Crock Lover is now DOPAMINEJUNKIE.ORG

Crock Lover has now merged with DopamineJunkie.org, now with old and new recipes and meal plans!

Slowcooker Pot Roast

3 pounds beef chuck for roasting
1 large onion, sliced into eighths lengthwise
5-8 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
4 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and Pepper
1 cup dry red wine
½ cup water or beef broth
¼ cube beef bouillon

Pat the beef chuck dry with a paper towel. Using a small knife, poke deep holes in the meat enough to stuff garlic cloves in each hole evenly across the whole chuck of meat. Season chuck with salt and pepper and roll in flour. Sear the beef in a hot pan with olive oil until all sides are brown. Set aside. In crockpot, arrange onions and odds-n-ends and place chuck on top. Pour wine on top of beef, and water/broth and bouillon. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

To make gravy: After 8 hours, spoon 2-3 cups of liquid from pot into a saucepan, and mix in 2-3 tablespoons of flour with a wire whisk. Simmer on low heat until thick, season with salt and pepper if needed. Serve on top of sliced roast or mashed potatoes.

Crockpot Meatloaf

The crockpot is actually perfect for meatloaf because it leaves it moist and crumbly. The resulting “loaf” is shaped more like a pie, but if you keep it away from most of the liquid and fat, it keeps its good odd shape.


2 pounds “meatloaf mix” (1/3 ground beef, 1/3 ground pork, 1/3 ground veal)
1 cup V8 hot and spicy tomato juice
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 egg
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 medium bell pepper, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 ground black pepper
3-4 strips bacon, uncooked

Crockpot: Crumple a few pieces of aluminum foil into balls and drop them into the bottom of the crockpot to prevent the loaf from soaking in the fat. For easy pull-out handles, fold two 30-inch long pieces of foil in half lengthwise. Place in bottom of a 2-qt slow cooker with ends hanging over top edge of cooker, the two strips forming a cross on top of the foil balls. In a large bowl combine meat, tomato juice, oats, egg, chopped onion, bell pepper, salt and pepper. Mix lightly but thoroughly. Press into crockpot and top with bacon strips. Set on low for 6-8 hours. Pull out meatloaf using foil handles and lay on plate. Serve with ketchup or a glaze of ketchup, sugar, and Worcestershire sauce.


Conventional Oven: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine meat, tomato juice, oats, egg, chopped onion, bell pepper, salt and pepper. Mix lightly but thoroughly. Press into an 8x4 inch loaf pan. Top with bacon strips. Bake for 1 hour, or until meat is no longer pink and juices run clear. Drain. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.


Variation: This is supposed to be a good stand-alone recipe, but I tweaked it and added 3 tablespoons of Goya bottled Sofrito (from the ethnic section of the grocery) and lots of Tabasco into the mixture. I like taste-testing these recipes before cooking by microwaving a dollop of the mixture into a saucer and nuking it for 30 seconds or so. I served it with Filipino spaghetti and it was great, otherwise I would have used a glaze on top by mixing ketchup, brown sugar and lemon juice.

Crockpot Sinigang

Sinigang is a way of cooking meats, fish, shellfish and vegetables in a tamarind broth. Often referred to as the Filipino version of the Thai Tom Yum, it is sour and spicy and is very hearty. It is a good standalone recipe or served with grilled or fried fish. Fish and shellfish should not be cooked in a crockpot as they will disintegrate. If you would like to use these as meats, use a conventional stove and add them after the daikon has cooked. For convenience, fresh tamarind has been replaced by Sinigang Mix (available at any decent Asian market).


Beef or Pork Sinigang


1-1/2 to 2 pounds beef short ribs (lengthwise, not flanken), pork spareribs or sparerib tips
1 whole medium onion, quartered
2 medium tomatoes, halved
1 walnut-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1-2 pieces Korean green chili peppers (or siling pansigang), cut crosswise in half
1 large packet Knorr Sinigang Mix
1 large daikon or labanos (Japanese white radish), cut into rounds 1/3 inch thick
Fish sauce to taste
1 bunch fresh spinach leaves
20-30 pieces string beans


Crockpot: Combine first seven ingredients in a 4-qt crockpot and add enough water until 1-1/2 to 2 inches from the brim. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Add remaining ingredients in the last 30 to 60 minutes or steam in a separate pot then add to the stew.


Conventional Stove: Combine first five ingredients in a large pot and add enough water depending on the amount of soup desired. Cook until meat is tender, afterwards add sinigang mix and daikon. When daikon is cooked, season with fish sauce and add vegetables.

Pork Adobo

2 lbs pork butt, spare rib tips, or pork belly, cubed
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
1 cup soy sauce (Silver Swan, or any other Filipino brand works, do NOT use Kikkoman or Japanese soy sauce)
5 bay leaves
1 head garlic, crushed
1 tsp black peppercorns


Crockpot: In a 4-quart or larger slow cooker, combine all ingredients and set on low for 6 to 8 hours. (Optional: At about 4 hours the meat should be perfect, you can drain the meat and fry in oil until brown and top with remaining sauce.) Serve with rice.


Conventional Stove: In a large pot, mix all ingredients except for soy sauce. Simmer over medium heat until meat is tender (usually one hour). When meat is soft, add soy sauce and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. Drain and fry meat in oil until brown, and top with remaining sauce. Serve with rice.

Crock Lover has now merged with DopamineJunkie.org, now with old and new recipes and meal plans!