Pork On A Bun

Here is a supper we recently enjoyed. It is slow cooked pulled pork roast in an apple butter sauce. I am usually not a huge fan of pork, but if it is done right I really enjoy it. And this time, my father certainly did it right. He used the pulled pork recipe our friends gave us after we ate some at their house this summer, and could not stop raving about it. It was so delicious! I believe I featured it a few months ago, when my father tried it the first time in the oven. However, he did not use the same sauce our friends recommended and I did not care all that much for the flavor of the sauce he used. This time my father cooked it long and slow in the slow cooker and used the same sauce as our friends. This time, the pulled pork was much better! It was even more tender and juicy, and the flavor was definitely much better. Here is a picture of it served on a fluffy bun with some sweet potato fries on the side. This is a good dish to make that is not too time consuming or difficult or requires too much prep work, especially when done in the slow cooker. It also just requires a few simple side dishes, like a salad, or vegetables, or potatoes, and a good quality bun. In addition, it is a warming winter dish that fills the house with delicious aromas while it is cooking. 

Slow Cooked Root Vegetables

This is a nice vegetable dish to make in the wintertime, when there aren't many vegetables in season, the ones that are in season aren't all that appealing on their own, fresh vegetables don't have the best flavor, and hot, slow-cooked dishes are the way to go. This recipe combines equal amounts of carrots, parsnips and turnips with some sweet potato and onion. They are flavored with olive oil, salt, pepper, brown sugar and parsley. All of the vegetables are cut into approximate one inch chucks, seasoned, and thrown into the slow cooker. Simple, easy, and no work after the vegetables are prepared. This side dish makes a nice accompaniment to any meal. I was a little bit skeptical when my father first pulled out this recipe, but he really pulled it off. Not bad at all for a dish of cooked winter vegetables! I really wish I had remembered to take a picture of these vegetables when they were still in the crock pot right before they were served, as they looked very lovely presented that way. But I didn't, so here is a picture of them in a bowl.

Ribs

Ribs are one of our favorite dishes to make in our slow cooker. A slow cooker is a very convenient kitchen gadget to have, it is incredibly easy to use and clean, and it prepares meals for you effortlessly while you are away. To make these ribs, they are first marinated in a dry spice rub overnight. In the morning, they are placed in the slow cooker to cook, and are eventually covered in sauce as well. The sauce may also be prepared in advance and refrigerated overnight. 

My father has done quite a bit of experimentation with slow-cooked ribs, testing whether they should be pre-browned and how, when the sauce should be added, how much sauce should be used, and how long the ribs should cook for. He has also tried different sauces, including barbecue and bourbon whiskey sauce. I believe he has finally came up with the perfect ribs! Here are the steps to follow:

1. Place the ribs in a plastic zip-top bag and coat with a dry spice rub. Shake to coat. Marinate for several hours or overnight.
2. Nine hours before mealtime, place the ribs in the slow-cooker on low.
3. After four hours of cooking, drain off any fat from the ribs, add the sauce, and continue to cook.

That's all there is to it! This makes a great batch of tender ribs that fall off the bone, but stay on enough to eat with your fingers. They are excellent served over a bed of rice to soak up any extra sauce. Although some sources recommend to precook the ribs, it doesn't seem to add anything to the flavor, makes the ribs cook too quickly or too tender, adds an extra step, and adds extra cleanup to a dish that should be a simple slow-cooked meal. The sauce is added later to prevent it from becoming greasy due to the rendering of fat from the ribs, and to prevent it from becoming overcooked and separating. However, the lack of sauce at the beginning of cooking does not cause the ribs to be dry.