A Crockpot Meal

So I love my crock pot, it is probably the best registry present we received! I cannot rave about it enough, now if I could get more recipes for it.

I recreate a few of my mom's famous meals by using the crock pot, she of course uses the oven, because she's good like that...I, however, put it in the crock pot when I leave for work and then come home to it being finished (call me lazy, that's ok) :) haha!

One of my mom's meals is a Boston Butt (basically a pork shoulder) cooked with yummy veggies: potatoes, carrots, and onions.

Then on a second go-round, she shreds the Boston Butt to and adds BBQ sauce and buns to make homemade BBQ sandwiches. Usually I only take the Boston Butt, cook it, and shred it for BBQ, but this time I wanted 2 meals out of it. Here's what I do, but this can definitely be changed to fit your tastes.

Put the boston butt in the crock pot all day on low (6-8 hours depending on the size, ours took 8 this time because it was big).

I put the fat side facing up, so the juices will cook down into it, cover it with sage, salt, and pepper!

That's it! It makes it's own juices and doesn't need anything else.

This is about half way into cooking.

Then I peel and chop my carrots....

 

potatoes...

and onions...

Place down the sides and on top 

Add the veggies in the last 1-2 hours. Cover and let it all cook. I usually move the veggies around when they're cooking so they get in the juice, too. I had a huge boston butt this time and 1 or 2 too many potatoes, so I actually took mine and moved them a few times.

The meat should be fork tender and shreddable when it's completely cooked.

Later this weekend or next week, BBQ sandwiches will be happening. Plus we got so much this time, I'll be freezing some of it, too (does great in the freezer), and later it'll make a perfect quick meal.

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Another of my Mom's Favorites is her Roast with Potatoes, Carrots, and Onions

Cooked very similar...except I take a roast and sear it in a hot frying pan on the stove top, on all sides, to create a brown crust. Then I place in the crock pot with some Italian dressing and Worcestershire sauce on top, and again, add veggies towards the end (last 1-2 hours). Sometimes I even take the inside of the crock pot out (the piece that holds the food) and put it in the oven at 350 degrees for an hour for the veggies to cook, covered with tin foil, then take off the tin foil in the last 10 minutes to create a crispy top/edge on the meat and veggies before serving. Again, cook on low originally for 6-8 hours, and the meat will be fork tender, too. YUM, YUM!!