mrv3000 | (no subject)

Current Mood: curious

(no subject)

I got a fancy new crock pot for my birthday and so tried it for the first time today. I decided to make BBQ beef boneless short ribs using a recipe I got off the internet. Actually, more than a few recipes simply called for doing this:

Boneless beef short ribs - dump in a bottle of BBQ sauce - add a few onion slices - cook on low for 7 - 9 hours.

It went on low for 8 hours and the problem was that they turned out really dry. Anyone know what the problem was? Did they get cooked too long? Not long enough? Not enough liquid, maybe? The sauce wound up being thick, but not horribly thick. I didn't add any water since it didn't call for it.

I ended up simply shredding all the meat and stirring it into the sauce to make sandwiches out of it. But I wanted good ribs!

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Hmm...it was probably just too long in there. And it never hurts to have some water in there, too. If you do it again, I'd just check it for doneness every hour or two. Were the recipes you were looking at for pork or for beef ribs? That might make a difference, too.

Sometimes for roasts and things, my family sears the meat before putting in the crockpot. Not sure if you'd want to do that with short ribs, but it might be another approach.

Shoot. The recipes were definitely for beef ribs, but maybe searing would have helped?

Are you sure you didn't have it on high heat when it called for low heat. Also check the size of crock pot for your recipe you might have a bigger crock pot than the one the recipe was made for. A lot of the time it's hard to gauge. I usually just add a bit of red wine vinegar to any beef or pork recipe I try it make it nicely tender.

It was set to low, but I definitely did not fill the pot. I didn't even think about the fact that lower amount = cooking faster. That was probably totally it!

I'm with

frenchroast and

bittybye2000 that you'll want to check the temperature and water level. You'll almost always use low heat with a crock pot. Also, make sure the lid is securely closed -- the recipes depends on a solid seal between lid and pot to keep water from evaporating out.

My best crock pot recipe is ridiculously easy. 3-4 boneless chicken breasts and a jar of your preferred salsa. 4-6 hours on low. It's shreddable in the end and can be used in tacos, burritos, salads, etc. Mmm.

I think - as

bittybye2000 brought up - that the problem might have been the amount. It's a really big crock pot and I only made 2 pounds of ribs. Wonder what the rule of thumb is for that kind of thing...

Did you get one of the new SmartPot crockpots? I got one last year and have had a similar problem. You have to be sure the pot is half full or more.

No, it's something called VersaWare. Or something.

Oh pfffffft! Way off in the back of the instructions it talks about making sure it's at least half full. Well, that explains it all then.

You might also want to consider an occasional stir - just to make sure everything is covered by the liquid. I don't do frequent crock-pot cooking (okay, there's one dish I do on a not-so-regular basis that involves chicken), but the recipe's pretty clear on making sure that the meat is completely covered by the liquid.

It was covered, but it's a pretty big pot. :D

But I was kinda doing this as a test run for weekdays when I'm not going to be home all day.

I'm with the others - I would add a wee bit of water and cook on high to start then low.

Good luck!

Thanks!

I feel compelled to not that I totally read your cut tag as "crack pot cooks" and was going to post asking if you meant cooks that were crazy or ones that were really good....

crock pot totally changes the meaning...

Heh heh heh.

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