Meat you can eat with a spoon! Cross-cut beef shanks from the Herondale Farm meat CSA. Recipe adapted from thekitchn.com. I removed the toxic ingredients (vegetable oil, euw), corrected the meat ration (no main course for multiple people should have less than 2 lbs raw meat) and added other clarifications. Slow Cooker Peppered Beef Shank in Red Wineserves 4 to 6 3-5 as a main course, depending on how much meat you start with 3 to 5 pounds beef crosscut shank, fat trimmed away (I used 3 shanks; note that the weight includes the bones)Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepperVegetable or peanut oil Olive oil10 to 12 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped2 medium yellow onions, peeled and roughly chopped1 large stalk celery, roughly chopped (or one large carrot)1 bay leaf1 rosemary sprig750 ml bottle inexpensive red wine 4 cups beef or chicken broth (beef is best, chicken will do)2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (don’t skip this) Method 1. Bring the defrosted shanks out of the fridge, cut them out of the packaging, and dry them thoroughly. 2. Prep your vegetables. 3. Heat a wide, heavy skillet (cast iron or enameled cast iron ( I used a Le Crueset dutch oven) over medium heat and coat the bottom of it with olive oil. 4. Liberally salt and pepper the shanks and sear them in a single layer until both sides of each piece of meat have a dark crust. 5. Remove the meat to the slow cooker, put the lid on, and set aside. 6. On the stove, turn the heat down to low and put the vegetables into the same pan. Cook at least 15 minutes, scraping up the fond, until the onions begin to color.  7. Add bay leaf, rosemary, red wine and broth to the pot, bring to a boil, them simmer for 15-20 min, until about 1/3 reduced. 8. Carefully pour that over the meat in the slow cooker, add the balsamic, and cook on LOW for at least 8 hours. I cooked today’s batch for 12. 9. Let the dish cool a bit in the slow cooker before you try to handle it.  10. With a slotted spoon, carefully remove the meat and bones; make sure you get the marrow chunks (which may have slipped out) because they are delicious. Once the marrow is rescued from the bones, remove them from the dish. Clean them to use for stock. 11. Pour the sauce through a sieve or strainer, discarding the solids, if you’re fancy. Ignore the straining if you’re not. 12. Chill the meat and sauce separately. Skim the congealed fat off the sauce after chilling. 13. Reheat meat+sauce together. Taste for salt before serving.

Meat you can eat with a spoon! Cross-cut beef shanks from the Herondale Farm meat CSA.

Recipe adapted from thekitchn.com. I removed the toxic ingredients (vegetable oil, euw), corrected the meat ration (no main course for multiple people should have less than 2 lbs raw meat) and added other clarifications.

Slow Cooker Peppered Beef Shank in Red Wine
serves 4 to 6 3-5 as a main course, depending on how much meat you start with

3 to 5 pounds beef crosscut shank, fat trimmed away (I used 3 shanks; note that the weight includes the bones)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable or peanut oil Olive oil
10 to 12 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
2 medium yellow onions, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large stalk celery, roughly chopped (or one large carrot)
1 bay leaf
1 rosemary sprig
750 ml bottle inexpensive red wine 
4 cups beef or chicken broth (beef is best, chicken will do)
2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (don’t skip this)

Method

1. Bring the defrosted shanks out of the fridge, cut them out of the packaging, and dry them thoroughly.

2. Prep your vegetables.

3. Heat a wide, heavy skillet (cast iron or enameled cast iron ( I used a Le Crueset dutch oven) over medium heat and coat the bottom of it with olive oil.

4. Liberally salt and pepper the shanks and sear them in a single layer until both sides of each piece of meat have a dark crust.

IMG_3313

5. Remove the meat to the slow cooker, put the lid on, and set aside.

6. On the stove, turn the heat down to low and put the vegetables into the same pan. Cook at least 15 minutes, scraping up the fond, until the onions begin to color. 

7. Add bay leaf, rosemary, red wine and broth to the pot, bring to a boil, them simmer for 15-20 min, until about 1/3 reduced.

8. Carefully pour that over the meat in the slow cooker, add the balsamic, and cook on LOW for at least 8 hours. I cooked today’s batch for 12.

9. Let the dish cool a bit in the slow cooker before you try to handle it. 

10. With a slotted spoon, carefully remove the meat and bones; make sure you get the marrow chunks (which may have slipped out) because they are delicious. Once the marrow is rescued from the bones, remove them from the dish. Clean them to use for stock.

11. Pour the sauce through a sieve or strainer, discarding the solids, if you’re fancy. Ignore the straining if you’re not.

