With the cold weather really kicking it up a notch we’re excited to find out this month is National Slow Cooking month!
It’s time to stop eating out and take our health seriously. An easy way to prevent from spending money on unhealthy fast food is to whip up some fun crockpot recipes and ease your way into home cooking. Here are some slow cooking tips to help you make the most out of your slow cooker throughout the winter.
Choose The Right Slow Cooker
Your grandparents’ old hand-me-down crockpot will do the job but if you’re looking for an upgrade, the All-Clad 6.5Qt Slow Cooker is the right one for you. With a digital display and push-button controls allow for easy use. It also has a dishwasher safe removable ceramic insert made to clean up with no fuss!
Use Less Liquid In Your Recipes
One of the first steps to perfecting your slow cooker recipes is to reduce the liquid used. Slow cooker recipes require less liquid since there is no evaporation. If you end up with too much liquid in your recipe, remove the lid and continue cooking on high to reduce it.
Properly Cook Your Veggies
Layer the veggies that require a longer cook time at the bottom of the crock pot where they are exposed to the most heat and liquid. Other more tender vegetables can be added closer to the end of cooking. Lift the lid to release the least amount of heat and add them for the last 30 minutes of your cook time.
Prep Your Meat
Trim access fat from the meat you decide to cook to prevent a layer of grease from forming from the rendering fat. Browning your meat before adding it to your slow cooker is also a highly recommended way to deepen the flavours of your dish.
Delicious Corned Beef Brisket Slow Cooker Recipe
Serves 7
INGREDIENTS
- 1 ½ quarts cold water
- 2 cups apple juice
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Instacure #1
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seed
- ½ teaspoon tellicherry black peppercorn
- ½ teaspoon caraway seed
- ½ teaspoon allspice berries
- 4 bay leaves
- ½ cup kosher salt
- 1 quart ice
- 3 pound cut of beef brisket
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium sized yellow onions, peeled and halved
- 2 tablespoons brown miso
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill stems, finely chopped
- 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into inch long pieces
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 1 pound small baby Yukon gold potatoes
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups Brussels sprouts leaves (cores removed)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill fronds
- 1 shallot, minced
- 3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- 2 tablespoons grain mustard
PREPARATION
- Place the cold water and the apple juice in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the maple syrup, Instacure, mustard seed, allspice, bay leaves and salt. Cook for three minutes at a rapid boil and then turn off the heat. Add the ice and wait for the brine to lower to room temperature.
- Place the brisket in a large tub and cover with the brine. Cover and place in the refrigerator.
- After one week, pull the brisket out of the brine and then strain the brine. Save the spices and bay and discard the liquid.
- In an All-Clad frypan, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions to the pan and cook for fifteen minutes, turning once in a while, until well browned and a touch charred. Set aside.
- Set up the All-Clad slow cooker and turn it on to High/Cook. Place the brisket in the pot, add the charred onions, the carrots, miso, whole garlic cloves, one tablespoon of the butter and the strained spices. Cover with room-temperature water and set the timer to cook for 4 hours.
- About half an hour before the brisket is done, place the potatoes into a 4-quart All-Clad saucepot. Add 1 cup of water and the ½ teaspoon of sea salt. Cover and bring to a boil and then simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20-25 minutes. Drain away the water, put the potatoes back in the pot and add the Brussels sprouts. Cover again and cook for three minutes. Add two tablespoons of the butter to the pot and stir well to melt the butter, glazing the potatoes and the Brussels leaves. Stir the chopped dill fronds into the potatoes and Brussels.
- Place the shallots and the vinegar in a small All-Clad saucepot and reduce by half. Turn the heat down to a bare simmer and slowly whisk in the cold remaining butter. Finish with mustard and feel free to adjust the consistency with a little bit of room temperature water.
- Check the brisket and make sure it’s really tender. A paring knife should plunge into the meat with little resistance. If it’s tough, cook longer. If it’s tender, remove the brisket and slice it against the grain. Place the potatoes and the Brussels on a large platter and arrange the meat over top. Circle with the mustard sauce and serve.
