Italian Beef Roast

This is what I'm making today.  My parents are doing us a huge favor coming in to Pittsburgh today to hang out with Izzy since Norm and I apparently can't figure out how to use a calendar!  I figured I'd make them a nice meal as a thank you.  I'm sure it's rough on them to have to hang out with the cutest 2 year old on the planet!

I'm trying a new pot-roast recipe for the crock pot since I can't find where I stashed the last one I used (yummy, used coffee in the cooking liquid!).  I also added sliced mushrooms, because I love them.  Planning on serving this with mashed red skin potatoes, green beans and a salad. 

I'll update this once we actually eat it!

Best Ever Slow Cooker Italian Beef Roast
Source:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Best-Ever-Slow-Cooker-Italian-Beef-Roast/Detail.aspx


1 (3 pound) beef chuck roast
1 onion, quartered
1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
1 (1 ounce) packet dry au jus mix
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian salad dressing mix (such as Good Seasons®)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Place beef chuck roast into a slow cooker and scatter onion quarters around the meat. Pour the beef broth over the meat and sprinkle the au jus mix, Italian salad dressing mix, salt, and black pepper over the roast.

Cover cooker, set on Low, and cook until meat is very tender, 6 to 8 hours.

Slow Cooker BBQ Pork Sammiches

The house smells so friggin' good right now...I have had a pork tenderloin cooking away in the crock pot all day. I am hungry for BBQ pork sandwiches - and have no idea why. They aren't something that I seek out to eat, but oh well! It gave me a chance to bust out the seldom-used crock pot.

I found a recipe on allrecipes.com that looked interesting - the pork gets cooked in a mix of coffee, whiskey, broth, worchestershire sauce and garlic, then gets drained, shredded, sauced and cooked come more. We're going to have the sandwiches on whole wheat rolls with fries (sweet potato for me, regular fries for Norm) and a salad.

Here's the recipe. I halved it for the two of us...and we'll still probably have enough for another meal. I have a feeling this will be revisited for tailgating when football season starts!

Slow Cooker Barbequed Pork for Sandwiches
(Source: allrecipes.com)

2 1/2 pounds boneless pork roast
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 cups strong brewed coffee
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons bourbon whiskey
10 cloves garlic (i just used about 2 tsp of miced garlic since that's what I had)
3 cups beef broth
1 cup water
1 small onion, diced
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
2 (12 ounce) bottles barbeque sauce (I used about a 1/2 a bottle)

Season the roast with salt and pepper. Place the seasoned roast, coffee, Worcestershire sauce, bourbon whiskey, garlic, beef broth, water, onion, and red pepper flakes in a slow cooker set to LOW. Cook 3 to 4 hours. Scoop garlic cloves out of the cooker and mash with a fork; return the mashed garlic to the slow cooker. Cook another 3 to 4 hours. (*** note, since I used minced garlic I didn't have to do this...I just let it cook for about 7 hours or so)

Transfer roast to a large cutting board, and discard liquid. Shred the roast into strands using two forks, and return meat to the slow cooker. Stir in the barbeque sauce, and continue cooking on LOW for 1 to 3 hours.

Slow-Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork

I have seen this recipe all over blogs for the last couple of months. It sounded great, and I figured it would be good tailgate food for a chilly day in Pittsburgh. It did not disappoint! Everyone liked it, and there was pretty much nothing left (and I doubled the recipe!) We served it on toasted hamburger buns - fresh off the grill!

I seasoned the pork before I put it into the crockpot...just salt, pepper, garlic salt. I think next time I might carmelized some onions to mix into the meat after it's cooked...or even toss onions in with the pork to cook.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
(Source: allrecipes.com)
1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle root beer
1 (18 ounce) bottle your favorite barbecue sauce

Place the pork tenderloin in a slow cooker; pour the root beer over the meat. Cover and cook on low until well cooked and the pork shreds easily, 6 to 7 hours. Note: the actual length of time may vary according to individual slow cooker. Drain well. Stir in barbecue sauce. Serve over hamburger buns.