Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder Pasta

Note: The sauce may be made ahead and frozen or stored in the refrigerator up to two days in advance.

Special equipment: Slow cooker

Ingredients

serves Serves 6, active time 10 minutes, total time 10 hours

• 2 1/2 pound bone-in pork shoulder
• 8 ounces finely diced pancetta
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
• 6 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
• 1 cup dry red wine, such as Chianti
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole, peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, toasted and crushed
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound tube-shaped pasta, cooked
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons zest from 1 lemon

Procedures

1. Place pork shoulder, pancetta, onion, garlic, wine, tomatoes, bay leaves, crushed fennel, thyme and red pepper flakes in a slow cooker. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Stir to combine, cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
   
2. Remove pork from slow cooker and transfer to a platter or cutting board. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves from sauce. When pork cool enough to handle, shred meat and discard fat and bones. Return meat to sauce, and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings. Allow to warm through.
   
3. When ready to serve, toss sauce with cooked pasta and garnish with Parmesan and lemon zest.

Tangy Slow Cooker Brisket With Potatoes and Sweet Peppers

Special equipment: Slow cooker

Ingredients

serves Serves 4, active time 30 minutes, total time 10 hours

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Cracked black pepper
• 3 pound beef brisket
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 2 bell peppers, seeded and sliced
• 2 pounds small potatoes, such as fingerlings
• 2 14.5-ounce cans fire-roasted, diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup dry red wine
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Procedures

1. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan until shimmering. Season brisket with salt and pepper and brown on both sides.
   
2. Transfer brisket to a slow cooker and add remaining ingredients. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours or until tender.
   
3. Remove brisket from slow cooker and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice against the grain. Place on a platter along with vegetables. Spoon sauce on top or place in a gravy boat to pass alongside.

Slow Cooker With Eye of Round

Special equipment: Slow-cooker, cheesecloth

Ingredients

serves Serves 4, active time 30 minutes, total time 10 1/2 hours

• For the Soup:
• 2 pounds oxtails
• 1/2 white onion
• 3” piece fresh ginger, peeled
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 3 whole star anise
• 5 whole cloves
• 1 whole cardamom pod
• 9 cups of water
• 1 tablespoon beef base, such as Better Than Bullion
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1-inch piece yellow rock sugar, broken into bits, or 1 teaspoon sugar
• Kosher salt
• 1 pound dried rice noodles
• 1/2 pound raw eye of round steak, sliced paper-thin
• 1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced
•  
• For the Table:
• 2 limes, cut into wedges
• 1 bunch cilantro, cleaned
• 1 bunch Thai or Italian basil
• 1 bunch mint
• 2 jalapeños 6 Thai Bird chiles, thinly sliced
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• Sriracha
• Hoisin sauce

Procedures

1. Adjust oven rack to upper position and preheat broiler on high.
   
2. Bring a large stockpot filled with water to boil over high heat. Add the oxtail and boil for 10 minutes. Drain bones into a colander and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Placed bones in slow-cooker.
   
3. Meanwhile, place onion and ginger on a foil-lined baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Cook until the ginger and onion achieve a nice char on both sides, about 8 minutes total. Remove from oven and add ginger and onion to slow-cooker.
   
4. Add cinnamon, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, star anise, cloves and cardamom to a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Toast until fragrant, transfer to cheesecloth and seal into a packet. Place spices in the slow-cooker, along with water, beef base, fish sauce, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. Set slow-cooker on lowest setting, allowing broth to cook for 10 hours.
   
5. When soup is nearly done, par-cook noodles, stopping 30 seconds short of package directions. Drain and place in the bottom of four large, individual soup bowls.
   
6. Discard spice pack and bones from broth. If there happens to be any scum or fat on the surface, skim and discard it. Taste broth and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
   
7. Place slices of raw beef and shards of onions on top of noodles and ladle piping-hot broth into bowls; this should cook meat through and soften onions.
   
8. Serve with lime, herbs, jalapeños, bean sprouts, Sriracha and hoisin.

Slow Cooker Filipino Pork With Garlic Fried Rice

Special equipment

Slow-cooker, frying pan, or wok

Ingredients

serves Serves 6, active time 25 minutes, total time 8 1/2 hours

• For the Pork:
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups), divided
• 3 pounds bone-in pork shoulder
• 1 Thai chili or jalapeno, minced
• 12 medium cloves of garlic, minced (about 1/4 cup), divided
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 bay leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
•  
• For the Rice:
• 1/2 cup peanut oil
• 3 cups cooked, cold, leftover rice
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

Procedures

1. Reserve 1/4 cup of onion and finely mince. Refrigerate until step 3. Place pork in the slow-cooker with the remaining onion, chile, 4 cloves of garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, water and bay leaves. Add 3/4 teaspoon black pepper and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine, spooning some liquid over the top of the meat. Cover and set to low heat for 7 hours, turning over half way through cooking.
   
2. Remove the pork from the pot and roughly shred into large chunks using two forks. Discard bone and any gristle or overly fatty pieces. Return to the slow cooker submerging in juices, to let the flavor meld. Cook for 1 hour more. Remove 1/2 cup of meat and set aside in a small bowl.
   
3. While meat is cooking, heat oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the rice, spreading it into an even layer. Cook without moving until browned and toasted underneath, about 3 minutes. Season with salt, stir, and flip, pushing the rice up the sides to create a well in the middle. Add egg to well and stir rapidly to cook. Stir egg and rice together, leaving another open well in the center of the pan. Add the 1/4 cup minced onion and sauté until it starts to soften, about 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium. Add garlic to well and cook, stirring, until aromatic, about 30 seconds, adding more oil as necessary to prevent garlic from burning. Add the reserved 1/2 cup meat. Warm through for a minute and stir everything together to evenly distribute ingredients.
   
4. Discard bay leaves from pork. Scoop rice into individual bowls and top with pork and juices. Or serve family-style, if desired.