Profit of Doom
Dismember
Been doing great with pork shoulder and the McCormick seasonings. I have some ham steaks 1/2”, and some pork chops. Will cooking those in crock pot give me a similar result?
Food Pulled pork alternatives
- Thread starter Profit of Doom
- Start date
You can do braised pork. The bigger issue is that they're chops, at best there's a little rind of fat, and that missing fat is what really makes those fork-tender roasts that pull so well.
Cook it in a slow oven with some liquid in the pan at all times. The crockpot will work too, just maybe don't add any extra liquid and see how much the chops make on their own first. You can get chops fork-tender this way.
Hope that helps.
Cook it in a slow oven with some liquid in the pan at all times. The crockpot will work too, just maybe don't add any extra liquid and see how much the chops make on their own first. You can get chops fork-tender this way.
Hope that helps.
Can you find boneless pork ribs? Cook them with a little apple juice in your crockpot and mm mm mmmmm. Or you can cook them with canned mushroom soup or similar and put over rice.
I mainly use center cut loin that I cut to the thickness I want and then use my seal-a-meal to freeze it in. Or make a butterfly chop doing the same thing. I wait and get my loins at about $1.99/pound and then bring it home and cut to my desired thickness. For us there is much less waste that way.
I mainly use center cut loin that I cut to the thickness I want and then use my seal-a-meal to freeze it in. Or make a butterfly chop doing the same thing. I wait and get my loins at about $1.99/pound and then bring it home and cut to my desired thickness. For us there is much less waste that way.
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
I bake ham steaks at 350F for about 15 minutes, take it out of the oven and drain the moisture off, flip it over and put it back into the oven and bake another 10 to 15 minutes. I serve it with fried or scrambled eggs.
Chicken Mama
Veteran Member
If it's pulled pork you're looking for you can buy a shoulder (about 8# ), cut it in half and crock pot it on a long, slow cook. If that's still too much to have on hand you can freeze a couple pounds.
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
If the store has a butcher counter you can ask for smaller portions. 2 pounds should be enough for one person with enough left overs to freeze.
Profit of Doom
Dismember
I started doing shoulder, around 5# cut in half. Noticed a thick slab of fat on one side, have been trimming it. Will that just cook off if I leave it?
I’m somewhat dentally challenged, hence the interest in soft foods. Will the baked ham steak end up soft? Trying to use up meat I’m finding in the freezer.
Profit of Doom
Dismember
I want to find this place!
Chicken Mama
Veteran Member
Trimming the fat cap is good. Leaving it on will create too much grease. As for the ham steak, I'd heat it on low in a skillet with butter and a bit of water. If it's store-bought, it's likely already cooked so you're just warming it up. Overcook and it'll be dry.
psychgirl
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Yes!
Only reheat ham steaks or you’ll get super salty, tough, ham jerky!
psychgirl
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Yum! That sounds delicious!
Profit of Doom
Dismember
Is there a beef equivalent, beef shoulder?
If you have a Sav-a-lot near you, they have pork roast for $1.79/lb right now. I'm going back tomorrow to get a couple more for the freezer.
And as for pulled pork, give it a good marinade that breaks down the fat before hand ... something acidic like a can of soda or something citrus or a vinegar base ... and then slow cook it and you have "pulled pork" with a different flavor.
And as for pulled pork, give it a good marinade that breaks down the fat before hand ... something acidic like a can of soda or something citrus or a vinegar base ... and then slow cook it and you have "pulled pork" with a different flavor.
Profit of Doom
Dismember
The spice calls for ketchup and apple cider vinegar, brown sugar.
Profit of Doom
Dismember
Profit of Doom
Dismember
Or perhaps
Chuck steaks are good eats. They tend to have less connective tissue (gristle and such) than chuck roasts, which are mostly cut from lower down the shoulder. They can be braised, grilled, oven-broiled, or (my favorite) pan-seared in a heavy skillet. This last method also gives the opportunity to make excellent gravy to go with your steak.
Just don't overcook it. Thats the key to chuck steak. Pull it from the heat while it's still got moisture in it. A marinade, or even just being well-seasoned with salt and pepper and left in the fridge on a plate to rest for a few hours, helps a great deal.
Just don't overcook it. Thats the key to chuck steak. Pull it from the heat while it's still got moisture in it. A marinade, or even just being well-seasoned with salt and pepper and left in the fridge on a plate to rest for a few hours, helps a great deal.
Profit of Doom
Dismember
Would it fly in the crock pot? Need no-teef tender
Oh yes, chuck does great with braising. Fork tender, with a lovely beefiness. It makes good Swiss steak. Any acid-based marinade will be your friend, acid tenderizes meat. Yogurt, Italian dressing, tomatoes or marinara (preferably homemade, most store tomatoes are low-acid now and need a boost).
