Two of the Best Slow Cooker Meals!

I love the idea of a using a slow cooker. However, the results from cooking in a slow cooker, at times, can be disappointing. There are just some things that do better, not cooked in a slow cooker. But I do love the idea of putting something in there in the morning or the night before and having the main course done when I get home or get up the next morning. I own, at last count, about 7 slow cookers of various sizes, shapes and with certain features. I do have one that is my favorite right now. It's my Hamilton Beach Stay or Go. It has the clamps on the sides you snap down and it seals the contents in with no spillage if you are taking it someplace. It's stainless steel so it looks really nice (I also saw a nice one in red) and it has the four heat settings, including warm, which I like. It's 6 quarts and oval shaped so it's good for a big chicken or even a small turkey breast. The design could use a couple of other features...I revamp kitchen appliances in my mind a lot. I don't understand why manufacturers of such products don't know these things. Do they have anyone working for them in design departments that actually cook? This is the slow cooker I am referring to:

These are the features missing in the Stay and Go slow cooker I would like to see added: It has the removable, dishwasher safe crock, but it is not safe to brown in on the stove top or put in the oven. Why is this important? Some meats, like a roast, just taste better if you brown or sear it first. Most crock pot meals that call for ground beef or pork require browning the meat first. If you can do this in the removable crock, there is no need to dirty up a skillet. I am all about the least amount of steps possible. There are also crock pot recipes that would benefit from some thickening right on the end and if you could put the crock in the oven or on the stove top, you can add some thickener, like cornstarch, bring it to a boil and voila...it's thickened nicely. Now some companies do make a slow cooker with a removable crock that is safe for the stove top or oven, but not with my Stay or Go feature. The other feature I would like on this model is the programmable timer. You set it and forget it...sound familiar? Several companies have a slower cooker with the timer feature. A few are programmable and have the removable crock you can brown in. There is one I found made by All Clad and sold by Williams Sonoma that is just almost perfect, but it does not have the locking feature for travelling and it is on 'special' right now for a mere $279.95, suggested retail price of $400.00. I was thinking of something a little less than some people paid for their first car! That's a little pricey for a slow cooker and it still lacks one of my features. If anyone knows of a slow cooker that has all of my dream features in one and costs less than $100.00 bucks, let me know. It will solve one of my quests...lol!

Back to two of the best slow cooker meals and there are more than two by the way. I mean they write whole cookbooks on slow cooking and have entire websites and blogs on it. These are just the two I cook most and that turn out actually better than cooking in the oven or on the stove top. One is the "Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken" and the other is the "Ranch Pork Chops". The first one I saw for the first time on a country music website several years ago and I sort of wondered if it really worked and thought it probably didn't so I never made it until a few months ago. Boy, was I wrong! It not only worked, it was wonderful and I may never roast a whole chicken in the oven again! The second one I saw on a website for slow cooking and now I have seen a version of it on Pinterest. I have modified it a little (of course) and it is delicious. The same exact recipe can be made with chicken also. Now on to the actual recipes!