Slow Cooker No Fail Barbecue Beef

Makes 6 servings

2 1/2 lbs beef chuck roast (or you can use cross rib roast), trimmed of excess fat
black pepper
kosher salt
onion powder
garlic powder
paprika
BBQ sauce

1.  Lay out a long piece of foil and place roast in the middle.  Season on all sides with the pepper, salt, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika.  Rub the seasonings in.  Wrap the roast up tightly in the foil.  Use another large piece of foil to wrap around the roast securely.  Place in fridge and let sit overnight (if you have the time).  If not, just place the foiled meat in the bottom of your slow cooker (the smaller the better...as long as it fits).
2.  Cover and cook on LOW for 6-10 hours (totally depends on how your slow cooker cooks.  I cooked mine for about 8 hours).
3.  Carefully remove the foil and place meat on a cutting board.  Shred into small pieces.  Place meat back in the slow cooker.
4.  Add in desired amount of BBQ sauce and stir (I just used about a cup from the bottle from the grocery store, but if you want to make your own you can do that).  Add in additional seasonings, if needed.
5.  Cover and cook on LOW for another 15-30 minutes and then serve.  You can serve the meat on toasted buns, as paninis, salad...however you desire.

Recipe Credit: 365 Days of Slow Cooking

Jenna's Meatloaf

2 lb. ground beef

1 cup oats

1/3 cup chopped onion

1 cup milk

2 egg, beaten

2 tsp. salt

1/3 tsp. pepper

-Combine all ingredients, mix thoroughly. Pack firmly into a loaf pan. Pour sauce over meat loaf.

Sauce: (Mix together)

1/3 cup ketchup

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. mustard

-After pouring sauce over meat loaf, bake @ 350 degrees for about one hour. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

Note: Use leftover meatloaf for meatloaf sandwiches. Butter and toast the roll before serving for added flavor.

Recipe Credit: Jenna Steed

Pulled Pork Paninis with Caramelized Onions & Homemade BBQ Sauce

2-3 pounds boneless pork shoulder (pork butt)

1/2 to 3/4 cup of dry spice rub, recipe follows

4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

2 large onions, sliced

1/4 cup water or apple juice

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

1 1/2 cups BBQ sauce, recipe follows

1 tablespoon olive oil

Sourdough bread, sliced (I used whole wheat sourdough)

Sharp cheddar cheese, sliced (I used a light white cheddar)

Butter or olive oil

1. Coat pork pieces on all sides with dry rub and massage into the meat. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour or overnight.

2. Lay one of the sliced onion and the smashed garlic cloves on bottom of slow cooker. Mix apple juice (or water) with liquid smoke and add to slow cooker. Place pork on top of everything. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or until pork is very tender.

3. Transfer pork to bowl or baking sheet with rimmed edges. Discard cooking liquid and onions. Using two forks, shred pork and return to slow cooker (discard fat). Pour BBQ sauce over the top and mix thoroughly. Cook on high for 30 minutes. Add any additional seasonings to adjust to your taste.

4. While pork is cooking the final 30 minutes, caramelize the onions. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat, and add sliced onions. Cook until brown and caramelized, about 25-30 minutes.

5. When ready to make your paninis, butter the outside of the bread (or brush with olive oil) and pile pork, some caramelized onions, and a slice (or two!) of sharp cheddar cheese. Grill until brown and toasty...serve hot! (Note: I used a panini maker, but you could also do them like you do grilled cheese or a George Foreman).

Review:

I may be biased, but this is without a doubt a five star recipe in my book. The BBQ sauce might look like a lot of ingredients, but once you have them on hand, it's so easy to make your own sauce and control the flavors, and SO worth it. (I also use the sauce as a base for my slow cooker BBQ baked beans.) However, you can totally substitute your favorite bottled BBQ sauce and use a store bought rub and it will still turn out awesome!

