Slow Cooking: The busy lifestyle method
By now, you have probably realized one of my favorite techniques to save money is to take cheap cuts of meat and braise/slow roast it in the oven until tender. It also allows me to schedule nearly all of my protein courses for the week in a quick, effective manner. It gives me some time for added flair or create fun side dishes, while saving some cash.
However, I don’t have a traditional crock pot slow cooker due to counter space issues, so I use the oven/stovetop. This means that I can’t just leave my house with the burner or oven on. 10 out of 10 fire marshals agree with that decision. This is fine if I feel like just kickin it at my place on a lazy Sunday. But what about the slow cooking day during the busy times?
Granted, Seattle has tons of rainy Saturdays to choose from where this would be ok, but I want to get out and see some things. And what if I want to cook slow cook for Tuesday meal, I don’t make near enough money to take random Tuesdays off to cook all day. (These are also the excuses that all my friends give me when they say they don’t cook.)
But no fear, my solution is a rather simple one. I prepare my one pot wonder and start cooking it just before I go to bed. Generally, this is around 11 o'clock. Then, once all the initial cooking is done, I put it in the oven at 250-300 degrees, clean up, and go to bed.
And when your alarm clock goes off 6-8 hours later, Voila! You have a meal prepared for lunch and the most time consuming part of dinner done. It’s a great way to have your cake and eat it too. This method works best with tough cuts of beef and pork especially well. It’s also a great option for low and slow “oven bbq.”
I hope this helps your busy lives.
One note: You should ALWAYS check your smoke detector beforehand to ensure so you don’t go out in a blaze of glory. Fire extinguishers should also be on hand just in case. I have never had a problem with this method, but you can’t be too careful.
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