Tag Archives: beef broth

8 of the best slow cooker recipes for beef, chicken, and pork we’ve found

July 18, 2018Uncategorizedbeef broth, beef chuck, beef chuck roast, beef recipe, beef stew, best slow cooker, chicken recipe, chuck roast, cooker pot roast, crockpot, pot roast, slow cooker, slow cooker beef, slow cooker beef recipes, slow cooker beef stew, slow cooker pot, slow cooker recipes, tender beefDennis Keohane

When you’ve got many mouths to feed, what cooking method do you turn to?

If you’re looking to impart big, bold flavors with minimal effort, then a slow cooker should be your go-to cooking device. Cooking meat low and slow breaks down muscle fibers and ensures a fork-tender, melt-in-your-mouth meal.

Often, slow cooking is as simple as throwing all the ingredients in the crockpot and letting it go—an ideal situation when you’ve got to prepare everything else for a crowd. Set up your slow cooker in the morning, and enjoy dinner later— a long cook time and no fuss!

These recipes use cuts of meat ideal for the slow cooker: Think pork butt, beef chuck roast, beef shanks, and more. With so many different flavor profiles and cuts of meat, you’ll never get bored of some of the best slow cooker recipes we’ve found, and neither will your guests.

1. Chef Yankel’s Smoky Coffee-Rubbed Pulled Pork

Want to serve fork-tender, juicy pulled pork rife with a sweet, spicy flavor? You’ll have to give this smoky coffee-rubbed pulled pork a try. When cooked low and slow in a slow cooker, this pork butt falls apart into melt-in-your-mouth goodness.

The trick is dry rubbing the pork butt the night before with coffee grounds, chipotle powder, smoked paprika, ground ginger, mustard powder, coriander, brown sugar, and salt. Refrigerating the butt overnight lets the flavors set in, while the low and slow cooking method further brings them out.

The best part? Use one ButcherBox pork butt, and this meal will serve six people.

2. Slow Cooker Chuck Roast

A busy family’s best friend, this slow cooker chuck roast recipe delivers a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs meal with minimal effort.

You can throw the chuck roast in the slow cooker in the morning while you’re preparing breakfast and have dinner ready to go by nightfall. This roast requires only a few spices for big flavor, including basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and garlic.

Don’t skip the searing step—that’s where you really lock in flavor. Feel free to beef (pun intended) this roast recipe up with veggies like sweet potatoes and carrots for a complete meal.

3. Slow Cooker Beef Steak Tips

What are steak tips? Rife with robust, meaty flavor, these one-inch hunks of steak come from cuts of beef like the flank steak, tenderloin tip, and sirloin tip.

They’re lean, and delicious cooked as kebabs or in slow-cooked stews, like this slow cooker beef steak tip recipe. Creamy thanks to a combination of cooking sherry, broth, spices, and tapioca starch, these steak tips come together easily in a slow cooker. In fact, the only step is throwing everything into the slow cooker and, well, cooking. Mushrooms round out the meaty flavor of these steak tips. This is literally one of the easiest slow cooker recipes for beef we’ve found.

4. Asian Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Mix up your typical pot roast recipe with Asian flavors like soy sauce, garlic, and five spice. This slow cooker Asian pot roast is made with a sizeable chuck roast, promising to feed many mouths.

Potatoes and carrots further beef up the meal. It’s also packed with protein thanks to all that chuck roast, so you and your guests are bound to be satiated. Cooking it for 8 to 9 hours on low ensures a sweet-savory flavor that makes it difficult to put the fork down.

5. Slow Cooker Creamy Southwest Chicken

Need a meal that tastes rich and decadent but is actually healthy?

This slow cooker creamy southwest chicken recipe is the meal to try. Bold flavors abound with spices like chili powder, paprika, cumin, coriander, garlic, cayenne, and fresh lime juice. Coconut cream (or full-fat coconut milk, whatever you have on hand) makes this dish super creamy and indulgent. Feel free to serve this flavor-packed meal on a bed of veggie noodles, potatoes, or rice.

6. Slow Cooker Beef Shank Osso Buco With Lemon-Parsley Gremolata

Here’s a meal that will truly impress your guests. Beef shanks make for a more affordable option than veal shanks in this osso buco with lemon-parsley gremolata recipe. (If you don’t have a beef shank, this great slow cooker beef recipe a beef chuck roast, beef stew meat, and even short ribs can serve as a substitute for this cut.)

Braised low and slow in the slow cooker, this fork-tender beef meal is richly flavored with vegetables, white wine, balsamic vinegar, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, and cloves. It’s then topped with a lemon-parsley gremolata, which finishes the meal on an irresistibly bright and zesty note.

7. Fennel and Tomato Italian Pork Shoulder

Pork butt gets rubbed with Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper, seared to pack in flavor and build crust, then cooked low and slow in a slow cooker. Add in balsamic vinegar-sautéed fennel and onions, whole peeled tomatoes, and carrots and you’re in for an unbelievable flavor explosion with this fennel and tomato Italian pork shoulder.

