Anyone who shops for meat knows tender juicy steaks are pricier than tough and gnarly chuck roasts. That toughness is due to fibrous connective tissue called collagen, found in muscles that get heavily used for moving around. Tender meats have less collagen and tougher meats have more. But when you cook all that gnarly collagen just the right way — I'm talking low and slow with enough liquid to keep things moist — that tough connective tissue melts down into the meat and turns it so tender, you can literally cut it with a fork.
It all adds up to this: When you slow-cook cheap, tough cuts of meat, you end up with meaty meals that go easy on your budget.
If you're ready to save some serious dough, pull out your slow cooker, Dutch oven, or Instant Pot and give these cheap cuts a try.
This easy pulled pork recipe has a quick 15-minute prep using everyday pantry ingredients. Serve on toasted buns with plenty of snappy coleslaw on the side.
"Definitely worth the time to give your roast a good sear along with prepping the mushroom and onion to a caramelized state prior to adding to slow cooker. Only minor change I made was to use 2 cups (homemade, no sodium) chicken broth and ½ cup dry red wine." —aputler
"Lamb shanks are slowly simmered with fresh rosemary, garlic, tomatoes, and red wine. Great served with polenta, or my family's favorite — roasted garlic mashed potatoes — as you need something to soak up the wonderful sauce. A fantastic dish for company, as all the prep work is done at the beginning, and then you just have to wait." —S. HODGE
"The short ribs are slowly braised with easy-to-find dried porcini mushrooms (for real, ask someone at the fancy grocery store and they'll find them for you!) until they turn into a triumph of fork-tender goodness. I love these short ribs over mashed potatoes, but the rich tomato and mushroom gravy is fantastic over soft polenta as well." —Chef John
All of these recipes just happen to taste even better the next day, and they freeze well. Plus, you can make a little meat go a lot further by serving it with plenty of vegetables and starches like potatoes, polenta, rice, and noodles. For extra set-it-and-forget-it convenience, try these great tips for converting stovetop or oven recipes to slow cooker dishes.
There are so many benefits to this cooking method. Not only does it make the meat far juicier and more tender but it also works with all kinds of meats. No matter your preference, this cooking method works well with whole cuts of pork, beef, lamb, and even veal.
Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows that ribs (beef or pork), brisket, shoulders (pork or lamb), and pork belly are all fantastic candidates for low and slow cooking. But there are more! Chicken thighs, though they also thrive in high-heat applications due to their small size, BBQ wonderfully.
Chuck roast is arguably the best cut to use for pulled beef. Similar to the front shoulder of pork (or the pork “butt”) chuck roasts, being from the front shoulder of the steer, are chock full of fat, collagen, and marbling. This is the stuff we need to make delicious juicy pulled beef.
The most tender of all cuts of beef, tenderloin steaks are lean and known for their delicate, butter-like texture and thick cut. These mouthwatering steaks are so tender they can be “cut with a butter knife.” Tenderloin steaks are commonly known as filets or filet mignon.
Avoid overcrowding: For the best results, fill a slow cooker between one-half and two-thirds full. Go ahead and cook big roasts and whole chickens; just make sure you use a large crock and that the lid fits snugly on top. Trim fat: For silky sauces and gravies, take a minute or two and cut the excess fat from the meat.
“Beef may be tough in the slow cooker if you haven't added enough liquid, or haven't cooked it for long enough,” Kristen Carli, M.S., R.D., owner of Camelback Nutrition & Wellness, tells SELF. “For cuts of meat, the fattier cuts are often the ones that get juicy and tender.
Yes, you can use your slow cooker for longer than eight hours, as long as you keep an eye on it. Many slow cookers do have an automatic shutoff after 24 hours.
You know the old saying "good things come to those who wait"? This is certainly true when it comes to notoriously tough cuts of meat like beef brisket and pork shoulder. Cooking these cuts of meat slowly, either by braising, stewing or grill roasting, is the best way to get these tasty cuts of meat meltingly tender.
Chuck (neck), shin (shank, osso bucco or gravy beef), brisket (ribs and short ribs), flank, knuckle, cheek, ox tail, silverside and topside are ideal for long, slow cooking. Secondary cuts like chuck and brisket have layered fat in the meat, which gives a soft and rich result after cooking.
So how does slow cooking tenderize? Broth, water, or juices are always added along with the meat. The moist heat they provide softens the connective tissue that binds the muscle fibers in the meat, helping it to fall apart more easily.
Introduction: My name is Annamae Dooley, I am a witty, quaint, lovely, clever, rich, sparkling, powerful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/slow-cooker-texas-pulled-pork-photo-by-psychedilemma-4560053-2aeb35cdf89c4faaa2ded9117fa8cc2b.jpg "The Best Meat for Slow Cooking Is Also the Cheapest (1)")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/1600386-Short-Ribs-Braised-with-Mushrooms-and-Tomatoes-Photo-by-mauigirl-2000-28353d474f9d4225a65eae486435f7db.jpg "The Best Meat for Slow Cooking Is Also the Cheapest (2)")
