Slow Cooker or Instant Pot

Browse Category by Slow Cooker or Instant Pot

Kalua Pork

1 (6 pound) boneless pork shoulder roast
1 tablespoon red clay Hawaiian sea salt (no substitutes)
1 tablespoon liquid smoke flavoring (Reese’s mesquite smoke flavoring, if you can find it)

Pierce pork all over with a carving fork. Rub salt then liquid smoke over meat. Place roast in a slow cooker.

Slice open a banana (leave in the peel) and set it on top of the roast while it cooks to give it the taste of actually being wrapped in banana leaves prior to cooking it underground (make sure you remove the banana after the pig is fully cooked). This gives the pork a very SLIGHT sweet taste which the islands are famous for.

Cover and cook on low for 16 to 20 hours*, turning once or twice during cooking time (remove and replace banana each time).

Remove banana and peel and discard. Remove meat and shred. Return shredded meat to slow cooker and cook 1 hour more on low.

*If you put it in at 11 pm it will be ready between 4 pm and 8 pm.

Slow Cooker or Instant Pot, Soup

Vegetable and Barley Soup

2 quarts vegetable broth
1 cup uncooked barley
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 zucchini, peeled & chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon white sugar

Combine all ingredients in Instant Pot. Close and lock the lid. Select high pressure; set timer for 20 minutes. Allow 10 to 15 minutes for pressure to build.

Release pressure using the natural-release method (according to manufacturer’s instructions, may take 10 to 20 minutes). Unlock and remove the lid. Remove bay leaves. Serve.

Note: This is a nice, mild soup. Might be good with herbs (thyme, basil).

Beef, Dad, Mom, Slow Cooker or Instant Pot

Braised Short Ribs

3 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
salt, pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
4 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 10-ounce can beef broth
4 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf

2 onions, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup chicken broth

4 teaspoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water

Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. In batches, brown ribs on all sides; transfer to a slow cooker. Add carrots, beef broth, thyme and bay leaf to ribs.

Add onions to the same skillet; cook and stir over medium heat 8-9 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and tomato paste; cook and stir 1 minute longer. Stir in wine and chicken broth. Bring to a boil; cook 8-10 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Add to slow cooker. Cook, covered, on low 6-8 hours or until meat is tender.

Gravy
Remove ribs and vegetables; keep warm. Transfer cooking juices to a small saucepan; skim fat. Discard thyme and bay leaf. Bring juices to a boil. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into cooking juices. Return to a boil; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with ribs.

Beef, Slow Cooker or Instant Pot

Instant Pot Mongolian Beef

1 pounds flank steak, sliced thin across the grain* and cut in 1″x3″ strips
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 to 2/3 cup brown sugar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1/2 cup light (reduced sodium) soy sauce
1 teaspoons sesame oil (optional)
1 cup water
1 tablespoon rice wine (or other dry white wine)
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper

Cornstarch Slurry:
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water

Garnish:
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

*You can substitute chuck steak, as long as it is sliced very thin.

Instructions

Heat up your pressure cooker: press Sauté -> click on the Adjust button -> select More to get the Sauté More function (medium-high heat). Wait for the Instant Pot indicator to read HOT.
Add sliced beef to a large ziplock bag, add 1 tablespoon cornstarch and shake well to coat the beef evenly.
Add the olive oil to the hot Instant Pot. Once the oil is hot, brown the beef in batches. (If you add too much at once, it won’t brown well.) Sauté each batch for 2-3 minutes, stirring a few times. Remove and set aside browned beef. Add another batch until all is browned.
Deglaze the pot: add 1/2 cup water and let it get very hot. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pot until the sticky beef residue is gone. Discard the liquid and rinse the Instant Pot.
Add back all the beef and mix in the rest of the ingredients to the pot: garlic, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, water, rice wine, sesame oil, and red pepper.
Stir well until all the ingredients are combined and coated in sauce.
Close lid and pressure cook at High Pressure for 8 minutes + 10 minutes Natural Release. Turn off the heat. Release the remaining pressure after the 10 mins NPR. Open the lid.
Make the cornstarch slurry: in a small bowl, mix cornstarch with water until fully combined. With the Instant Pot on the Sauté function, add the slurry to the pot. Stir to combine and cook for 2-3 minutes on Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens.
Garnish with sesame seeds.

