Weekend Cooking: Slow Cooker Revolution (Redux)

No, you're not seeing things.  No, I haven't screwed up my posts again.  I did just publish a post on this cookbook two weeks ago.  But as Dawn says, I've been drinking the Slow Cooker Revolution Kool Aid and I had to report back to you with more good stuff.

With most cookbooks, I can pick one or two great recipes and have success.  But this collection here is the REAL DEAL.  I've now made nine recipes, and every one of them have been incredible.  Obviously I can't give all of them to you, so I'm going to have to decide which one.  Here are my choices:

1.  Aloha Pork Chops - as you might guess, these pork chops are smothered in a sauce that contains pineapple juice, cider vinegar, soy sauce, curry powder, red pepper flakes and ginger.  The sauce is then thickened at the end to make a wonderful sweet and spicy glaze.

2.  Huli Huli Chicken - another Hawaiian recipe that slow cooks the chicken in a type of sweet barbecue sauce made from pineapple juice, soy sauce, ketchup, lime juice and brown sugar.  Then topped off with a little high temp baking for crispness.  Moans of happy mouths with this one.

3.  Jerk Chicken - the jerk rub in this recipe is as authentic as it can get, with scallions, habanero chiles, ginger, molasses, garlic and spices all blended in the food processor.  They also finish off the recipe with broiling for crisp skin.  This one might be too spicy for tender mouths.

4.  Sausage Lasagne - I've never made lasagne in the slow cooker before, but this was fantastic.  To make it, you line the crock with aluminum foil and cook it on low.  Who knew?

5.  Sweet and Sour Braised Red Cabbage - I'm not a fan of the cabbage, but my Polish husband is, and with all his experience in eating it, he claimed it was the best he'd had.  I think the secret ingredients here are the apple cider, cider vinegar and brown sugar.  I'm sure the onion and the bacon didn't hurt either.


After mulling over these last dishes, I think I'll give you the Huli Huli Chicken:

2/3 cups pineapple juice

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup soy sauce

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 TBL minced or grated ginger

4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces

1.  Simmer pineapple juice, sugar, ketchup, lime juice, soy sauce, garlic and ginger in medium saucepan until thickened and measures 1 1/2 cups, about 10 minutes.  Season with salt & pepper.

2.  Coat slow cooker with cooking spray.  Transfer 1/2 cup sauce to slow cooker, reserve remaining.  Season chicken with salt & pepper, add to slow cooker and coat evenly with sauce.  Cover and cook until chicken is tender, 4 to 6 hours on low.

3.  Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.  Place wire rack in aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and coat with cooking spray.  Transfer chicken, skin side up, to sheet.

4.  Brush chicken with reserved sauce and bake, brushing with more sauce every few minutes, until it has a deep, mahogany lacquer, 20 to 30 minutes.


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Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads, and is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.