Convert this recipe for a slow cooker

Can anyone help me convert this recipe...

http://food52.com/recipes...

for a slow cooker? I've NEVER cooked anything in our slow cooker so I'm a big of a neophyte. Do I just dump everything in and come back in 6 hours? How do I keep from turning the veggies to mush? Can food sit too long in there or does it hold the food at a safe bacteria-free temperature?

I imagine there are 37 blogs that can help with this but I prefer all of your opinions. :-)

Peter
  • Posted by: Peter
  • January 12, 2014
  • 2673 views
  • 2 Comments

2 Comments

HalfPint
HalfPint January 13, 2014
Ok, here we go. I would brown the vegetables (except the butternut) and meat in a pot, deglazing with the tomatoes. Then transfer the mixture into the slow cooker. Set the cooker to LOW and depending on how hot your slow cooker can get (the newer models can get really hot despite being on the LOW setting), cook for 2-3 hours, then check the tenderness of the meat. If it's still a bit tough, but getting to the desired tenderness, add the butternut and cook another 60-90 minutes. Sorry for the vagueness, but you're a bit of a newbie and I don't know how your slow cooker 'works' (i.e. how hot it can get, how stable it can maintain the low temp, etc.).
 
Benny
Benny January 12, 2014
Unfortunately, the only way I see this as being a "slow cooker recipe" is to do everything as stated in the original recipe, except step 4, you would just drop it all into the slow cooker.

you need the browning of the meat and the deglazing of the fond in the pan to get the full depth of flavor. You cannot just dump it all into the cooker and walk away. Don't worry about your vegetables "turning to mush." At 325 degrees, they will be just right after a couple hours. I don't have much slow cooker experience, but Im assuming that there is some sort of temperature control. it might need more time than it would in an oven.
 
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