8. Crockpot Cajun Pork Butt with Jambalaya Rice

Low and slow, once again, is the preferred cooking method for pork butt in this crockpot Cajun pork butt with jambalaya rice recipe. Cajun spice, paprika and veggies like colorful bell peppers pack in flavor to the jambalaya rice, while a similar seasoning blend flavors the meat.

The pork juices are the ultimate flavor booster, especially when used to plump up the rice.

For more of our favorite recipes from ButcherBox Head Chef Yankel Polak, check out our recipe page and YouTube channel.

Ribeye roast – For special occasions, Sunday dinner, or anytime

March 26, 2018Uncategorizedbalsamic, beef broth, beef ribeye roast, beef roasts, black pepper, bone-in rib-eye roast, boneless ribeye roast, Chef Yankel, christmas dinner, christmas roast, Easter dinner, Easter roast, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, generous marbling, holiday roast, meat thermometer, minced garlic, olive oil, pot roast, prime rib, prime rib roast, rib roast, ribeye recipe, ribeye roast, ribeye steak, roast beef, roast recipe, roasting pan, rosemary, sea salt, slow cooker, standing, sunday dinnerDennis Keohane

Don’t miss a special Ribeye Roast recipe from ButcherBox Head Chef Yankel Polak at the bottom of this post.

Here at ButcherBox, we believe the best way to bring friends together is over a delicious cut of grass-fed, grass-finished beef.

Our favorite cut to share with others is the ribeye roast. Perfectly-cooked, the ribeye roast goes well with an array of side dishes, red wine, and good friends.

What exactly is a ribeye roast?

Ribeye roasts — and ribeye steaks — come from the rib section of the cow, as the name implies. Specifically, ribeye roasts come from between the sixth and twelfth rib. It is a well-marbled section of muscle that is comprised of the longissimus dorsi, complexus, and spinalis muscles of a cattle. Ribeyes come in a number of different cuts and go by a few different names.

Most ribeye roasts are large, boneless cuts that have generous marbling and are best cooked over a few hours time. Traditionally the cut was used only on special occasions; a beef ribeye roast would be coated with salt and ground black pepper, spend an entire day in a roasting pan, and then be sliced up and presented as Sunday dinner or the centerpiece of a holiday meal.

Some roasts come with the bones included, and in this form is called standing rib roast and sometimes prime rib. It can also, confusingly, be called prime rib without the bone, and to add a level of complexity can be referred to as a roast beef mainly because it is beef roasted in an oven. (Check out our piece on often confused cuts for some clarification on the difference between prime rib roast and ribeye steak.)

The ribeye can be cut into steaks and cooked on a grill — with or without the bone — and has enough fatty, flavorful marbling that it needs little more than a pinch of sea salt and black pepper to make it a tender, mouthwatering treat.

A section of the ribeye can also be further cut down into a hard to find cut of steak known as the ribeye cap. The cut comes from the most tender part of this large muscle known as the spinalis dorsi that is highly-sought-out by discerning steak aficionados. The cut also goes by other names across the globe, including “Scottish fillet” in its boneless steak roast form.

Enough about the details of the ribeye, let’s get to the important stuff: How to prepare a delicious ribeye roast.

How to cook a ribeye roast

You can order ribeye steaks from a butcher, or cut up a ribeye into steaks if you don’t want to put effort into roasting the cut. However, putting a little time and effort into the roast will pay off in the form of smooth, rich, well-marbled beef that you can easily slice up and serve to a number of dinner guests.

According to our Head Chef Yankel Polak, our ButcherBox boneless ribeye roast is a “breathtakingly marbled and tender hunk of meat.”

It can be prepared in numerous ways. For example, you can cook a ribeye roast in a slow cooker with some spices like fresh rosemary, minced garlic, and some vegetables. However, ribeye roast can be a bit too expensive to cook in this manner. “Pot roast,” beef usually tenderized by a day spent in a slow cooker is best with tough, less inherently flavorful cuts like chuck roast and shoulder steaks.

Below is ButcherBox Chef Yankel’s “Super Easy Ribeye Roast With Roasted Mushrooms and Eggplant.” This recipe serves eight, takes 20 minutes to prepare, and after two and half hours of cooking time, you’ll have a tender roast. It is quite simple and the perfect way to show off your cooking skills and delicious ButcherBox grass-fed beef.

The key is Chef Yankel’s use of a reverse-searing method, which allows you to sear the ribeye roast and let sit until it needs its final 15 minutes of cooking.

According to Chef Yankel, this will give you a medium-rare roast with a delicious brown crust. Also, he says, “This recipe won’t keep you stuck in the kitchen all night if you have guests.”