For the rub:

1/4 cup paprika

3 tablespoons packed brown sugar or muscovado

2 tablespoons Kosher salt

1.5 tablespoons coarse ground black pepper

1 tablespoon chile powder

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

Mix together all ingredients in a medium bowl (could also use chopper attachment of immersion blender). Store in an airtight container up to three months. (Note: adjust the types and amounts of seasoning to your liking or to what you have on hand, just don't leave out the paprika, sugar, salt, or pepper. (This might seem like a lot of intense flavors, but they will mellow a lot in the cooking process).

For the BBQ sauce:

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar or muscovado

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon molasses

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely minced

2 teaspoons dry yellow mustard

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt (such as Lawry's or a homemade blend)

freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne (optional)

1/8 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)

Mix together all ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. (If using the BBQ sauce outside of this recipe, you'll want to simmer on the stove for 10-15 minutes, but here you don't need to because it will cook in the slow cooker).

Recipe Credit: 365 Days of Crockpot

Disneyland Monte Cristo Sandwich (Blue Bayou Copycat)

Serves 4

1 egg
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons water
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
8 slices egg bread (challah works well), sliced 1/2-inch thick
8 thin slices ham
8 thin slices turkey
8 thin slices Swiss cheese (make it meatless by removing turkey and ham and including a couple more cheese choices!)
3 cups canola oil
Confectioners sugar
Blackberry preserves

Line a cookie sheet with paper towels; set aside.

Whisk the egg and water together in a mixing bowl. Add flour, salt, and baking powder and whisk thoroughly for 2 to 3 minutes or until smooth, scraping sides of bowl.

On one slice of bread, arrange 2 slices of ham, turkey, and cheese, covering the bread evenly. Place another slice of bread on top and slice each sandwich in half diagonally.

Heat oil to between 365 degrees F and 375 degrees F in a 10-inch pan. Do not let the oil reach a higher temperature than this; if the oil starts to smoke, turn the heat down. Dip half of the sandwich into the batter, allowing excess to drain, and very carefully place into the oil.

Repeat with the other sandwich half. Cook 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Place the cooked sandwich on the prepared cookie sheet in a warm oven until ready to serve. Repeat with the other three sandwiches.

Cook one at a time, and allow the oil to reach the desired temperature between each.

Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and serve with blackberry preserves on the side.

Recipe Credit: Disney Food Blog

Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions

YIELD: ABOUT 3 CUPS

PREP: 10 MINS COOK: 12 HOURS TOTAL: 12 HOURS 10 MINS

INGREDIENTS:

• 3-4 pounds white, yellow or red onions, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons butter (or olive oil), melted
• salt and pepper
• optional: 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and 2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add onions to the bowl of your slow cooker.  Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the top of them, then toss with a spoon (or with your hands) until the onions are evenly coated in the butter.
2. Cook on low for 8-10 hours, stirring once or twice if desired, until the onions are a rich golden brown and caramelized.  Season with salt and pepper (and brown sugar and/or balsamic, if desired), and stir to combine.
3. If your onions are really juicy at this point, set the lid an inch or so ajar.  If they are not, leave the lid on regularly to seal in the moisture.  Then continue cooking the onions for an additional 3-4 hours until most of the extra liquid has evaporated and the onions are a deep golden brown, and thick and "jammy".
4. Serve the onions immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.  Or freeze for up to 3 months.

Lid Ajar: The onions will definitely release lots of natural juices while cooking, which can make the onions slightly soupy near the end.  So if you would like that liquid to evaporate, thus making your onions a little thicker and "jammier", just set the slow cooker lid slightly ajar (1-inch of so) for the final few hours of cooking.

Balsamic and Brown Sugar: I happen to fall in the camp of believing that caramelized onions are plenty flavorful on their own.  But if you taste them in the final few hours and decide that they need some extra flavor, just stir in some balsamic vinegar and brown sugar to taste.  They will provide the extra savory and sweetness that many people love.