12. Chill the meat and sauce separately. Skim the congealed fat off the sauce after chilling.

13. Reheat meat+sauce together. Taste for salt before serving.

Slow Cooker Korean Short Ribs (recipe from NomNomPaleo) This is what I woke up to this morning. The scent was gorgeous; a little vegetal, lots of ginger and garlic, all anchored in rich, beefy goodness. In other words, breakfast. My April bag from our Herondale Farm meat CSA had two hefty packages of English-style beef short ribs - enough for a whole recipe without supplementing from the butcher. I promised y’all I’d make the Korean-flavored short rib recipe I found on NomNomPaleo, and yesterday I finally got my act together.  The recipe does require a pre-searing step before the meat goes into the crock (she broils them, actually, which is unusual) but it’s worth it. I lined my broiling pan with foil and the clean-up was minimal. Coconut aminos have found their way into my pantry, so I already had a bottle ready for this recipe. But she also calls for coconut vinegar, which I didn’t have. A quick trip to the co-op solved the problem (it also cost way less than the bottles on Amazon) and I was very curious to taste this new addition to my admittedly large collection of vinegars. Predictably, it was tangy and delicious. You will not believe there’s no soy sauce in this dish when you taste it. It’s absolutely uncanny. NomNomPaleo has an extensive photo how-to for this recipe; please click through to see it. Her pictures are way better than mine. Here’s the obligatory “before” shot: Slow-Cooker Korean Short Ribs, adapted from NomNomPaleo Ingredients: 5-6 pounds of bone-in English-style grass-fed short ribs Kosher Salt freshly ground pepper 1 medium pear or Asian pear, peeled, cored, and chopped coarsely 1/2 cup coconut aminos 6 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped 3 scallions, roughly chopped 1 hunk of ginger, about the size of your thumb, peeled cut into two pieces 2 teaspoons of fish sauce 1 tablespoon coconut vinegar (substitute: apple cider vinegar) 1 cup organic chicken broth Small handful of roughly chopped fresh cilantro Method: 1. Preheat broiler and line the pan with foil. Alternatively, line a baking sheet with foil. 2. Salt and pepper the ribs and place them bone side up on the foil; broil for five minutes. Flip and broil five minutes more. 3. Remove and stack them on their sides in the crock pot. I had to lay the fourth strip on top of the others; it made no difference in the final texture of the meat. 4. Put the pear, coconut aminos, garlic, ginger, scallions, vinegar and fish sauce into a food processor or blender and process until smooth. 5. Pour the sauce over the ribs, add the chicken broth, and cook them on LOW for 8-11 hours. 6. When they are finished cooking, remove the ribs and put them on a platter. Use a method you like for defatting the liquid. Here’s what I did: poured all the liquid through a medium strainer into a gravy separator discarded the solids poured off the fat that rose to the top saved the resulting smooth, defatted liquid in a glass jar to serve with the meat You could also just refrigerate the sauce until the fat hardens, then skim it off. 7. When ready to serve, sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Slow Cooker Korean Short Ribs (recipe from NomNomPaleo)

This is what I woke up to this morning. The scent was gorgeous; a little vegetal, lots of ginger and garlic, all anchored in rich, beefy goodness.

In other words, breakfast.

My April bag from our Herondale Farm meat CSA had two hefty packages of English-style beef short ribs - enough for a whole recipe without supplementing from the butcher.

I promised y’all I’d make the Korean-flavored short rib recipe I found on NomNomPaleo, and yesterday I finally got my act together. 

The recipe does require a pre-searing step before the meat goes into the crock (she broils them, actually, which is unusual) but it’s worth it. I lined my broiling pan with foil and the clean-up was minimal.

Coconut aminos have found their way into my pantry, so I already had a bottle ready for this recipe. But she also calls for coconut vinegar, which I didn’t have. A quick trip to the co-op solved the problem (it also cost way less than the bottles on Amazon) and I was very curious to taste this new addition to my admittedly large collection of vinegars. Predictably, it was tangy and delicious. You will not believe there’s no soy sauce in this dish when you taste it. It’s absolutely uncanny.

NomNomPaleo has an extensive photo how-to for this recipe; please click through to see it. Her pictures are way better than mine. Here’s the obligatory “before” shot:

Slow-Cooker Korean Short Ribs, adapted from NomNomPaleo

Ingredients:

  • 5-6 pounds of bone-in English-style grass-fed short ribs
  • Kosher Salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 1 medium pear or Asian pear, peeled, cored, and chopped coarsely
  • 1/2 cup coconut aminos
  • 6 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 3 scallions, roughly chopped
  • 1 hunk of ginger, about the size of your thumb, peeled cut into two pieces
  • 2 teaspoons of fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon coconut vinegar (substitute: apple cider vinegar)
  • 1 cup organic chicken broth
  • Small handful of roughly chopped fresh cilantro
Method:

1. Preheat broiler and line the pan with foil. Alternatively, line a baking sheet with foil.
2. Salt and pepper the ribs and place them bone side up on the foil; broil for five minutes. Flip and broil five minutes more.
3. Remove and stack them on their sides in the crock pot. I had to lay the fourth strip on top of the others; it made no difference in the final texture of the meat.
4. Put the pear, coconut aminos, garlic, ginger, scallions, vinegar and fish sauce into a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
5. Pour the sauce over the ribs, add the chicken broth, and cook them on LOW for 8-11 hours.
6. When they are finished cooking, remove the ribs and put them on a platter. Use a method you like for defatting the liquid. Here’s what I did:
  • poured all the liquid through a medium strainer into a gravy separator
  • discarded the solids
  • poured off the fat that rose to the top
  • saved the resulting smooth, defatted liquid in a glass jar to serve with the meat
You could also just refrigerate the sauce until the fat hardens, then skim it off.