Total prep and cooking time is about 30 minutes. Good with sticky rice.

Dad, Liked by, Mom, Pork, Sandwiches, Slow Cooker or Instant Pot

Mom’s BBQ Pork Sandwiches

1 c. water
1 3-pound boneless pork loin roast
1 18-ounce bottle of Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey BBQ Sauce
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 T. hot sauce (Tabasco)
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper

Cook meat and water in slow cooker on high for 7 hours.
Shred meat. Add BBQ sauce and next 5 ingredients Reduce heat to low and cook uncovered an additional hour.

Dad, Liked by, Mom, Slow Cooker or Instant Pot, Soup

Kielbasa and Squash Soup

1-1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
12 baby carrots, sliced
1 cup frozen green beans
2 cans (14 oz. each) condensed beef broth
2 cups water
2 T. tapioca
1 T. red wine vinegar
1/4 t. pepper
1 t. dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 pound kielbasa, sliced (I usually use more, up to 14 oz.)
1 small onion, chopped

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Dad, Elaine Walker, Mom, Poultry, Slow Cooker or Instant Pot

Maple Dijon Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/4 c. onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 t. thyme
3 T. maple syrup
2 T. Dijon mustard
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 c. chicken broth

Put the chicken into a slow cooker and toss with the onion, garlic, thyme, maple syrup, and Dijon mustard.
Place the sweet potatoes on top of the chicken.
Pour in the broth. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Elaine Walker, Main Dish Salads, Poultry, Salads, Slow Cooker or Instant Pot

Grape Pecan Chicken Salad

2 lbs chicken boneless chicken thighs
1 can beef broth
1/2 t. Bell’s seasoning
red grapes, seedless, quartered
chopped pecans
mayonnaise
brown mustard
Worcestershire sauce

In a slow cooker, put chicken, beef broth, Bell’s seasoning. Add water to cover. Cook on low for 8 hours. Remove chicken and cool in refrigerator.

When chicken is cool, chop and set aside.
In large bowl, add rest of ingredients in measures to suit your taste.

Elaine Walker, Poultry, Slow Cooker or Instant Pot

Coq au Vin alla Italiana

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
10 baby carrots
1 t. poultry seasoning (Bell’s seasoning)
1/2 t. dried rosemary
1/4 c. chopped onion
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 c. red wine
1 (14.5 ounce) can whole, peeled tomatoes
1 T. vegetable oil
2 (4 ounce) links sweet Italian sausage, sliced
4 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 T. flour

In a slow cooker, add the tomatoes, wine, garlic, onion, poultry seasoning, rosemary, Stir. Add carrots and chicken. Add a little water or chicken broth, if needed to cover top of chicken.

Cook on low for 8 hours.

Heat oil in large skillet. Cook the sausage until done and lightly browned, then remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon and set aside in a large bowl. Add the mushrooms to the skillet and cook for a few minutes. Add to sausage.

Take the chicken out of the slow cooker and add it to the sausage-mushrooms.

Put the flour in a small bowl. Add 2 T. cold water and whisk until smooth. Then add to the liquid in the slow cooker. Stir until sauce thickens slightly. Return chicken-sausage-mushrooms to crockpot and cook until heated through.

Poultry, Slow Cooker or Instant Pot

Southern Style Chicken Barbeque

1/2 c. water
6 T. ketchup
6 T. brown sugar
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
2 T. lemon juice
1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. salt
2 t. dry mustard
1-1/2 to 2 t. chili powder (use ground Chipotle chili pepper, if you have it)
8 to 10 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless

In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together the water, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt, mustard powder, and chili powder. Simmer the sauce for 15 minutes.

Oil the bottom of a slow cooker. Place the chicken thighs in the slow cooker, and pour the sauce over them. Cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 8 hours.

Sauce is thin and watery (Southern style). Good over rice.