Slow Cooker Texas Chili

Texas Slow Cooker Chili

6 strips all natural, nitrite free bacon
2 lbs. boneless beef cubed
2 15 oz. cans kidney beans, drained
1 28 oz. can tomatoes, cut up
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons minced parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Fry the slices of bacon and drain on a paper towel.

Place the beef cubes in the bacon pan, brown the meat with the bacon drippings for about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the meat to the slow cooker. Stir the bacon and the rest of the ingredients into the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on a low setting for 10 hours or until the meat is tender and done. Stir occasionally.

Crock Pot Cooking Tips

Tips For Your Crock Pot Cooking

You are looking online and you see all kinds of different types of crock pots and you are having a hard time choosing one that fits what you need. There are many things that you need to be aware of before you purchase your crock pot. Size, including depth and width, matter because it all depends on what you will cook in it.

It is good to have a liner for your crock pot if you want to take it with you to functions. This way you don’t accidentally burn yourself all the while keeping the food snug and warm.

There are liners that you can put inside of the crock pot to make for easier cleaner messes. It is more convenient to have these then it would be to have to scrub stuck on food.

You don’t necessarily have to brown any meats, except for hamburger meat. You usually would do that because of the excess fat that is left behind when the meat is cooked. It is recommended that you rinse the meat when you are finished browning it. Before cooking chicken in the crock pot, you will want to remove the skin. That is unless you plan to use the skin for flavor. In that case, be sure to take it out of the crock pot when the stock is done cooking. Always be sure to rinse chicken in cold water as well.

Be careful how you place your ingredients. It is known that vegetables cook slower then meat. In that case you may want to add the vegetables first and then the meat. Now, if the meat (like a roast) is frozen, you can put it on the bottom and, of course, that will require some extra cooking time.

When you are cooking in a crock pot, steam is the main element and the heat, of course. You do not need to lift the lid up to see the contents. Most  crock pots come with a clear glass lid. If it is oval, all you have to do is tap the top of the lid to see the contents. If it is a circular lid, simply twist the lid allowing the water to drip down and then you can see the contents of the crock pot cooking. Just keep in mind that it usually adds about 20 minutes of cook time to your food when you lift the lid.

All About Slow Cookers

Buying a Slow Cooker

In today’s society we find our self doing a lot of on line shopping verses going to the store. It is just more convenient and for those single Moms shopping on on line sure does come in handy. It makes life easier when you don’t have to dress three kids just to run and grab something that you so desperately need. Am I right?

There are several places where you can purchase a slow cooker on line. If you are an e Bay shopper, you may find new or gently used ones there for a reasonable price.

There are other places on line to purchase a slow cooker, like amazon.com. It is good to get the slow cooker that you can compare and the most convenient for you.

The Advantages of Slow Cookers

One of the best advantages of owning a slow cooker is the fact that it cooks so slow that you don’t have to worry about it over cooking your food. If you are cooking thick meats, the slower cooking process also seems to keep the meat good and tenderized. Not to mention it brings more flavor to every item such as a vegetable because the juices have had time to set into it.

You can make a lower grade meat taste so much better cooking it inside of a crockpot. The reason for this is because the slow cooking process allows the fats to be broken down and the juices are able to set into the meat. It also conveniently blends the different flavors of the contents even before the seasoning. When you make a roast, the juices from the roast meat are tasted in the vegetables. You can’t get that on the stove top. You may get that in an over but not as good.

Sometimes washing a slow cooker can be tricky, especially a lot of the older models. They do not detach from the cooker. You cannot immerse it in water so to tackle that hard stuck on food can be a challenge. On the other hand, if you have one that detaches, you can let it soak in hot soapy water and even slip it into the dishwasher. These newer slow cookers are wonderful.

When you are on your way to a party and are required to bring food with you, a crock pot will definitely be ideal. You can cook and carry it with you. For picnics? I doubt it. It is good for pot luck functions and dinners. It can be more convenient then traveling with paper plates or big hot pots.

Browse slow cooker recipes on this site.

What can be Cooked in the Slow Cooker?

Are you wondering what you can cook inside this new slow cooker? There are several things and it is cost effective in just about every aspect. The cost of meat is cheaper for a slow cooker because the meat is tender when cooked in a slow cooker. You can dice up roast and make beef tips and rice. All it takes is cutting the beef against the grain, cooking for a couple hours and then making gravy.

Just about any soup or stew can be made with a slow cooker. For the most part all you have to do is throw all of the ingredients together in the slow cooker and cook all day. It is really simple and easy.

You save on having to wash all of the dishes that you would have cooking all of the food on the stove or the oven.

Beans of any kind are best when they are cooked in the slow cooker. You can’t go wrong with making beans in it because they are cooked slowly and you don’t have to worry about them getting scorched. You can let them cook all day and even when you add the meat to them, you allow for the meat flavor to set into the beans. When the juice is thickened you will be able to enjoy a delicious meal over rice.

Prepare spaghetti like you usually would on the stove top. Then if you think that allowing time for the sauce flavors to set into the pasta and the meat, you can let it simmer in the slow cooker for awhile. You may enjoy it a lot better.

Just about anything that merely needs to be warmed in the oven can be warmed in the slow cooker. It may take longer. For instance when you have a casserole that you would like to make in the heat of the summer, there is nothing more unbearable then cranking that oven up, much less paying a huge gas bill just to enjoy those winter meals. Well with a slow cooker you can enjoy winter meals in the summer time with just a little electricity.

Take for instance that roast that you cooked last night. You remember how wonderful that was? I mean although it was delicious there were still plenty left overs. You can chose to make a roast beef sandwich with the leftovers or you can make barbecue roast beef sandwiches by placing the left over roast back into the crock pot and use half to whole barbecue sauce and let it simmer about two hours. Shred the roast. This makes for a delicious barbecue roast beef sandwich.

You have made this scrumptious home made chicken noodle soup on the stove top. I mean you have to because there are noodles that have to be boiled. Not to mention the chicken also has to boil thoroughly to cook so that it can be separated for the soup. Well you are wanting to take this delicious soup to a party. Don’t fret, it may need some extra simmering but that can be done at the party, in the crock pot. When the soup is together go ahead and convert it to the crock pot.

Any kind of left over soup can be placed into the crock pot to be warmed up. Before heading to work you can pull it out of the refrigerator and place it in the crock pot. Then you can turn the crock pot on to warm. By the time that you get home, it should be warmed up for dinner. You can even freeze soup and put it in the crock pot on low for a few hours. There is an instant and even more delicious meal, then when it was originally prepared.

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