7. When ready to serve, sprinkle with chopped cilantro.
Shiksa Brisket, or, A worthy cheat: Not-quite-Paleo tangy spiced brisket in the crock pot Would I be willing to supply the protein for a nine-person Seder?  Sure, I said. Mentally, I reviewed the contents of my freezer. Most of what’s in there would horrify the attendees, I realized. The occasion called for decorum. I have some. Somewhere. I had to dig deep. Brisket, then. Obviously. It was easily procured, even just a few days before Passover. I’ve only made it very rarely, maybe twice, but it seemed bulletproof, and surely that’s what everyone was expecting.  The recipe research, however, was daunting.  I quickly found a recipe I had admired long ago and bookmarked, but then further searching spun me off in a million directions. As a non-Jew, I had no nostalgic attachment to any preparation, but felt not making a nominally traditional recipe might disappoint some of the guests. I couldn’t decide. Soon, I had ten, then twenty potential recipes.  So I fell back on a trick that has served me well; I simply reverted to my first impulse, closed all the other browser windows, and made my shopping list. This recipe contains quite a bit of sugar, which doubtless explains why it was the first one I wanted to make. The results were, predictably, outrageously good. If you want to Paleo-ize it, leave the brown sugar out and use sugar-free ketchup. Proceed, however, at your own risk. Tangy Spiced Brisket, adapted from Smitten Kitchen Conveniently, this recipe serves 8-10; I had to make it in two batches in my crock pot, so I halved *all* the ingredients for each batch.   Note that you MUST prepare this the day before; it both tastes ridiculously better the second day, and you need to chill it to defat it. It can be made several days in advance. See the link for the oven method, if you’d rather do that. Ingredients 3 large onions, sliced3 tablespoons olive oil6 garlic cloves, peeled and halved1 teaspoon paprika2 teaspoons salt1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder1 1/4 teaspoons black pepper1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder1/4 teaspoon cayenne  1/2 teaspoon dried oregano1/2 teaspoon dried thyme2 cups beef stock (unsalted or low salt; I didn’t have any homemade, so I used Progresso brand)1 cup ketchup1 cup Heinz chili sauce1 cup brown sugar (light or dark)8 to 10 pound brisket (I trimmed some of the fat off, and had the butcher cut it in half) Method Make the sauce: Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and sauté onions in olive oil, stirring occasionally, until caramelized and most of liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Add halved garlic cloves and saute for 3 minutes more. Stir in spices and seasoning (paprika, salt, garlic and onion powders, black pepper, cayenne, oregano and thyme) and cook for 2 minutes. Set aside. In another bowl, combine the beef stock, ketchup, chili sauce and brown sugar. Place brisket in a slow cooker, spread onion mixture over the top, then pour sauce mixture over the entire dish. Cover with the lid and cook it on LOW for 10 hours. (I had to cut each half brisket in half again, and stack the halves in the crock pot.) When it’s done but still hot, skim off any large pieces of fat. Carefully remove the meat to a container. Strain the sauce: Strain the liquid in which the meat cooked through a sieve and discard the solids. Defat the sauce: If you have a gravy defatter, use it to pour off the liquid fat on top of the sauce. If you don’t, you can defat it after it’s chilled. Chill the meat and sauce separately in the fridge for a few hours, until the fat on top of the sauce hardens. (It’s the bright orange stuff.) Then scrape it off with a spoon, and discard. Reheat and serve: Put the meat and sauce into a large pot (I used a soup pot), cover, and reheat gently.

Shiksa Brisket, or, A worthy cheat: Not-quite-Paleo tangy spiced brisket in the crock pot

Would I be willing to supply the protein for a nine-person Seder? 

Sure, I said.

Mentally, I reviewed the contents of my freezer. Most of what’s in there would horrify the attendees, I realized. The occasion called for decorum. I have some. Somewhere.

I had to dig deep.

Brisket, then. Obviously. It was easily procured, even just a few days before Passover. I’ve only made it very rarely, maybe twice, but it seemed bulletproof, and surely that’s what everyone was expecting. 

The recipe research, however, was daunting. 

I quickly found a recipe I had admired long ago and bookmarked, but then further searching spun me off in a million directions. As a non-Jew, I had no nostalgic attachment to any preparation, but felt not making a nominally traditional recipe might disappoint some of the guests. I couldn’t decide. Soon, I had ten, then twenty potential recipes. 

So I fell back on a trick that has served me well; I simply reverted to my first impulse, closed all the other browser windows, and made my shopping list.

This recipe contains quite a bit of sugar, which doubtless explains why it was the first one I wanted to make. The results were, predictably, outrageously good.

If you want to Paleo-ize it, leave the brown sugar out and use sugar-free ketchup. Proceed, however, at your own risk.

Tangy Spiced Brisket, adapted from Smitten Kitchen

  • Conveniently, this recipe serves 8-10; I had to make it in two batches in my crock pot, so I halved *all* the ingredients for each batch.  
  • Note that you MUST prepare this the day before; it both tastes ridiculously better the second day, and you need to chill it to defat it. It can be made several days in advance.
  • See the link for the oven method, if you’d rather do that.

Ingredients

3 large onions, sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/4 teaspoons black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne  
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups beef stock (unsalted or low salt; I didn’t have any homemade, so I used Progresso brand)
1 cup ketchup
1 cup Heinz chili sauce
1 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
8 to 10 pound brisket (I trimmed some of the fat off, and had the butcher cut it in half)

Method

Make the sauce: Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and sauté onions in olive oil, stirring occasionally, until caramelized and most of liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Add halved garlic cloves and saute for 3 minutes more. Stir in spices and seasoning (paprika, salt, garlic and onion powders, black pepper, cayenne, oregano and thyme) and cook for 2 minutes. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine the beef stock, ketchup, chili sauce and brown sugar.

Place brisket in a slow cooker, spread onion mixture over the top, then pour sauce mixture over the entire dish. Cover with the lid and cook it on LOW for 10 hours. (I had to cut each half brisket in half again, and stack the halves in the crock pot.)

When it’s done but still hot, skim off any large pieces of fat. Carefully remove the meat to a container.

