The double killing of a cow
It started out so right.
A hunk of beef, rubbed down with sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and minced garlic… then onto browning it on all sides and creating a simple yet delicious sauce with tomato paste, homemade stock, balsamic vinegar, and the pan drippings… a pile of baby carrots, thickly sliced red onions, and gorgeous sweet potatoes…
But after 12 long hours in the crock pot, it was so, so wrong. See below. It even looks wrong.
Consider this a warning to you all – a hunk of beef, no matter how fatty or well seasoned, should not be in a slow cooker for 12 hours. The cow already had to endure one death – it’s just plain cruel to kill it again.
To be fair, the recipe I used actually was fabulous – it’s here, from Kalyn’s Kitchen, in case you’d like to give it a go. I made some modifications to her instructions, of course – I left all the fat on the meat (yay, fat!), didn’t measure anything (I rarely do), and used tomato paste with some water (it’s what I had) instead of sauce or diced tomatoes. What was left of the sauce in the pot was delicious – the carrots and sweet potatoes were unreal – probably after soaking up all the fat from the beef – but the meat itself was very dry, due to about 5 extra hours in the crock.
In the spirit of not wasting food (or, ah, being ravenous with hunger), we ate it anyway – and after whipping up some extra sauce and throwing it on, it was somewhat palatable. But the next time I make a roast, I think it will be on the weekend.
*And cows everywhere started cheering.
Posted on May 25, 2011, in Food gone wrong and tagged Balsamic vinegar, beef, cow, crock pot, Kalyn's Kitchen, poor cow, recipe, recipe gone wrong, Slow cooker. Bookmark the permalink. 5 Comments.
This was so funny! My favorite food posts are when things go wrong and the author eats it anyway! I was making beans the other night and was supposed to turn the crock pot off at 10:00 p.m. but fell asleep…..well, you know the rest of the story! (And we ate it anyway too!) I’m gonna have to post that one due to inspiration of this post.
Enjoyed this, thanks for sharing.
Aw, thanks! It looked so gross – and actually tasted a LOT better the next day (after sitting in it’s juices for a little while I suppose). Can’t wait to read your post about the beans – and love the zero waste idea! Go, you!
You know, sometimes, the pictures just don’t give these things credit. I mean, sure, you can SAY how they taste but it isn’t the same as crunching it with your own teeth, right? Good to hear this turned out after all.
You don’t think you’ll get bored with these foods? Seems so limited. But then again, that’s when you branch out and come up with crazy good recipes, right?
My bean fiasco will be on my G.I. Crockpot blog, not on the zero waste one, and not until next week. This week I’m trying a cake in the crockpot. I’m determined to prove that anything can be made in the crockpot. The stuff we do, right?
But thanks for the kudos on the zero waste. Sometimes it’s so inconvinient and then I don’t have to put the trash out for like 3 weeks and I’m thinking, well, yeah, it’s worth it!
Keep paleoing on! We’re watching.
Oh, I’ll be sure to check out your other blog! good to know
I’ve always been curious about making a cake in the crock, too! Though those days are gone for now….
Re getting bored with foods – I actually feel like we’ve been eating more of a variety than we did before. I think I got stuck with the same 10 or so meals and would cook them all the time. With this diet, I’m forced to make things by hand (like your post about PB) and therefore am more open/forced to try new things. But that’s easy to say 18 days into it, know what I mean?
thanks for reading!
Haha, now I see what you mean. : ) Still looks good anyways! I think if you leave something in the crockpot for longer than the recipe calls for then just add another half cup to cup of liquid. I’m no crock pot pro.. but that’s just what i’d do!