I have had my slow cooker for at least 15 years, although it could be 20. For the first decade or so of our partnership my slow cooker and I did the expected: trusty casseroles, the odd lentil curry and a lamb shank or two.
Then, about eight years ago something happened to take my slow cooker and I to dizzying new heights. The game-changer for me was pulled pork.
We were living through the height of the Tex Mex craze and every bar you stepped into was pushing sliders filled with sweet, yet spicy meat with just the right hint of smoke. I wanted to make it at home but my oven was hopeless, so I thought "what about the slow cooker?"
The result was a dish I still make and it impresses every time.
Keep reading for my pulled pork recipe and a roast lamb leg that has about 10 minutes of prep time, plus more things you never thought to try out in your slow cooker.
Bean there, slow cooked that
While trying to get by on one salary after the birth of my first child I got really creative at budget meals. I found a nearby spice mart that sold whole dried beans, legumes and other goodies in bulk bags, and they were so cheap. I lumbered home with a gigantic bag of red kidney beans, with a simple idea: I was going to make baked beans.
In went some finely diced onion, minced garlic, veggie stock, tomato paste, smoked paprika, a little brown sugar and some cumin. I put the slow cooker on low and waited. The result was better than anything you would find in a can and it fed us in various ways for four days.
There's the rub
Pork shoulder is such a wonderfully affordable cut, which is a big reason why it has always appealed to me, but I was always hesitant due to my sub-par oven. Realising that all the shoulder needed was a bit of "low and slow" treatment, I finally thought to try the slow cooker.
A simple spice rub, some onion and vegetable in the bottom for extra flavour and a snazzy barbecue sauce to finish and the result is incredible. The only laboursome part is pulling the pork. I often cook the pork the night before I want to eat it, then when it is warm, but no longer hot, I can pull it easily with my hands.
Slow cooker pulled pork
Ingredients
1.5-2kg pork shoulder
3 onions
3 carrots
1 cup chicken stock
Spice rub
2 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chilli powder (or to taste)
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper
Barbecue sauce
All juices from slow cooker
2 Tbsp smoky barbecue sauce (your favourite brand)
1 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp chilli powder (optional)
Directions
1. Roughly chop onion and carrots, place in a layer on the bottom of the slow cooker and pour over stock. Combine spice rub ingredients and rub all over the pork (you can do this the night before)
2. Place pork in the slow cooker and cook on low for 8–10 hours. You can speed up the process by cooking it on high but the result will be a little dryer as the fat won't render down as well.
3. Remove pork to a heat-safe dish, remove the top fat layer and pull with two forks or whatever else works for you here. I have these Wolverine claw things that work well.
4. Strain slow cooker juices through a strainer, into a medium pot. Simmer on med–high until the mixture reduces. Add barbecue sauce and liquid smoke. Taste it and see what you think, it may need more salt and pepper, the chilli powder if you like it spicy or I sometimes add some more smoked paprika too.
5. Pour sauce over pulled pork and mix until the meat has soaked up most of it. Serve pork on sliders or in tortillas with coleslaw and a few drops of hot sauce.
A leg up
Growing up, a lamb roast was always cooked "hot and fast" 'til still pink and sliced. Then, one day, I realised it could be done slowly with great results. And the word "slowly" obviously led me back to my trusty slow cooker.
This is literally the easiest roast lamb in the history of cooking. I have put this on in the morning on my way out the door and it took less than five minutes. There is a little bit of effort at the end of the day, before serving, but it is minimal.
This would be fantastic served with mashed potatoes, some peas, green beans or broccoli on the side. I have also done this with a Moroccan spice mix and served it with flatbread and fattoush salad. The possibilities are endless.
Slow cooker roast lamb leg
Ingredients
1.5 kg leg of lamb (make sure it is not too big for your cooker)
3-4 sprigs of rosemary
3 onions
2 carrots
6 cloves of garlic, smashed
½ cup beef stock
Salt and pepper, to taste
Gravy
Slow cooker juices
1/2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar or red wine
1 tsp seeded mustard
1 tsp of cornflour mixed with water 'til a paste forms
Directions
1. Prepare the leg of lamb by poking some holes into it with a sharp knife and insert garlic and rosemary haphazardly. Season really well with salt and pepper.
2. Roughly chop onions and carrots and use them to form a layer on the bottom of the slow cooker. Pour in the stock. Lay lamb on top, place the lid on and cook on low for 8 hours.
3. Heat oven to 200C. Carefully remove the lamb from the cooker (it will fall apart easily) and place it on a baking tray. Drizzle with a little olive oil and place in the over for 10-15 to brown on top (you can skip this step, but it makes it extra tasty).
4. While the lamb is in the oven, strain juices from slow cooker through a sieve, into a medium pot. Add remaining gravy ingredients, except for cornflour, and bring to a simmer. Add cornflour, stirring with a whisk until slightly thickened. If you like your gravy thicker you can add more cornflour until you get the right consistency. Mine varies a lot according to my mood.
5. Break off sections of lamb, plate up with your favourite vegetables and pour over gravy.
Sugar and spice
Turn under-ripe or slightly bruised apples and pears into something delightful. All you need is a hefty portion of diced autumn fruits such as apples, pears, feijoas or tamarillos. Pop them into your slow cooker with a ½-1 cup of water, a tablespoon of cinnamon, ¼ cup of sugar and a pinch of nutmeg. Give the fruit 2 hours on low. This fruity goodness is lovely either warm or cold in the morning, topped with a little granola and some natural yoghurt, or turn it into a crumble for dessert.
Mull it over
A long, long time ago I travelled to Scotland over New Year and got to try mulled wine for the first time, on the freezing cold streets of Edinburgh. It was love at first sip. At the time no one had thought to bring this warming delight to Australia where I was living at the time, so when winter hit I embarked on a journey to replicate it myself.
Mulled wine is essentially warm sangria, with a few Christmassy spices thrown in for good measure. You have red wine, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, oranges and – if you are serious about it – a good hit of brandy.
The key to mulled wine is not to ever let it boil, so the slow cooker is perfect, as the low function will keep it warm, but not too warm. I would invite friends over and all I needed was a soup ladle and some mismatched teacups and guests could help themselves.
My mulled wine soirees became a thing of legend and I ended up sharing my recipe with many grateful friends. The key to the perfect batch was, weirdly, fruit tea, something dark like blackcurrant, steeped really strong and then added to the mix. The other trick is not to add too many cloves, I did that once and all of my friends had very numb tongues for a few hours – awkward.