Strain the sauce: Strain the liquid in which the meat cooked through a sieve and discard the solids.

Defat the sauce: If you have a gravy defatter, use it to pour off the liquid fat on top of the sauce. If you don’t, you can defat it after it’s chilled.

Chill the meat and sauce separately in the fridge for a few hours, until the fat on top of the sauce hardens. (It’s the bright orange stuff.) Then scrape it off with a spoon, and discard.

Reheat and serve: Put the meat and sauce into a large pot (I used a soup pot), cover, and reheat gently.

This week’s menu, or, Totally not ready for insta-summer

Thank god for this reprieve from 75-degree weather. It may be unpopular to admit, but skipping an entire season is not my idea of a good time. It throws a lot of things out of wack; trees, spring cleaning, good sleeping temps, children’s bedtimes, everyone’s allergies, and small details like THE ENTIRE ECOSYSTEM.

I’m not quite ready to put away my crock pot, lovely rich soups, or that pumpkin chili recipe that will. not. die. I’m still hungry for that stuff. Luckily, the weather is cooperating so far this week. Since Sunday and Monday are my big cooking days, I thought I’d share my menu for this week.

1. New England Clam Chowder in the slow cooker 

via A Year of Slow Cooking

I knew I had to make this the minute I saw the recipe. I stalk this site quite a bit; the author doesn’t make a big deal of it, but she has a daughter with celiac so the recipes are by default gluten-free. I plan to substitute sweet potatoes for the white ones, and use the homemade stock I have in the freezer. Should be good for four meals.

2. Braised lamb ribs with apricots and onions 

via Serious Eats

I don’t think this requires further justification.

This will be good for two post-training meals, plus an installment in a bribery operation I have going. Good ribs can get people to do many things. 

3. Pumpkin chili

I froze half of it, but only by separating it into teeny-tiny tupperware containers that I could wedge into miniscule open spots in my overflowing freezer.

Four lunches.

4. Boneless sirloin

I’ll sear this in my cast iron pan per my usual method. One post training meal, one lunch (sliced cold over romaine lettuce.)

5. Odds and Ends

  • One pound roasted brussels sprouts
  • Romaine lettuce + Spanish canned tuna + pitted Kalamata olives- lazy dinner
  • Half a dozen navel oranges
  • A pound of Herondale Farm bacon for breakfasts, along with a dozen eggs
  • 3-4 jumbo imported out-of-season utterly irresponsible sweet red and yellow peppers, my most guilty crunchy obsession. I slice them and eat them raw.

6. One confession

Despite having enough food in my apartment to feed a family of four through a nuclear accident and/or zombie apocalypse, I placed the biggest sushi order of my career as a gourmand last night and ate it luxuriantly-slash-defiantly during the season premier of Mad Men. I’ve kind of lost my taste for soy sauce since I went Paleo, apparently, but the pickled ginger tasted like candy.

Charlotte K’s Chinese Five-Spice Short Rib Variation

There I was, thinking I’d solved ALL the problems by finally figuring out how to cook pork spare ribs in the crock pot.

A bunch of people tried that recipe successfully; most of them, like myself, had to acquire Chinese five-spice powder for the first time in order to make it.

Charlotte, however, has had Really Bad Luck with the crock pot.  I won’t share her stories because, frankly, they were harrowing. I don’t want to risk infecting anyone with the Sorrow of the Slow Cooker chez Charlotte.

But there she was, in possession of NINE POUNDS of beef short ribs (Linus is HUNGRY, y’all) and she wondered aloud to me: Could she substitute them for the pork spare ribs in the recipe I’d published?

I dunno, man. Spare ribs are kinda…spare. Short ribs, on the other hand, are meaty and succulent.  Plus, the aforementioned crockpot quackery.

It seemed risky.

Charlotte is resourceful, however, and she remembered a short rib recipe with the same five-spice powder, and decided to make it happen. The recipe was slow-cooker; Charlotte said “Oh hell no” and put them in the oven instead.

Result: Delicious.

williams sonoma ribs

via Williams Sonoma

Here’s the recipe sized for a regular family, with Charlotte’s notes and substitutions; if you are cooking for Linus, by all means, double it. If you want to read the original, written for the crock pot, follow the link.

Asian Braised Short Ribs, adapted from Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbs. whole Chinese five spice (or pre-ground)
  • 4 lb. bone-in beef short ribs
  • 2 to 3 Tbs. olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, cut into 1⁄4-inch slices
  • 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1⁄3 cup plum wine (Charlotte subbed plum vinegar; in a pinch, use red wine)
  • 1⁄3 cup soy sauce (Charlotte used tamari, which is easily acquired wheat-free)
  • 1⁄3 cup rice vinegar
  • 1⁄4 cup sesame oil
  • 1 Tbs. chili garlic paste (Charlotte says she planned to sub sriracha but ultimately left it out)
  • 2 Tbs. grated fresh ginger
  • Zest of 1 orange, peeled with vegetable peeler
      into 1⁄2-inch strips, plus juice of 1 orange
  • 1⁄4 cup sugar dissolved in 3⁄4 cup boiling water use plain water or more wine

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375.

Using a spice grinder, grind the Chinese five spice. (If you have preground, measure it out.) Season the short ribs with the five spice and shake off the excess. 

In a heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 Tbs. of the olive oil. Working in batches, brown the ribs on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes total, adding more oil to the pan if needed. Transfer to a slow cooker. 

