pork heaven.

[Eli]

Which made it an absolute must to sear all sides of the meat first in a cast iron pot.

Pork crust is basically the greatest thing ever. One can make some pretty good pulled pork by searing the outside for a few minutes and then cooking slowly in a crock pot. Easy as can be.

Then again, living in KC, it feels futile to try my hand any sort of pork or barbecue product at home so I rarely bother.

And who knew we had so many epicureans here on Desipio?

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

Which made it an absolute must to sear all sides of the meat first in a cast iron pot.

Pork crust is basically the greatest thing ever. One can make some pretty good pulled pork by searing the outside for a few minutes and then cooking slowly in a crock pot. Easy as can be.

Then again, living in KC, it feels futile to try my hand any sort of pork or barbecue product at home so I rarely bother.

And who knew we had so many epicureans here on Desipio?

Just a guess here, but the average Desipiot is probably 10-15% overweight.

[Gilgamesh]

Which made it an absolute must to sear all sides of the meat first in a cast iron pot.

Pork crust is basically the greatest thing ever. One can make some pretty good pulled pork by searing the outside for a few minutes and then cooking slowly in a crock pot. Easy as can be.

Then again, living in KC, it feels futile to try my hand any sort of pork or barbecue product at home so I rarely bother.

And who knew we had so many epicureans here on Desipio?

I've been focused making several French dishes at this point; chicken provencale, beef bourginon, etc.  Very interesting combinations there.  However, I've never used a crockpot before in my cooking, so I thought I'd ask.

I think I've perfected my lobster bisque recipe.

[J. Walter Weatherman]

Which made it an absolute must to sear all sides of the meat first in a cast iron pot.

Pork crust is basically the greatest thing ever. One can make some pretty good pulled pork by searing the outside for a few minutes and then cooking slowly in a crock pot. Easy as can be.

Then again, living in KC, it feels futile to try my hand any sort of pork or barbecue product at home so I rarely bother.

And who knew we had so many epicureans here on Desipio?

I've been focused making several French dishes at this point; chicken provencale, beef bourginon, etc.  Very interesting combinations there.  However, I've never used a crockpot before in my cooking, so I thought I'd ask.

I think I've perfected my lobster bisque recipe.

Have you tried your hand at crockpot chicken oscar?

[flannj]

Which made it an absolute must to sear all sides of the meat first in a cast iron pot.

Pork crust is basically the greatest thing ever. One can make some pretty good pulled pork by searing the outside for a few minutes and then cooking slowly in a crock pot. Easy as can be.

Then again, living in KC, it feels futile to try my hand any sort of pork or barbecue product at home so I rarely bother.

And who knew we had so many epicureans here on Desipio?

Just a guess here, but the average Desipiot is probably 10-15% overweight.

Speak for yourself tubby.

And shouldn't the two of us only know how to boil meat?

[Quality Start Machine]

Just a guess here, but the average Desipiot is probably 10-15% overweight.

Not since Chuck Dickens stopped coming around to keep the average down.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

Which made it an absolute must to sear all sides of the meat first in a cast iron pot.

Pork crust is basically the greatest thing ever. One can make some pretty good pulled pork by searing the outside for a few minutes and then cooking slowly in a crock pot. Easy as can be.

Then again, living in KC, it feels futile to try my hand any sort of pork or barbecue product at home so I rarely bother.

And who knew we had so many epicureans here on Desipio?

Just a guess here, but the average Desipiot is probably 10-15% overweight.

Speak for yourself tubby.

And shouldn't the two of us only know how to boil meat?

Speaking for myself, I'd peg the number at closer to 20%.

And dinner was never something we looked forward to growing up.

[Bort]

Which made it an absolute must to sear all sides of the meat first in a cast iron pot.

Pork crust is basically the greatest thing ever. One can make some pretty good pulled pork by searing the outside for a few minutes and then cooking slowly in a crock pot. Easy as can be.

Then again, living in KC, it feels futile to try my hand any sort of pork or barbecue product at home so I rarely bother.

And who knew we had so many epicureans here on Desipio?

Just a guess here, but the average Desipiot is probably 10-15% overweight.

Speak for yourself tubby.

And shouldn't the two of us only know how to boil meat?

Speaking for myself, I'd peg the number at closer to 20%.

And dinner was never something we looked forward to growing up.

Does half a potato and a tumbler of whiskey count as "dinner" now?

[PenPho]

Which made it an absolute must to sear all sides of the meat first in a cast iron pot.

Pork crust is basically the greatest thing ever. One can make some pretty good pulled pork by searing the outside for a few minutes and then cooking slowly in a crock pot. Easy as can be.

Then again, living in KC, it feels futile to try my hand any sort of pork or barbecue product at home so I rarely bother.

And who knew we had so many epicureans here on Desipio?

Just a guess here, but the average Desipiot is probably 10-15% overweight.

Speak for yourself tubby.

And shouldn't the two of us only know how to boil meat?

Speaking for myself, I'd peg the number at closer to 20%.

And dinner was never something we looked forward to growing up.

Does half a potato and a tumbler of whiskey count as "dinner" now?

For dessert he got hit with a belt.

[J. Walter Weatherman]

And dinner was never something we looked forward to growing up.

"What's for potato tonight, mom?"