Beef Stew

If you have a home fire pit, you should put it to good use. Not only is a fire pit great for cooking and pretending you're on a camping trip, but it's a great thing to have for a bonfire party in the fall just before it starts to get too cold to stay outside for long periods of time. And there's nothing like warm, comforting crockpot recipes to make your guests feel welcome. Here are some ideas:

Crockpot Pulled Pork
The key to making great pulled pork is to get large meaty cuts of pork. It's not at all a difficult dish to make, especially in a crockpot. So try to find the meatiest cuts you can. If you can get the more tender cuts, that's great, but it's not necessary because of the long slow cooking. Before you place it in the crock-pot, cut off the fat and chop it into smaller chunks. Add minced onion and your favorite barbecue sauce, turn on the crock-pot on low and let it cook for several hours (about six to eight).

Crockpot Beef Stew
Beef stew is great to make in a crockpot and you can add whatever vegetables you'd like. Most traditional recipes call for onions, carrots, and potatoes, but you could also combine parsnips, rutabagas, turnips, and tomatoes. To make the basic beef stew, you'll need about three pounds of trimmed and chopped stew meat. Place this in the crockpot with water, salt, and pepper. Then add your prepared and chopped vegetables. Add seasonings and condiments to your taste-Worcestershire sauce, vegetable or tomato juice, tomato or mushroom soup, or soy sauce. Turn your crockpot to the low setting and let the mixture cook for about ten hours.

Crockpot Bread Pudding
Crockpots are not as celebrated for their dessert-making capabilities, but they do just as well as an oven in making delicious desserts. To close out your party, a wonderful bread pudding is a great idea. The best bread to use for bread pudding is the stale French type. Break it up into cubes. Combine your flavorings like chocolate, fresh or dried fruit, vanilla, fruit peels, or brandy, and layer these on top of the bread cubes inside the crock pot. Mix sugar with eggs, milk, and butter, and pour over the mixture at the bottom and cook for about an hour and a half or slightly longer.

Enjoy these delicious crockpot recipes while sitting around your fire pit delighting in the warmth.

Geoffrey F. Moore
Fire Pit

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