Add more oil to the pan if needed. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, stirring to scrape up the browned bits. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the wine is reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker  large Dutch oven along with the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, chili paste, ginger, orange zest, orange juice and sugar mixture. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours and place in a 375-degree oven for 3-3.5 hours. They are done when the meat is completely tender and falling of the bone; if you can pick up a hunk of meat without it falling off the fork or spoon, it’s not done.

Keep an eye on the liquid in the (covered) Dutch oven. Add more if it cooks down; you want the ribs mostly covered with liquid.

Spoon the fat off the sauce. Transfer the ribs and sauce to a serving bowl and serve with steamed rice Napa cabbage.

Note from me: these dishes are always better the second day. If you refrigerate this, a layer of fat will harden at the top of the dish. The next day, you can easily break it off and discard it, then reheat on stovetop, microwave, or oven.

i’m set for a meal or two :)

i’m set for a meal or two :)

Five-spice slow cooker pork spare ribs I probably had ten side conversations in the gym this month about spare ribs. People either had no experience cooking them, or couldn’t imagine that making them without sugar or honey could be good. I had my doubts as well. I was sure the recipe I was going to use would be a Thai-flavored one, but before I could get around to making it, Melissa Joulwan rolled out a Chinese five-spice slow cooker rib recipe that looked stupid easy.  This morning I pulled them out of the crock pot and almost died from delicious. Other than the meat, there are just SIX ingredients: Salt Pepper Garlic powder Chinese five-spice powder Rice wine vinegar Coconut aminos* *If you don’t have a bottle of coconut aminos, replace the tablespoon the recipe calls for with an extra tablespoon of rice wine vinegar, and keep it moving.  Here’s the recipe.  And now, back to my breakfast.

Five-spice slow cooker pork spare ribs

I probably had ten side conversations in the gym this month about spare ribs. People either had no experience cooking them, or couldn’t imagine that making them without sugar or honey could be good. I had my doubts as well.

I was sure the recipe I was going to use would be a Thai-flavored one, but before I could get around to making it, Melissa Joulwan rolled out a Chinese five-spice slow cooker rib recipe that looked stupid easy. 

This morning I pulled them out of the crock pot and almost died from delicious.

Other than the meat, there are just SIX ingredients:

  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Garlic powder
  • Chinese five-spice powder
  • Rice wine vinegar
  • Coconut aminos*

*If you don’t have a bottle of coconut aminos, replace the tablespoon the recipe calls for with an extra tablespoon of rice wine vinegar, and keep it moving. 

Here’s the recipe. 

And now, back to my breakfast.

My friend Susanna asked me to convince her to get a slow cooker. The photo is of a vintage crock pot. I actually own this model, inherited from my aunt. Some household items should always be vintage - cast iron pans, lamps, milk glass, and any furniture made of wood - but I was surprised to find that a 40-year-old crock pot holds its own against contemporary models. This old orange dinosaur cannot produce a bad meal. I also have a more modern stainless-steel version, with a dozen settings and fancy fixtures, but the two-temperature Rival is a proven workhorse. I’ve never made anything bad in it. The community at Crossfit South Brooklyn often holds pot lucks, and the winter editions typically produce a veritable Crock Pot Derby. I like the rowing machines lurking in the background, like small-appliance stalkers. On the other hand, slogging through slow cooker recipes online is something of a chore. There is so much garbage: ersatz pot roast made with a combination of condensed canned *and* dry soup mix, cocktail wieners with grape jelly and bottled barbecue sauce, and hundreds of gloppy crock pot dessert recipes. Don’t make any of those. Susanna, and any other of you who don’t own one: buy yourself a nice crock pot, even though you have a tiny kitchen and it will take up precious storage space.  Once you have it, run through the following recipes, a kind of Paleo Crock Pot 101. All these recipes use relatively inexpensive cuts of meat, which is exactly what belongs in a slow cooker. Moreover, the second and third days of eating crock pot recipes are, quite simply, revelatory. 1. Short ribs Short ribs are brilliant in the crock pot. If you have never made them, in fact if you don’t even know what they are - don’t worry. I didn’t either until about three years ago. I’d never even HEARD of them until then. I grew up on tunanoodacasserole and London broil, bitches. If you did too, don’t sweat it. Just go to the butcher, get some beef short ribs, and cook them in your crock pot. You will not regret it. 2. Brisket Another thing I’m not is Jewish. I never had brisket until I moved to New York in 1999 to cohabitate with my Jewish s.o. Unlike kugel, a food which does not, in my opinion, deserve a drachma of regard, brisket is both delicious and perfectly good for you. Since I didn’t grow up eating brisket in the American Jewish style, I’m not particularly attached to it as a preparation method. The link I provide is an excellent variation. An actual Jewish person wrote the recipe, if such things matter to you. 3. Beef Shanks in Red Wine I told you about this recipe in January. I made it myself and proclaim it one of the best slow cooker recipes I’ve ever made. 4. Lamb Shanks A no-brainer. A cheap cut that emerges absolutely delicious. I have to eat these in private. 5. Crock Pot Carnitas I’m repeating myself, but I like these.  6. Rob Israel’s award-winning Slow Cooker Pot Roast I missed the January 2012 CFSBK paleo pot luck because I was busy having a life-changing experience in my home town with a houseful of people I had been avoiding since 1987. I heard tell, however, that Rob’s pot roast took home a prize, and I wasn’t surprised; every good pot roast recipe I’ve made has come from him. Note from Rob: The key to this roast is the even blend of the wine, stock and tomato sauce. I’ve done braises that emphasize each one of these three components, but I discovered that the even mix is a beautiful, rich sauce… and the thyme and paprika are a perfect compliment.  Ingredients 3-4 pounds chuck roast, brisket or short ribs: all three taste great in this 1 cup chicken stock 1 cup red wine 1 cup tomato sauce- unflavored, plain tomato sauce 1 medium onion chopped  into medium chunks 3 large carrots chopped into medium chunks 6 medium sized celery stalks cut in half 1 TBSP Paprika  1 TBSP salt to taste (start with one and add more) plus kosher sprinkled on meat 1 TBSP white pepper (plus some sprinkled on meat when browning) 1 TBSP thyme 5-8 whole garlic cloves cut in half  Preparation Pour stock, tomato sauce and 1/2 of the wine  into crock pot. Set temp to high. Add salt, pepper, thyme and garlic.  Heat large skillet medium high, sprinkle some extra salt and pepper (not part the above measurements) on meat and sauté in skillet until all sides are browned.  Deglaze pan with left over wine and pour into crock pot.  Place meat in crock pot.  Place onions, carrots and celery in crock pot around the sides of the meat (in the broth not on top). You need enough liquid to cover the meat, so add equals parts stock, wine and tomato sauce if meat isn’t covered all the way up the sides. Cook on high for about 2-3 hours. You want to get the heat up and get it bubbling. Then turn down heat to low and cook for an additional 4-8 hours. If you need to leave it on all day and can’t change temperature just start it on low and leave it there. The high temp at the beginning just helps makes sure you will cook the meat thoroughly and the first two hours is just getting the liquid up to a cooking temp.  When meat is tender, it’s ready to eat. Cooking it longer is not a problem. Pull out celery stalks and disregard, they are for the ‘stock,’ not for eating. If you like eating celery (I don’t) you could alternatively chop the celery and leave it in for eating like the carrots and onions. I like serving this one over steamed spinach, kale or broccoli. Slow Cooker Recipe Wish List These are recipes I myself haven’t tried, but would like to. Perhaps you’ll beat me to it; if you do, drop me a line with your review! 1. Bigos - nostalgia for Poland, which is odd because I was a vegetarian when I lived there. 2. Everyday Paleo slow cooker recipes - chicken is dodgy in the crock, but Sarah generally knows what she’s talking about, so I’d make any of the recipes on her site. 3. Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore - yeah, I just ragged on crockpot chicken. Whatever, I’d make this. 4. OK one more: Slow cooker kimchi chicken