Super Easy Ribeye Roast With Roasted Mushrooms and Eggplant

Ingredients:

Beef Rub:

1 ButcherBox Ribeye Roast
3 Tbsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp onion powder
2 Tbsp paprika
2 Tbsp olive oil

Roasted Mushrooms and Eggplant

2 lbs mushrooms, assorted variety, cut into similar size pieces
4 Japanese eggplants, halved lengthwise
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 shallots, minced
3 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
3 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp sherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix all ribeye rub ingredients and rub all over ribeye roast. Refrigerate on lowest shelf uncovered overnight. Remove from fridge 1 hr before roasting.
Preheat oven to 250°F. Roast ribeye in a roasting pan until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part reads 115°F. Remove from oven and let rest for at least 20 min. The ribeye can sit out up to 2 hrs or be refrigerated until Step 7. If refrigerating, make sure to bring the ribeye back to room temperature before reheating.
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Mix all ingredients for the roasted vegetables except for the vinegar, then spread the vegetables evenly on sheet pans in a single layer.
Roast vegetables in oven until lightly browned. Eggplant should be tender and mushrooms should shrink to half their original size.
Remove vegetables from oven, sprinkle with vinegar and set aside.
Place roast back in the oven and cook for an additional 15 min, until internal temperature is 125°F and the top is browned and crisp.
Let ribeye roast rest for at least 20 min before carving. Happy Eating!

You can also check out Chef Yankel going through the steps of cooking a “Pan Seared Ribeye with Potatoes and Mushrooms”:

How to braise beef and why it’s one of the best cooking methods

March 20, 2018Uncategorizedapple, aromatic vegetables, bay leaf, bay leaves, beef broth, beef chuck, beef recipe, beef stock, best cuts, black pepper, braise meat, braised beef, braising beef, braising liquid, brown, browned bits, butcherbox recipe, chef, Chef Yankel, chicken stock, chuck pot roast, chuck roast, cook, cooking method, cooking time, dutch oven, flavorful liquid, fork tender, fresh herbs, great flavor, high heat, low heat, medium-high heat, olive oil, pot roast, pot roasting, red wine, rosemary, rump roast, short ribs, slow cooker, tender cuts, tomato paste, tough cutDennis Keohane

Whenever I come across braised short ribs on a restaurant menu, I have a hard time passing up the delectable dish. Just thinking about it, I can taste the melt-in-your-mouth, flavorful meat. In all my short rib adventures, I’ve never stopped to wonder how chefs create such divine creations.

The secret, I discovered comes down to braising.

A cooking method mixing high dry heat, low moist heat, and time

Braising is a two-step cooking method that uses both high-heat for a short period and low-heat for a longer period of time. First, it involves browning meat in olive oil, butter, ghee, or some other fat — on high heat — usually by sauteing in a pan. Second, the meat is cooked in a covered dish, in the juices left from the browning and often also with an added liquid such as stock, water, etc.

The second, slow-cooking step is done in a tightly covered pot, like a dutch oven, or, often, in a slow-cooker. This process is also sometimes referred to as “pot roasting.”

Slow-cooking — and, well, the use of a slow-cooker or Crock Pot — helps to add flavor and tenderizes tougher cuts of beef and other meats.

According to The Kitchen Encyclopedia, published in 1911, “Braising is a method much used in France, and is a cross between boiling and baking.” The word itself derives from the French word brasier, which is a form of braise, meaning “live coals.” A brasier or brazier, in French and English, is also another name for a receptacle to burn coal or charcoal. Dutch ovens can also be called brasiers. The origin of the term braising seems to come from a French word for a method using both dry heat and moist heat.

Why braise?

Braising can be done with any meat but is most often done with tough cuts of meat, because tender cuts usually don’t need additional tenderizing or flavor.

Cuts that traditionally have less flavor — say a chuck roast, shoulder steak, chuck pot roast, pork butt, or beef chuck arm — are the best cuts to use and may need richer braising liquids. The best way to add great flavor is with beef broth or chicken stock, as well as spices like rosemary, bay leaves, and other fresh herbs. Moreover, braising done in the style of a pot roast can include aromatic vegetables — carrots, onions, and more — for additional flavor.

How to braise meat

The first step of braising takes about ten minutes, but achieving truly fall-apart-tender meat takes many hours of cooking time. Our in-house ButcherBox Chef Yankel Polak recommends seasoning the meat with salt and black pepper, then searing your meat until you get a nice brown crust. When cooking pork, he likes to use apple cider as a braising liquid that can also help scraping the browned bits of meat left from searing. Chef Yankel also recommends adding tomato paste to your braising liquid for texture and taste. For added flavor and simplicity, he also advises using the same pot to sear and cook, covering the dish after the flavorful liquid and browned meat have simmered.

A long, slow cook is crucial for breaking down the proteins and tenderizing the meat. You’ll need to cook for at least an hour and a half to two hours (depending on the size of your cut of meat) in the oven set to 300 degrees. Cooking on low heat allows the meat to cook slowly as the braising liquid evaporates. It is this process that makes dishes like pulled pork, carnitas, and roasts fork-tender.

Whether cooking pork in the slow cooker or keeping a watchful eye on a roast spending a day in a Dutch oven, meat braising in its juices and spiced-up flavor can turn a simple cut of beef or pork into a truly amazing dish.

You can find some of Chef Yankel’s favorite recipes to braise beef, chicken, or pork here, or watch the video below for more braising techniques.

If you want more from Chef Yankel, check out his recommendations for the best red wine to pair with braised beef and other dishes.

Our monthly ButcherBox comes often comes with cuts like pork butt and grass-fed beef roasts that are perfect for braising. You can also get these cuts in a custom ButcherBox. If you’re not a member already, you can sign up here.