Friday, August 31, 2007

Crock Pot Cookin'

I'm going to let you in on a little secret that will forever change the way you cook pork chops. Well, maybe. It has for me.

I bought some massively thick chops - more than 1-inch - and threw them in the crockpot with a homemade bbq sauce. (More on that later.) After cooking for 7-8 hours, I literally cut them with a spoon. They were intensely good!

I've been afraid of my slower cooker in the past, because it actually cooks a little fast. I couldn't just leave it all day for most recipes. Now that I work at home, I can keep an eye on it. It's freeing me up to try things I hadn't before.

Now about that bbq sauce...

I haven't tried to calculate nutrition info on this yet, but here's the rough version of what went into it:

1/2 c. ketchup
1-2 tbsp. apple butter
1 tbsp. apple cider
1 tsp. liquid smoke
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. mustard
1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 c. water

I mixed it all up in right in the slow cooker. The apple butter gave it just the right touch of sweetness without adding sugar, and the spices really worked together well. Yummy! I'm going to try it on the stovetop next time and see what happens.

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