My friend Susanna asked me to convince her to get a slow cooker.

The photo is of a vintage crock pot. I actually own this model, inherited from my aunt. Some household items should always be vintage - cast iron pans, lamps, milk glass, and any furniture made of wood - but I was surprised to find that a 40-year-old crock pot holds its own against contemporary models. This old orange dinosaur cannot produce a bad meal. I also have a more modern stainless-steel version, with a dozen settings and fancy fixtures, but the two-temperature Rival is a proven workhorse. I’ve never made anything bad in it.

The community at Crossfit South Brooklyn often holds pot lucks, and the winter editions typically produce a veritable Crock Pot Derby.

crocks

I like the rowing machines lurking in the background, like small-appliance stalkers.

On the other hand, slogging through slow cooker recipes online is something of a chore. There is so much garbage: ersatz pot roast made with a combination of condensed canned *and* dry soup mix, cocktail wieners with grape jelly and bottled barbecue sauce, and hundreds of gloppy crock pot dessert recipes.

Don’t make any of those.

Susanna, and any other of you who don’t own one: buy yourself a nice crock pot, even though you have a tiny kitchen and it will take up precious storage space. 

Once you have it, run through the following recipes, a kind of Paleo Crock Pot 101. All these recipes use relatively inexpensive cuts of meat, which is exactly what belongs in a slow cooker. Moreover, the second and third days of eating crock pot recipes are, quite simply, revelatory.

1. Short ribs

Short ribs are brilliant in the crock pot. If you have never made them, in fact if you don’t even know what they are - don’t worry. I didn’t either until about three years ago. I’d never even HEARD of them until then. I grew up on tunanoodacasserole and London broil, bitches. If you did too, don’t sweat it. Just go to the butcher, get some beef short ribs, and cook them in your crock pot. You will not regret it.

2. Brisket

Another thing I’m not is Jewish. I never had brisket until I moved to New York in 1999 to cohabitate with my Jewish s.o. Unlike kugel, a food which does not, in my opinion, deserve a drachma of regard, brisket is both delicious and perfectly good for you.

Since I didn’t grow up eating brisket in the American Jewish style, I’m not particularly attached to it as a preparation method. The link I provide is an excellent variation. An actual Jewish person wrote the recipe, if such things matter to you.

3. Beef Shanks in Red Wine

I told you about this recipe in January. I made it myself and proclaim it one of the best slow cooker recipes I’ve ever made.

4. Lamb Shanks

A no-brainer. A cheap cut that emerges absolutely delicious. I have to eat these in private.

5. Crock Pot Carnitas

I’m repeating myself, but I like these. 

6. Rob Israel’s award-winning Slow Cooker Pot Roast

I missed the January 2012 CFSBK paleo pot luck because I was busy having a life-changing experience in my home town with a houseful of people I had been avoiding since 1987. I heard tell, however, that Rob’s pot roast took home a prize, and I wasn’t surprised; every good pot roast recipe I’ve made has come from him.

