Thermal Cooker Question August 24, 2014, 10:14:18 pm Yahoo Message Number: 148118I plan to make a 4-pound beef pot roast in my Lazy Daze. I am wondering if I can make it in my Thermal Cooker. I'm thinking of browning the room temperature roast, adding onions and carrots, covering with broth, and bringing to a simmer for ten minutes and cooking it in the Thermal Cooker. My question is will it cook a whole piece of meat like that instead of cut up pieces? My alternatives are cooking on the range, oven, or cutting up the meat for stew. Thank you in advance for any advice.Monica
Re: Thermal Cooker Question Reply #1 – August 24, 2014, 10:50:54 pm Yahoo Message Number: 148119Monica, after browning the meat, either a long, slow stovetop covered braise or the same thing in the oven would be my preferred method for "pot roasting". The thermal cooker is great for soupy, stewy concoctions with meat cut into much smaller pieces where the retained heat can penetrate evenly, but for big hunks of meat, particularly those less-tender cuts like chuck or bottom round usually used for pot roasts, I'd stick with the stove top or oven. I'm pretty sure that doing a 4 pound chuck or round in a thermal cooker would yield a sodden, tough "meat lump", but, if you don't mind doing a "science experiment", why not try it; nothing to lose but the cost of the meat. Do post the results if you thermal cook it!Joan
Re: Thermal Cooker Question Reply #2 – August 25, 2014, 10:16:17 pm Yahoo Message Number: 148149MonicaI do a lot of slow cooker foods. I don't have time to be too fancy. This is our favorite "Slab of Meat" recipe:Take a slab of chuck - 2- 6 # depending on the size of your slow cooker. I usually go for the 4# slab myself. Make sure the chuck is cut all on the same grain. Some pieces are cut badly and they won't fall apart the way you might like them to. Add a can of cream of mushroom soup and a package of Onion soup mix. Dump over the roast in the cooker - it doesn't matter the order, but I usually do soup mix then cream of mush soup. Put the lid on, set for low temp and let it go for 7 - 9 hours. For faster cooking, use the high temp for a bout 4-5 hours.The meat cooks through, is wonderfully tender - but - try to get a chuck that is a blade steak - it seems to work best. Notice I don't bother to brown it. I haven't found that necessary. Don't worry of you can't get a blade roast - get what you can, the flavor will still be great! The store butcher will always help.Everyone has their favorite recipe and best way to prepare foods. I am sure they are all wonderful. Good luck! Here is a pic of a blade roast Sandy VT
Re: Thermal Cooker Question Reply #3 – August 26, 2014, 10:24:57 am Yahoo Message Number: 148159A "slow cooker" (crock pot) and a "thermal cooker" aren't the same; a slow cooker works on constantly-supplied heat from an external source, i.e., electricity, while the thermal cooker relies on "retained" heat, i.e., no external heat supply after the initial heating of the food in the inner pot on a stove top. Both cook food at "low" temperatures for long periods, but food in a thermal cooker has to be brought to a high internal temperature by bringing it to a boil to thoroughly heat the contents, then simmering for 10 or more minutes before stowing the inner pot in the outer and letting it "stew in its own juice". Cooking times vary, particularly if the thermal pot is not "full"; a thermal cooker performs best when it's 75-80% full and contains adequate liquid. A crock pot usually starts "cold" (unless meat is browned first), then plugged in and set for temperature and time, cooking with consistently-supplied electric heat. A thermal cooker uses no electricity, a big advantage for boondockers and/or those who travel and camp without hookups. (I haven't used a crock pot for quite a few years, and don't remember how much power they need, but they do need it for 6 hours or more!) In my experience, the thermal cooker works best for soups and "stews"; small pieces, e.g., big bite size, 1 1/2" or so, of meat (chicken, squirrel, what-have-you) and vegetables and stock/broth provide consistently good results.As ever, YMMV.Joan
Re: [LD] Re: Thermal Cooker Question Reply #4 – August 26, 2014, 11:26:54 am Yahoo Message Number: 148166Ooh, ooh! Have any good squirrel stew recipes, Joan?
Re: Thermal Cooker Question Reply #5 – August 26, 2014, 11:35:13 am Yahoo Message Number: 148168Have any good squirrel stew recipes... ---- I'll let you know; plenty of raw material in my yard! ;-)Joan
Re: Thermal Cooker Question Reply #6 – August 26, 2014, 11:39:05 am Yahoo Message Number: 148169Ooh, ohh! LOL, reminds me of Officer Toody... Quote QuoteFrom: "elh3946@... [lifewithalazydazerv]" To: "lifewithalazydazerv@yahoogroups.com" Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2014 8:26 AM Subject: Re: [LD] Re: Thermal Cooker Question
Topic: Thermal Cooker Question (Read 11 times)
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Topic: Thermal Cooker Question (Read 11 times)
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