Know Your Slow Cooker: These onions should be able to cook unattended for 10+ hours without any babysitting or stirring.  (Although I do recommend stirring them once or twice if you can.)  But that said, every slow cooker is different.  And the low heat setting on yours could be hotter than most.  So, as is good common sense with any slow cooking, I just recommend keeping watch especially during your first batch to be sure that the onions do not burn on the bottom.

Recipe Credit: Gimme Some Oven

Reuben Panini

Description

These puppies are great for lunch or dinner, any day of the week! Just add some potato chips and a pickle and voilà, you have yourself one dang good sandwich that’ll probably be vaporized in a matter of minutes!

Ingredients

• 4 Tablespoons Butter, Softened
• 8 slices Rye Bread
• 1 bottle Thousand Island Dressing (8 Oz. Bottle)
• 8 slices Swiss Cheese
• 1 can Sauerkraut (14.5 Oz. Can) Drained
• ½ pounds Corned Beef, Thinly Sliced

Preparation

It is a tradition in our home to make these every St. Patty’s Day. It is also great served with a big bowl of potato soup.

Preheat the panini grill to high heat.

Spread butter onto all slices of bread.

Turn over the slices (non-buttered side up) and spread a layer of Thousand Island dressing on each slice.

Place a slice of Swiss cheese on each piece of bread.

Place a generous amount of sauerkraut (be sure to drain off as much liquid as possible) on what will be the top of each of your sandwiches, and a generous helping of corned beef on what will be the bottom.

Put all the top and bottom pieces together. You should now have four individual sandwiches in front of you with the butter sides facing out (just like when you make a grilled cheese sandwich).

Grill sandwiches in batches of two for 5-6 minutes until cheese is melted and grill marks appear. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Note: if you do not have a panini grill, you can whip these puppies up in a pan. The only variance with this in terms of preparation is that you should preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Grill until golden brown, approximately 4 minutes per side.

Recipe Credit: Tasty Kitchen

Chicken, Bacon, Avocado Panini with Chipotle Aioli

-3 slices of thick-cut bacon, cut in half (cooked)
-1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced lengthwise (or pounded and then sliced into smaller pieces)
-3 or 4 slices of provolone cheese
-1 avocado, sliced
-chipotle mayonnaise (I just used store-bought)
-barbecue rub or southwest seasoning
-nice hearty country bread, sliced (sourdough is fine)
-extra virgin olive oil


First, grill the bacon. Then drizzle extra virgin olive oil onto pieces of chicken. Spread oil all over chicken with pastry brush. Sprinkle barbecue seasoning or southwest seasoning over the chicken. Repeat olive oil and rub on flip side of chicken. Throw chicken on grill and cook for a few minutes, just until tender and juicy. Don't over-cook. Then take two slices of bread and butter one side of each. Be generous. Flip bread over and spread on the chipotle mayonnaise on each slice of bread. Place sliced cheese on top of chipotle mayonnaise. Then place grilled chicken on top of cheese. Next is the bacon, then the sliced avocado. Top it off with the other slice of bread, and throw it on the panini maker for just a few minutes. Enjoy!

Recipe Credit: Amy Learns to Cook

Classic Reuben Panini

Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 10 minutes | Total time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4 panini

INGREDIENTS:

Thousand Island Dressing:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons minced onion
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Panini:

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
• 8 slices rye bread, sliced from a dense bakery loaf
• 4 ounces Swiss cheese, sliced
• 8 ounces sliced corned beef
• 1/2 cup sauerkraut

DIRECTIONS:

For the Dressing:

1. Whisk together the mayonnaise, ketchup, pickle relish, Worcestershire sauce, and onion in a small bowl, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dressing until you’re ready to use it.

For the Panini:

1. Heat the panini press to medium-high heat.
2. For each sandwich: Spread butter on two slices of bread to flavor the outside of the sandwich. Flip over one slice and top the other side with cheese, corned beef, a dollop of Thousand Island dressing, sauerkraut, and more cheese. Close the sandwich with the other slice of bread, buttered side up.
3. Grill two panini at a time, with the lid closed, until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted, 4 to 5 minutes.