Note from Rob: The key to this roast is the even blend of the wine, stock and tomato sauce. I’ve done braises that emphasize each one of these three components, but I discovered that the even mix is a beautiful, rich sauce… and the thyme and paprika are a perfect compliment. 

Ingredients

3-4 pounds chuck roast, brisket or short ribs: all three taste great in this

1 cup chicken stock
1 cup red wine
1 cup tomato sauce- unflavored, plain tomato sauce
1 medium onion chopped  into medium chunks
3 large carrots chopped into medium chunks
6 medium sized celery stalks cut in half
1 TBSP Paprika 
1 TBSP salt to taste (start with one and add more) plus kosher sprinkled on meat
1 TBSP white pepper (plus some sprinkled on meat when browning)
1 TBSP thyme
5-8 whole garlic cloves cut in half 

Preparation

  • Pour stock, tomato sauce and 1/2 of the wine  into crock pot. Set temp to high. Add salt, pepper, thyme and garlic. 
  • Heat large skillet medium high, sprinkle some extra salt and pepper (not part the above measurements) on meat and sauté in skillet until all sides are browned. 
  • Deglaze pan with left over wine and pour into crock pot. 
  • Place meat in crock pot. 
  • Place onions, carrots and celery in crock pot around the sides of the meat (in the broth not on top). You need enough liquid to cover the meat, so add equals parts stock, wine and tomato sauce if meat isn’t covered all the way up the sides.
  • Cook on high for about 2-3 hours. You want to get the heat up and get it bubbling. Then turn down heat to low and cook for an additional 4-8 hours. If you need to leave it on all day and can’t change temperature just start it on low and leave it there. The high temp at the beginning just helps makes sure you will cook the meat thoroughly and the first two hours is just getting the liquid up to a cooking temp. 
  • When meat is tender, it’s ready to eat. Cooking it longer is not a problem. Pull out celery stalks and disregard, they are for the ‘stock,’ not for eating. If you like eating celery (I don’t) you could alternatively chop the celery and leave it in for eating like the carrots and onions.
  • I like serving this one over steamed spinach, kale or broccoli.

Slow Cooker Recipe Wish List

These are recipes I myself haven’t tried, but would like to. Perhaps you’ll beat me to it; if you do, drop me a line with your review!

1. Bigos - nostalgia for Poland, which is odd because I was a vegetarian when I lived there.

2. Everyday Paleo slow cooker recipes - chicken is dodgy in the crock, but Sarah generally knows what she’s talking about, so I’d make any of the recipes on her site.

3. Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore - yeah, I just ragged on crockpot chicken. Whatever, I’d make this.

4. OK one more: Slow cooker kimchi chicken

meat CSA recipe dilemma? i got you. opening a surprise bag full of grass-fed meat is like christmas. christmas on january 4, to be exact. in case you are at a loss for what to do with all that perfectly-omega-balanced goodness, here are my picks for the cuts we just got.** beef cross-cut shanks this cut has to be slowly braised, but it’ll be worth it. week night: slow-cooker beef shanks in red wine feast night: dominican sancocho cold-weather bonus dish: beef, vegetable and wild mushroom soup flatiron + porterhouse steaks  you don’t need a recipe, just do this a few dozen times and you’ll have it down. if you’re a rock star, cut the meat out of its packaging the day before, dry it, put it on a plate, and let it hang out uncovered in the fridge. optional. not everyone is a rock star, obv. before preparing: bring meat to room temperature. dry it and season it liberally with salt and pepper. get your sturdiest pan really fucking hot. cast iron, ideally. put the seasoned side down on the pan. season the naked side. wait til it releases enough to flip it.  flip. wait til that side releases. remove the steak to a plate, cover/tent it loosely, wait five minutes. rockstar step #2: make a pan sauce. skip it if you don’t know how. in five minutes, eat a med-rare steak. ground beef do you need to stress out about how to prepare GRASS FED ground beef in some special way? no. you shouldn’t be cooking the shit out of regular ground beef, so don’t do that with this ground beef either. that’s it. also, no stuffed pepper recipes. just, no. week night: pumpkin chili (one of the rare recipes from a paleo recipe site that i love and promote) feast night: bacon-filled meatloaf. this recipe contains some bread crumbs which i always leave out. do NOT leave out the bacon or the mystery dried fruit - it’s incredible.  bonus feast night: wrap the bacon-filled meatloaf in bacon. i did. ground lamb a great, underrated and incredibly delicious meat. week night: lamb kofte with optional yogurt sauce. these are honestly delicious - i would never dilute them with pita, one of the most insipid and useless commercial bread products ever invented.  feast night: lamb and vegetable lasagna (contains no noodles.) center-cut pork chops chops are one of my weeknight standbys. everybody knows pork has been irrevocably ruined by the low-fat juggernaut and agribusiness (our wonderful farmers excepted); the technique below offers you the best chance at moist chops given the realities of the meat in your hands. week night: sauteed pork chops from bruce aidells/denis kelly’s the complete meat cookbook. learn to make a quick pan sauce from that recipe. really. it’s a technique you will use thousands of times in your life, and takes mere minutes. boneless pork shoulder y’all can already make a killer roast pork/pulled pork recipe, right? no? oh ok. week night: slow-cooker carnitas. i like to eat taco-type meat in crisp, tasteless leaves of iceberg lettuce. i do, actually. i’m not being sarcastic. taco meat is too delicious to not eat just because tortillas are not on the agenda. also, this recipe is not for the mexicophiles among us; however, not every taco can taste like it was wrung from the loins of actual mexicans in a dark corner of sunset park. some tacos need to come out of the crock pot with fewer than four total ingredients. friday night: chile-braised pork shoulder tacos. just leave out the beer; substitute water or weak chicken broth. feast night: porchetta-style roast pork. reduce the cooking time to account for our smaller cut. get a meat thermometer if you don’t have one. hot italian sausages the best use for these suckers, in my opinion, is in a big fat frittata. the recipe calls for “mild” sausage, but i always use hot. yes, there is cheese. frittata with sausage, chard and feta that’s it! happy cooking! hit me in the comments if you want to talk about any of these recipes. **these recipes have been curated carefully. they were vetted for paleo suitability, obviously, plus for seasonality and likelihood of success. *your* success. i’ve either cooked them myself, or firmly believe anyone short of a total idiot could make them with a reasonable chance of producing highly edible food.  just a note, don’t start substituting things if you’re making a recipe for the first time. that’s just asking for trouble. unless we’re talking about canola and other vegetable oils, which should always be ruthlessly replaced with a better fat (olive oil, clarified butter, animal fat, depending on the situation. if you need help, for god’s sake ask.)

