TODAYS GRIPE! Slow Cookers and Good Quality Meats

OK, so I am going to spend this post ranting my opinions. It's my blog after all!

I love my slow cooker. I use it 2-3 times a week, sometimes even more. It makes soups and stews and flavorful combinations that meld spices and inexpensive pieces of meats to make lusciously comforting meals.

I don't understand why someone would spend $7.99 (or more) per pound on a pork tenderloin and then cook it in a slow cooker. (Crock-pot) A pork tenderloin has almost no fat. It is an expensive piece of meat that begs to be quickly grilled or roasted. It is a piece of meat that will dry out by just looking at it. It is a piece of meat that will be tasty when cooked to an internal temperature of 150° but will taste like straw when cooked to more than 165°. Why would you waste such a piece of meat in a slow cooker??

I cook pork in my slow cooker often. I use pork legs, shoulders and butts. The pork is tender and delicious when done and never dry. It ranges in price from sometimes less than $1 a pound if bought in bulk on sale to no more than $2 per pound. Yes, the pieces are usually too big for one meal but how wonderful it is to have meals of pulled pork or pork fried rice or pork and beans already cooked in the freezer for busy nights.

So, if you want to save money and improve the results in your slow-cooker, don't use expensive lean cuts of meat.