Plain yogurt, paprika, garlic, salt, pepper, and lemon will make a kebab marinade that'll make you happy enough to hug a Democrat.
Just don't leave an acid-based marinade on chicken for more than two-six hours. The texture will break down too much, it doesn't withstand acid as well as pork or beef.
Plain yogurt, paprika, garlic, salt, pepper, and lemon will make a kebab marinade that'll make you happy enough to hug a Democrat.
Just don't leave an acid-based marinade on chicken for more than two-six hours. The texture will break down too much, it doesn't withstand acid as well as pork or beef.
Profit of Doom
Dismember
Found a beef loin tri-tip in the freezer, couple of years old. Any reason I couldn’t use my pulled pork spices and recipe in the crock pot?
Profit of Doom
Dismember
I was just referring to the basic process using cider vinegar to tenderize it, the brown sugar and ketchup for the bbq base. Flavoring is Stubb’s. Apparently it’s legendary.
OK, then Stubb's works. I usually wait till near the end of cooking or else the brown sugar caramelizes and makes cleaning the crock a pain. I've never found a need for vinegar to tenderize it if I am cooking it long enough to shred.
Profit of Doom
Dismember
I’ve been simply following directions and using a cooking bag liner to avoid cleanup, but you have some points to ponder.
My daughter, who can create a meal out of anything she finds in your cabinet, educated me on crockpot cooking.
One day she brought home a rack of pork ribs, plugged in the crockpot, laid some sliced onion on the bottom, and laid those ribs across the onions. Put on the lid, turned it on, and walked away.
I wuz like "aren't you gonna put some water or broth in there?"
She looked at me, rolled her eyes and said "It wouldn't be ribs if I did that . . . it'd be soup"
And then every once in a while she would lift the lid and and something. a little salt, pepper, hot sauce, jalapeño, and near the end some cheap BBQ sauce.
Blew me away.
(has to be genetic memory cause her mother never cooked like that)
Border Collie Dad
Flat Earther
Crockpot liners
Profit of Doom
Dismember
Have been using some I already had. Tried to find more in the store. They had big ones, like Turkey, and “for tender meats” up to 8#. Rated for 350* oven, can’t think why they wouldn’t work for crock pot.
Border Collie Dad
Flat Earther
There is a specific crockpot liner.
I use Reynolds Slow Cooker Liner.
Not at all like a turkey bag
I pick mine up at wallyworld over by the suran wrap and similar but I've also found them "misfiled" in the food section over by the shake n' bake and similar.
Profit of Doom
Dismember
Profit of Doom
Dismember
It fits. Couldn’t find the right one. Should look in other stores.
Old Gray Mare
TB Fanatic
Here on the island there's Costco's: Harvest Creek Pulled Pork in water in 12 0z. cans. Each can is supposed to contain about 7 oz of actual pork. It's not even close to kalua pork fresh out of the imu. It is a shelf safe alternative. I've used it to bump up the protein in soups.
Melodi
Disaster Cat
Venezuelan shredded Beef (Carne Menchada or Ropas Viajas in some other Latin Countries)
(or chicken, that was a variation invented by my friend Yakondi and North Americans seem to like it better)
Take a tough steak, pot roast, or other large but not bony piece of beef (or boneless chicken)
[Note: some Venezuelans used to do this with a good steak, but it always made me cringe]
Simmer UN-BRAISED (very important) in water or beef broth for about an hour or until the meat naturally falls apart.
Meanwhile, in another pan:
Heat a small amount of oil (olive oil is okay) or traditionally fry a bit of bacon for the fat, and if you have achiote (also called annatto), drop a bit into the oil - this will color it red and add a slightly sweet taste to the final dish but is optional).
When oil is hot but not burning, add the following:
Saute Onions Cut into Strips until gold or light brown (do not burn)
Saute Garlic Minced or chopped with the last minute or two of cooking the onions
Saute Bell Pepper strips until soft and add to the mixture
Chop Tomatoes (about 1 to 2 cups) and throw in with paper, garlic, and onion.
Crumple in bacon pieces if used to oil the pain.
Add Venezuelan Adobo (which is not Mexican) or about 1/2 Tsp to 1 Tsp of Sage and Oregano if you don't
Salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer this while the meat is cooking. Add a bit of liquid if it gets too dry.
When the meat has finished cooking and is allowed to cool, remove it from the broth and reserve it for something else or adding to the final dish if it is too dry.
Shred beef or chicken with your hands into the thinnest strips you can manage but don't worry about each strip being perfect. Starting with a thicker cut of meat is more accessible than a thinner one. If you have a thin one, do your best - it will still taste good.
Now you can throw the meat into the liquid and vegetables in the original pan or a larger one if needed. Simmer for about an hour, and it is done! *Note: Keep an eye on it to add more liquid if it dries out - you want a sauce, but not a soup.
