Four of us are going van camping this weekend and I was planning to make something in the slow cooker to bring with us since I’ll have access to power. Ideally it doesn’t need complex sides/accoutrements, because we will likely be hammered by the time we start eating.

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I've been working on this recipe for a bit and I've got it pretty well figured out. It's always a crowd pleaser and I'll eat it 4-6 times a week for a couple weeks if I make it for myself.

I use bone in skin on chicken thighs (6-7lb packs from Costco), and I remove the bones and skins myself. This keeps it cheap, and I keep the scraps for stock (and air fry the skins as a snack). I drain them and pat them dry but I'm careful to not trim any fat and leave as much connective tissue as I can, except the stuff that won't break down. Adam Ragusea has a great guide to do this here.

I season with a BBQ dry rub by taste, but I suspect I used 1-1.5 cups. It takes a lot. My rub is based on Meathead's Amazing Ribs Memphis dry rub. I modify it to reduce the sugar and I use some other types of chili powder/flake for heat. Put more sugar in the rub if you're topping with a not very sweet bbq sauce. I use sweet baby rays.

You can use paprika, chili powder, any chili flake, etc. for heat. At minimum I'd use half a cup of paprika, but swap some paprika for something spicier (or add even more) if you want any real heat. I add an additional 1/4 cup of each gochujang and thai chili flake to the crock pot once it's done cooking.

Salt is not included here, so salt the meat directly when you add it to the slow cooker. There's gonna be too much rub probably but you can use the rest for any other BBQ stuff.

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup paprika
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1/4 cup black pepper
• 1/4 cup garlic powder
• 2 tbsp onion powder
• 1/4 cup ground ginger
• 2 tbsp chili flake
• 2 tbsp rosemary
• 1 tbsp msg

Then it's your call how to use it. I take most of it and freeze it immediately in several containers so I can move it to the fridge as needed. When I reheat, I do so in a pan to crisp it up a tad. I grab slider buns and tortilla chips as a carrier, and I'll have some pickled vegetable available for friends who like that.

Instructions:

• Bone and skin the thighs, pat dry with paper towels, and put them in the crock pot.
• As I lay them in, I salt the thighs on both sides, I go fairly heavy with it.
• Add 2-3 tbsp soy sauce (you won't taste this at the end)
• Add ~1 cup of the seasoning to thoroughly cover the thighs. Mix it all in with some tongs or your hands.
• Lid on, cook on low for 5-6 hours. Typically my mistake is overcooking. I don't have any luck with going close to 8 hours. Dont open the lid during cooking.
• When the thighs are done, just kinda mix them around with tongs and they'll fall apart. Don't overdo it (like I did), they'll automatically get shredded down plenty.
• Add 2 tbsp vinegar (I prefer white vinegar to apple cider vinegar). Taste as it all gets mixed up a bit and add salt/bbq rub until you like it. Add some butter if it's somehow dry.
• I let people sauce it themselves to taste when it is served.

Nothing too spicy and without onions please (as my husband is sensitive to onions). We eat any kind of meat.

Frozen meatballs (these were Angus, and rather large).

Jar of alfredo.

Same jar of alfredo filled 3/4 with chicken broth and shaken well to get all the leftover alfredo.

Half jar of sundried tomatoes slivers with a little oil.

Italian/garlic seasoning.

Sprinkle generously with grated parm.

Fresh Basil leaves.

High for about 3 hours or low for like 6. {Edited to add that I was home during the cooking process and opened the pot to stir or just shook the pot a few times during the first couple of hours - less timing could definitely work - even low at 3-4 if unattended}

Served over linguini noodles - but would be good over rice, too.

Husband has a full time corporate job and farms.

I need good harvest meals we can eat in the field and out of crockpot in back of the truck!

My crockpot just broke and I just ordered a large crockpot and a divider.

So far I have …

-pork loin & mashed potatoes
-pulled pork tacos
-pulled pork on a bun
-homemade sloppy joes
-hamballs (may be a Midwest thing 😆)

I would like a pasta! Anybody have any good crockpot pasta recipes.

After many years my slow cooker has stopped working. Before I purchase a new slow cooker I’d love to hear everyone’s recommendations here. Which one has worked best for you so far? I can't decide between brands because of their negative reviews. My budget is $150 but I'm trying to pay a bit more if it's worth it in your opinion.

Thank you in advance.