Recipe Credit: Panini Happy

Chicken Bacon Ranch Panini

Prep: 5 Minutes	Level: Easy
Cook: 15 Minutes	Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 8 slices Crusty French Bread
• 4 Tablespoons Softened Butter
• 2 whole Chicken Breasts, Cut In Half From Top To Bottom
•  Spicy Mustard
•  Ranch Dressing (homemade Or Bottled)
• 4 slices (thick) Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 8 slices Bacon, Cooked Until Chewy And Cut In Half

Preparation

Fry the four pieces of chicken breast in oil and butter until done in the middle, about 10-12 minutes. Slice into strips and set aside.

To assemble the sandwiches, spread a generous amount of mustard on one half of the bread. Spread a generous amount of ranch dressing on the other half. (Definitely be generous; when the sandwich cooks, these will turn into more of a "sauce.")

Arrange chicken, bacon slices, and cheese slices on the bottom half. Top with the top slice. Butter both sides of the bread generously, then grill in the panini maker. (If you do not have a panini maker, you can grill the sandwiches in a skillet, laying a heavy skillet on top of the sandwich to press it together. Turn to grill the other side in the same way.)

Slice in half and gobble it down immediately.

Recipe Credit: Pioneer Woman

Easy Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken

This is SO much easier than boiling chicken and then shredding it with two forks. LOVE this trick.

Prep Time: 5min

Cook Time: 5hr

Total Time: 5hr 5min

INGREDIENTS

• 5 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (frozen or thawed, either works)
• 1-2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon  black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Place all ingredients in your slow cooker and cook on low for about 4 hours (2 hours on high). You’ll know when the chicken is done when it is super tender and will easily shred. You can also temp it to be sure- chicken should temp to 165 degrees (I use my favorite instant read thermometer for this).
2. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker. Sometimes I use a slotted spoon if there’s a lot of liquid remaining, other times I’ll just use tongs. Use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment to shred the chicken. Be sure to only let it shred for about 15 or so seconds, otherwise it will be mushy. Do NOT discard the broth. Store chicken in the broth in the fridge or freezer if using for later. If using right away, leave a little bit of broth in with the chicken in order to keep it from drying out.
3. Use this chicken in all of your favorite recipes that call for pre-cooked shredded chicken. It’s also great for quesadillas, tacos, and sandwiches.
4. Use the chicken within 5 days or freeze leftovers in an air-tight container for up to 6 months. 

Recipe Credit: Center Cut Cook

My Favorite Meatloaf

Ingredients

•  Meatloaf:
• 1 cup Whole Milk
• 6 slices White Bread
• 2 pounds Ground Beef
• 1 cup (heaping) Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
• 3/4 teaspoons Salt
•  Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/3 cup Minced Flat-leaf Parsley
• 4 whole Eggs, Beaten
• 10 slices Thin/regular Bacon

•  Sauce:
• 1-1/2 cup Ketchup
• 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
•  Tabasco To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour milk over the bread slices. Allow it to soak in for several minutes.

Place the ground beef, milk-soaked bread, Parmesan, seasoned salt, salt, black pepper, and parsley in a large mixing bowl. Pour in beaten eggs.

With clean hands, mix the ingredients until well combined. Form the mixture into a loaf shape on a broiler pan, which will allow the fat to drain. (Line the bottom of the pan with foil to avoid a big mess!)

Lay bacon slices over the top, tucking them underneath the meatloaf.

Make the sauce: add ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and hot sauce in a mixing bowl. Stir together. Pour 1/3 of the mixture over the top of the bacon. Spread with a spoon.

Bake for 45 minutes, then pour another 1/3 of the sauce over the top. Bake for another 15 minutes. Slice and serve with remaining sauce.

Serve with mashed potatoes. Yummy!

Note: For leftovers the next day, slice this up for meatloaf sandwiches.

Recipe Credit: Pioneer Woman