It’s been a little while since we’ve had new recipes here and that’s simple because, well, I was cheating. As the winter days grew shorter, colder and busier, I turned to my slow cooker just as much as I had in the past, but there was no creativity involved. Nothing new. No experiments. Not much inspiration. I went for simplicity and ease of preparation, which led me to using the Campbell’s Slow Cooker sauces we sampled and reviewed about a year ago. I knew they had normal ingredients in them and would be great in a pinch.
Then, I got thinking. These are sauces poured over meat and cooked. No prep work and no cooking before the cooking. I can do this. Even better, I can make a few on a weekend and use as necessary during the week. So I started with some easy ones consisting of flavors I knew the family would like and that I could put together with basic ingredients.
I set out to make enough for a large cut of meat that would work in a 6-quart slow cooker without drying it out after long periods of cooking; something I had found to be an issue with some of the Campbell’s Sauces, especially if I wasn’t there to stir once or twice during the day. With this first recipe, I used a skirt steak (that’s what’s pictured above) but I don’t recommend it. The cut is great for grilling or broiling, but eight hours made it tougher than I like. So the recipe that follows uses a chuck roast, which is much better with this method of cooking, and the cut I often use for pot roast.
Crock It! Asian Sauce
Ingredients:
4 large cloves garlic, roasted (see below if this is new to you)
1 8 ounce jar hoisin sauce
1 8.5 ounce jar plum sauce
1 cup crushed pineapple
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2″ piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
What’s Next:
Place all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Stir occasionally to avoid sticking.
Let cool for about 45 minutes and then process in a food processor until smooth.
Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Note: sauce will thicken once cooled, but thin out again once heated.
How To Use:
For the slow cooker, place a 3 lb. chuck roast in the slow cooker, cover with sauce. Add 1/4 cup water (the sauce will have thickened in the refrigerator).
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Notes from my experience:
This recipe made enough sauce that I was also able to use about 1/4 cup in a stir-fry recipe a few nights before the slow cooker dinner was made.
While I haven’t tried this yet, I am willing to bet that once refrigerated, orange juice could be added to a small amount of sauce (1/4-1/3 cup) and then used as a marinade as well.
It’s also possible that with a 4 quart slow cooker, one would be able to get two meals out of this as it thins while cooking.
The whole family liked this and it will definitely be made again.