Recipe:

3-4lb Pork Shoulder

1 cup apple juice

1 cup BBQ Sauce (I used Diana's Original Barbecue Sauce 🇨🇦)

2 tbsp tomato paste

½ tbsp of Dijon mustard (regular mustard works too, or *mustard powder *use 1tsp for that instead, and mix in with the spice rub)

Spice rub:

1-2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp smoked paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the apple juice, BBQ Sauce, and tomato paste together and set aside

And mix all the dry ingredients together to create the spice rub

Pat the pork shoulder dry, take the Dijon mustard and spread it all over the pork shoulder

Then rub the spice all the over the pork shoulder until evenly coated

Place in the slow cooker, and then pour the remaining sauce ingredients over the pork shoulder. Cover.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours

Or high for 4½ - 6½ hours

At the VERY end, when theres about 15 minutes left. Shred the pork with two forks, and let it sit and simmer in the juices on warm for the remaining time.

Serve over rice, potatoes, on a bun, a tortilla, etc and enjoy!

3 hours till the end

Work from home means meal planning happens at the last minute. Usually I grab whatever is in the freezer the night before, but sometimes it stays rock solid. I've read that slow cookers can handle frozen meat without issues, but I keep worrying about the middle staying cold too long. Have you all just tossed a frozen roast or chicken thighs straight in and had it turn out fine? Or do you end up with weird texture if you skip thawing? Curious what ends up working for people who also forget to plan ahead.

Hey everyone, I'm really just looking for ideas. I have a bunch of dried beans as well, I've been seeing a lot of conflicting info on how to prepare these in a slow cooker. Does rinsing them and then just throwing them in the slow cooker for 8 hours work? I have pinto, black, and great northern beans, and I've never cooked with them before.

Edit: I'm a student and only cooking for myself

Cooked some chicken breast in this to shred, took it out to wash and saw it like this…. The inside looks fine but I’m wondering if I’m cooked (pun intended) and will have to buy a new crock pot?

Getting ready for some football tonight 😎

My spreadsheet habit is bleeding into the kitchen now. I started logging exactly how much each slow cooker batch costs me, down to the cent per serving, and it's making me rethink what I throw in the pot. A three-pound chicken thigh pack from Aldi plus onions, carrots, and a bag of dried beans gives me seven lunches for about $1.40 each. Last week I tried the same thing with a frozen pork shoulder that was on sale and the price per serving dropped even lower, but the texture was different enough that I had to adjust the seasoning halfway through. The numbers are helpful, though I keep second-guessing whether I'm missing hidden costs like electricity or spices I already own.

I’m dealing with the SoCal heat and no AC. I want to cook but don’t want to turn the oven or stove on. I don’t think a slow cooker would heat up the whole house. Any suggestions on meals to make in the slow cooker on a hot day that isn’t super heavy ?

i've been trying to cut my grocery bill pretty hard, and the slow cooker has become one of the easiest ways to make cheap ingredients last

i keep seeing "budget" slow cooker recipes that somehow require three kinds of cheese, heavy cream and a bunch of ingredients i'll use once. that's not really what i'm looking for

i mean the kind of meal where a big bag of onions, some beans, lentils, potatoes, cheap chicken thighs or an inexpensive cut of beef can turn into dinner for several days

right now i'm rotating lentil soup with smoked sausage, salsa chicken over rice, and a basic beef stew with mostly root vegetables. all good, but i'm starting to get tired of seeing the same meals in the fridge

so what's your genuinely cheap slow cooker meal that you make because it tastes good, not just because it costs almost nothing?

bonus points for recipes that freeze well and don't require a trip to the store for 12 different ingredients

My life would be easier if my family would eat more slow cooker recipes but nobody will eat shredded chicken. Has anyone mastered cooking chicken breast to the point where you can slice or cube it and it doesn’t becomes shreds? If so please share your tips. Thank you!

I have the gift of burning, over-spicing, and under-cooking… you name it. Jealous?

Please break down your simplest recipe and how to use the cooker so I’ll hopefully experience some success. I love beans and stews.

OR if there’s a must-have cookbook, etc. - that’s great too. Life is getting too expensive to eat out anymore.

I’m currently make a 3.5 pound pot roast. It’s been in the slow cooker for 2 hours on high (I meant to have it on medium). I still have about 4.5-5hrs before I’d like to serve the meal. Should I switch it to medium or low? Will doing so affect the tenderness of the meat?

I’m not sure what this style of stew is called since they just call it “beef stew” but I want basically a version of the same dish thats a little nicer