RSS Electronic Edition | Newsletters Subscribe | Customer Service Contact Us | Community Buy Photos Modmomsclub

Columnists - Columnists: Kerry McCray

Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009

Slow and easy flavors stew

E-Mail Print

The worst mistake I've made as a journalist is offending the Crock-Pot crowd.

Last year I wrote about the bad luck I've had with slow-cooker recipes. The next day, mail started pouring in, mostly from slow-cooker fans offering tips (don't fill your slow-cooker too full, never open the lid) and unusual recipes (slow-cooker soufflé, anyone?).

Even a public relations person for the Crock-Pot company wrote to me, and sent a free cookbook. I would be converted, she said, just wait and see.

Well, I have seen the light.

I discovered a slow-cooker recipe that works, and I love it so much I will be making it until my kids cry, "No more peanut butter," which is unlikely.

That's right, peanut butter. This week's recipe, Thai-style pork stew, calls for a ¼ cup of peanut butter.

I picked it because I love Thai food. I also hoped the peanut taste would appeal to the kids, who (not surprisingly) would chose PB&J over pork roast any day.

Shopping was simple. I found all the ingredients at my grocery store. But the pork loins were on the expensive side — just about the only drawback of this recipe.

Prep wasn't too bad. The most difficult part was trying to separate the "silver skin" from the pork. I think these white streaks are a combination of membranes and fat. I jiggled my knife under the membrane and above the actual tenderloin, trying not to trim away too much meat.

Good thing the recipe says to cut the tenderloin in four pieces, because by the time I was done trimming, I had a very odd-looking piece of meat — skinny on one side, fat on the other.

Cooking in the Crock-Pot was pleasant. The house took on a warm, homey smell. It made all of us hungry, and we weren't disappointed. The pork was tender, and the sauce was flavorful with a distinct peanut taste. Even the kids ate it.

A tip for Thai food fanatics: This is not as spicy as Thai cuisine usually is, so you might want to add more crushed red pepper.

Also, we didn't think there was quite enough sauce, and the meat was a little dry. I think cooking the stew for an hour or two less would take care of this.

Still, this is the best slow-cooker recipe ever — at least the best I've found. I'm now an official member of the Crock-Pot crowd.

Bee staff writer Kerry McCray can be reached at 578-2358 or at kmccray@modbee.com.

This was really good. I cut the recipe in half, used a heavy-bottomed small stockpot and cooked it on the stovetop, covered tightly, on low heat for about 2½ hours. The pork came out tender and juicy.

This recipe produces a delicious stew that is as easy to make as it is to enjoy. Everyone at my table labeled it a keeper. My only suggestion is to increase, perhaps double, the amount of crushed red pepper. One observation: If you're going to be stewing the meat for eight hours, why wouldn't you use a cheaper cut of pork, like Boston butt?

The eight hours to cook is too long. The pork was overdone with that dried-out taste. I recommend that everyone check the meat after about five hours.

Eight hours might be a little too much time for this recipe. By this time, the pork pieces no longer were able to be chopped, but rather had to be shredded more like a pulled pork. The meat itself was also a little dry after that much cooking, although there was surprisingly quite a bit of liquid in the pot for the pork to absorb after it was put back in the crockpot and stirred.