Always remember, the size of the meat and the recommended cook time
are just estimates. The exact weight of a roast that can be cooked in the
slow cooker will depend upon the specific cut, meat configuration, and
bone structure.
Cut meat into smaller pieces when cooking with precooked beans, fruit,
or lighter vegetables such as mushrooms, diced onion, eggplant, or finely
minced vegetables. This will enable food to cook at the same rate.
Lean meats such as chicken or pork tenderloin will cook faster than meats
with more connective tissue and fat such as beef chuck or pork shoulder.
Meat should be positioned so that it rests in the stoneware and does not
touch the lid.
If you are cooking frozen meats (such as roasts or chickens), you must
first add at least 1 cup of warm liquid. The liquid will act as a “cushion” to
prevent sudden temperature changes. For most recipes containing cubed
frozen meat, cook meats an additional 4 hours on LOW or 2 hours on HIGH.
For large cuts of frozen meat, it may take much longer to defrost and
tenderize.
Fish
Fish cooks quickly and should be added at the end of the cooking cycle,
during last fifteen minutes to hour of cooking.
Specialty Dishes
Specialty dishes, such as stuffed chops or steak rolls, stuffed cabbage
leaves, stuffed peppers, or baked apples can be arranged in a single layer so
they cook evenly and serve attractively.
Visit the Crock-Pot® website at www.crockpot.com, for additional Hints and
Tips, Questions and Answers, and Recipes.
Auto Program Chart
The auto programs are designed to give you the greatest ease in programming
for classic slow cooker dishes. The Main Courses chapter offers several recipes
for each program (pg. 34). The chart on the following page indicates the total
cook time for each Auto Cook program. The program will automatically switch
to WARM once the cycle has been completed.
MEAT CUT DISPLAY MEAT
WEIGHT TOTAL COOK
TIME LOW TOTAL COOK
TIME HIGH
Pork 1
(bone-in) PRK1 6-7 pounds 91/2 hours 71/2 hours
Pork 2
(boneless) PRK2 3-4 pounds 6 hours 5 hours
Poultry POUL 6 pounds 71/2 hours 61/4 hours
Beef BEEF 3-4 pounds 8 hours 53/4 hours
Stew STEW 3 pounds 6 hours 43/4 hours
Chili CHIL 1-3 pounds 61/2 hours 6 hours
Converting Your Recipes
When setting your slow cooker, you always have the flexibility to cook faster
or slower by choosing the HIGH or LOW setting. When converting your
own recipes, refer to the chart below which offers suggested cook times for
typical slow cooker dishes. Remember, this is just a guide. Specific times are
dependant upon quantity, cut of meat, and additional liquids and ingredients.
Normally, it takes approximately 3-4 hours on HIGH and approximately 7-8
hours on LOW for many slow cooked meat dishes to reach the simmer point.
After that time, most slow cooked meats just begin to tenderize and may take
an additional time to become a “fall-off-the-bone” consistency.
LOW HIGH
7 hours 3 hours
8 hours 4 hours
9 hours 5 hours
10 hours 6 hours
11 hours 7 hours
12 hours 8 hours
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