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Slow Cooker Recipes

Pulled pork, beef stew, butter chicken and soups that cook while you're out.

13 recipes · Updated

Slow Cooker Basics These Recipes Follow

Every recipe gives both a LOW and a HIGH cook time, so you can fit it around a working day or have it ready by dinner. Tough cuts like pork shoulder, chuck roast and beef for barbacoa get the long LOW cook that makes them shred; chicken recipes run shorter, because chicken left for 8 hours turns dry and stringy.

A few rules hold for all of them: thaw meat completely before it goes in, keep the lid closed (each lift adds cooking time), and use canned beans, never dry kidney beans, which are unsafe unless boiled first. Chicken is done at 165°F (74°C) and pork at 145°F (63°C), though pulled pork is cooked well past that, to about 200°F, so it pulls apart.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I put frozen meat in the slow cooker?

No. Frozen meat spends too long in the temperature range where bacteria grow. Thaw it in the fridge first.

LOW or HIGH: what's the difference?

Both reach the same final temperature; HIGH just gets there faster. As a rule, 1 hour on HIGH is roughly 2 hours on LOW. Each recipe gives both times.

Can I leave the slow cooker on while I'm at work?

Slow cookers are designed to run unattended. Set it on a heatproof surface away from the wall, and choose the LOW time if you will be out all day.

Do I need to brown the meat first?

It is optional in most of these recipes. Browning adds flavour and colour; where it matters, the recipe says so.

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