meat CSA recipe dilemma? i got you.

opening a surprise bag full of grass-fed meat is like christmas. christmas on january 4, to be exact.

in case you are at a loss for what to do with all that perfectly-omega-balanced goodness, here are my picks for the cuts we just got.**

beef cross-cut shanks

this cut has to be slowly braised, but it’ll be worth it.

  1. week night: slow-cooker beef shanks in red wine
  2. feast night: dominican sancocho
  3. cold-weather bonus dish: beef, vegetable and wild mushroom soup

flatiron + porterhouse steaks

 you don’t need a recipe, just do this a few dozen times and you’ll have it down.

if you’re a rock star, cut the meat out of its packaging the day before, dry it, put it on a plate, and let it hang out uncovered in the fridge. optional. not everyone is a rock star, obv.

  1. before preparing: bring meat to room temperature. dry it and season it liberally with salt and pepper.
  2. get your sturdiest pan really fucking hot. cast iron, ideally.
  3. put the seasoned side down on the pan. season the naked side.
  4. wait til it releases enough to flip it. 
  5. flip.
  6. wait til that side releases.
  7. remove the steak to a plate, cover/tent it loosely, wait five minutes.
  8. rockstar step #2: make a pan sauce. skip it if you don’t know how.
  9. in five minutes, eat a med-rare steak.

ground beef

do you need to stress out about how to prepare GRASS FED ground beef in some special way? no. you shouldn’t be cooking the shit out of regular ground beef, so don’t do that with this ground beef either. that’s it.

also, no stuffed pepper recipes. just, no.

  1. week night: pumpkin chili (one of the rare recipes from a paleo recipe site that i love and promote)
  2. feast night: bacon-filled meatloaf. this recipe contains some bread crumbs which i always leave out. do NOT leave out the bacon or the mystery dried fruit - it’s incredible. 
  3. bonus feast night: wrap the bacon-filled meatloaf in bacon. i did.

ground lamb

a great, underrated and incredibly delicious meat.

  1. week night: lamb kofte with optional yogurt sauce. these are honestly delicious - i would never dilute them with pita, one of the most insipid and useless commercial bread products ever invented. 
  2. feast night: lamb and vegetable lasagna (contains no noodles.)

center-cut pork chops

chops are one of my weeknight standbys.

everybody knows pork has been irrevocably ruined by the low-fat juggernaut and agribusiness (our wonderful farmers excepted); the technique below offers you the best chance at moist chops given the realities of the meat in your hands.

  1. week night: sauteed pork chops from bruce aidells/denis kelly’s the complete meat cookbook.
  2. learn to make a quick pan sauce from that recipe. really. it’s a technique you will use thousands of times in your life, and takes mere minutes.

boneless pork shoulder

y’all can already make a killer roast pork/pulled pork recipe, right? no? oh ok.

  1. week night: slow-cooker carnitas. i like to eat taco-type meat in crisp, tasteless leaves of iceberg lettuce. i do, actually. i’m not being sarcastic. taco meat is too delicious to not eat just because tortillas are not on the agenda. also, this recipe is not for the mexicophiles among us; however, not every taco can taste like it was wrung from the loins of actual mexicans in a dark corner of sunset park. some tacos need to come out of the crock pot with fewer than four total ingredients.
  2. friday night: chile-braised pork shoulder tacos. just leave out the beer; substitute water or weak chicken broth.
  3. feast night: porchetta-style roast pork. reduce the cooking time to account for our smaller cut. get a meat thermometer if you don’t have one.

hot italian sausages

the best use for these suckers, in my opinion, is in a big fat frittata. the recipe calls for “mild” sausage, but i always use hot. yes, there is cheese.

  1. frittata with sausage, chard and feta

that’s it! happy cooking! hit me in the comments if you want to talk about any of these recipes.

**these recipes have been curated carefully. they were vetted for paleo suitability, obviously, plus for seasonality and likelihood of success. *your* success. i’ve either cooked them myself, or firmly believe anyone short of a total idiot could make them with a reasonable chance of producing highly edible food.  just a note, don’t start substituting things if you’re making a recipe for the first time. that’s just asking for trouble. unless we’re talking about canola and other vegetable oils, which should always be ruthlessly replaced with a better fat (olive oil, clarified butter, animal fat, depending on the situation. if you need help, for god’s sake ask.)