Monday, April 29, 2013

Crock Pot Monday

Crock Pot Monday! 

    I love to use the slow cooker on days when it's hot. The idea of running the oven just sounds awful; and today it's gonna be 90+F here in my part of California. Just the start of the coming hot weather here; but, the fact it's also Monday is enough for me to dive into this early and easy-
It's a  CROCK POT Monday for me!

I started with a pork butt roast, rinsed it, and placed it in the crock pot. I covered it with a glass of water, and used my dehydrated vegies seasoning (onion, carrot, garlic, green onion and fresno chili). I add 1 whole onion quartered, pepper, and 3 stalks of celery. I set the crock pot on high around 10:30 am. It should be falling apart soon- about 3-4 hours. I'll turn it on low after 4 hours and let it stay there until I finish dinner.

Tonight I am going to drain the juice/broth from this and make a homemade gravy out of it. I do that by pouring juice into saucepan, adding about 1/2c milk, and 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder (or cornstarch) stirring constantly over med heat until it thickens to gravy.  I'll serve it with baked potatoes and steamed carrots. For smaller roasts, I normally add the potato and carrots into the pot- but this roast is hogging up the whole pan!

In a way, serving the vegies separate is wonderful, because now my roast is not limited in flavor! I can shred the left overs and make enchiladas later in the week with it. I Love multi- purposing meat! No waste.A frugal way to use a roast and not waste!

This is also a fantastic way to start pulled pork for sandwiches! After completely cooked and falling apart, shred meat by using a fork and knife, add  your favorite BBQ sauce,  and stack on buns! Everyone can enjoy! 

Happy Monday!

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