It is traditionally served with rice, black beans, fried or baked cooking bananas (plantains but green bananas cooked either way will work), and arepas, a special cornbread paddy. You can use regular US-style cornbread or corn tortillas for a similar effect or get an arena pan at a Latin American cooking shop (has to be Venezuelan/Colombian, Mexican Masa.
But there is no reason this can't be used in Sandwiches (in Venezuela, they stuff Arepas with this stuff either as street food or lunch the next day).
I see no reason you couldn't do this with a pork roast. That isn't traditional, but neither is the chicken which experiments at potlucks suggest Americans in the USA prefer to shredded beef.
Finally, over the years, due to people's allergies and whatnot, I have tried leaving out tomatoes, bell peppers, or Onions, and it only tastes right with all three. Though you can use tomato paste instead of tomatoes if you don't have any, dried bell peppers will work in a pinch. Bacon makes it even better. So, look up a Venzeulan Adobo herb and spice mixture and mix some up rather than just using sage and oregano. A hint of chile pepper isn't traditional but probably is done today. In the "old" days (the 1970s) there was almost no "client" or spicy-hot at all in their cooking.
But like the "traditional" Mississippi Pot-Roast n Gravy recipes today that now include "mild green or slightly spicey green peppers" (not how I was taught to make it in 1973!); I suspect that chiles are much more common in cooking there today.
Enjoy! This stuff is really good and a great way to make one small piece of meat to feed five or six people with the extras.
(or chicken, that was a variation invented by my friend Yakondi and North Americans seem to like it better)
Take a tough steak, pot roast, or other large but not bony piece of beef (or boneless chicken)
[Note: some Venezuelans used to do this with a good steak, but it always made me cringe]
Simmer UN-BRAISED (very important) in water or beef broth for about an hour or until the meat naturally falls apart.
Meanwhile, in another pan:
Heat a small amount of oil (olive oil is okay) or traditionally fry a bit of bacon for the fat, and if you have achiote (also called annatto), drop a bit into the oil - this will color it red and add a slightly sweet taste to the final dish but is optional).
When oil is hot but not burning, add the following:
Saute Onions Cut into Strips until gold or light brown (do not burn)
Saute Garlic Minced or chopped with the last minute or two of cooking the onions
Saute Bell Pepper strips until soft and add to the mixture
Chop Tomatoes (about 1 to 2 cups) and throw in with paper, garlic, and onion.
Crumple in bacon pieces if used to oil the pain.
Add Venezuelan Adobo (which is not Mexican) or about 1/2 Tsp to 1 Tsp of Sage and Oregano if you don't
Salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer this while the meat is cooking. Add a bit of liquid if it gets too dry.
When the meat has finished cooking and is allowed to cool, remove it from the broth and reserve it for something else or adding to the final dish if it is too dry.
Shred beef or chicken with your hands into the thinnest strips you can manage but don't worry about each strip being perfect. Starting with a thicker cut of meat is more accessible than a thinner one. If you have a thin one, do your best - it will still taste good.
Now you can throw the meat into the liquid and vegetables in the original pan or a larger one if needed. Simmer for about an hour, and it is done! *Note: Keep an eye on it to add more liquid if it dries out - you want a sauce, but not a soup.
It is traditionally served with rice, black beans, fried or baked cooking bananas (plantains but green bananas cooked either way will work), and arepas, a special cornbread paddy. You can use regular US-style cornbread or corn tortillas for a similar effect or get an arena pan at a Latin American cooking shop (has to be Venezuelan/Colombian, Mexican Masa.
But there is no reason this can't be used in Sandwiches (in Venezuela, they stuff Arepas with this stuff either as street food or lunch the next day).
I see no reason you couldn't do this with a pork roast. That isn't traditional, but neither is the chicken which experiments at potlucks suggest Americans in the USA prefer to shredded beef.
Finally, over the years, due to people's allergies and whatnot, I have tried leaving out tomatoes, bell peppers, or Onions, and it only tastes right with all three. Though you can use tomato paste instead of tomatoes if you don't have any, dried bell peppers will work in a pinch. Bacon makes it even better. So, look up a Venzeulan Adobo herb and spice mixture and mix some up rather than just using sage and oregano. A hint of chile pepper isn't traditional but probably is done today. In the "old" days (the 1970s) there was almost no "client" or spicy-hot at all in their cooking.
But like the "traditional" Mississippi Pot-Roast n Gravy recipes today that now include "mild green or slightly spicey green peppers" (not how I was taught to make it in 1973!); I suspect that chiles are much more common in cooking there today.
Enjoy! This stuff is really good and a great way to make one small piece of meat to feed five or six people with the extras.
Profit of Doom
Dismember
Found them in Walmart.
Profit of Doom
Dismember
Caliente? Love autocurrupt.
