STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

I've made this on the stove, cooking it for 3+ hours, and substituting rice wine for the sake and cubes of pork butt or shoulder for the pot roast. It's pretty flexible and sooo good. You could just dump all the ingredients in the slow cooker and I think it would work great.

Soy Ginger & Sake Beef Pot Roast with Shiitakes

- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4-pound beef chuck (pot) roast
- 1 cup sake
- 1 large white onion, sliced ½-inch thick
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2-inch piece of fresh gingerroot, washed well and sliced ¼-inch thick
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 18 small fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- Garnish: 3 green onions, thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a heavy Dutch oven or large, wide pan with lid, heat the oil over medium to medium-high heat. Sear the meat until nicely browned, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. (When meat is browned on first side, it should be easy to turn.)

2. Deglaze the pan with sake, scraping up browned bits. Add onion, garlic and ginger. Mix together soy sauce and sugar and pour over meat. Add mushrooms. Cover and bring just to a boil. Place in preheated oven and let cook about 3 hours, or until meat is tender. Turn the roast halfway through the cooking time.

3. When done, remove meat to a platter and place drained mushrooms and onion around and over the meat. Skim fat from the sauce if needed. Bring sauce to a boil and boil 2 minutes to reduce. Whisk together cornstarch and water to make a slurry, then whisk into sauce and return to a boil to thicken. Taste sauce and correct the seasoning if needed.

4. Sprinkle green onions over meat, and serve sauce on the side. Serve with steamed rice or mashed potatoes flavored with wasabi.

Low-carb version: Omit sugar from recipe. Instead of thickening with cornstarch slurry, remove meat and mushrooms, then reduce liquid until saucy.

Here's another one. I substituted sauteed red onions for the escabeche and it was great.

Chili & Lime Slow-Cooked Pork with Red Onion Escabeche & Tortillas

Makes 6 hearty servings

- ¼ cup medium-heat chili powder
- 1 tablespoon coriander seed, crushed
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 3-pound boneless pork butt or shoulder, cut in half
- 2 large tomatoes, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice

Red Onion Escabeche:

- 2 large carrots, peeled and cut in matchstick pieces
- 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons corn or other vegetable oil
- ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (about 1 bunch)
- 1 teaspoon salt

Serve with:

- Corn tortillas, steamed or microwaved
- Sour cream
- Salsa or fresh pico de gallo
- Queso fresco (Mexican-style fresh cheese)
- Lime wedges 1. Mix chili powder, crushed coriander seed and salt; place in a large, flat dish. Roll pork in mixture, being sure to take up all the seasoning.

2. Place pork in slow-cooker. Add tomatoes, garlic and lime juice, and set cooker on high. Let cook for 8 hours — (or up to 10 if you're still at work).

3. When ready to serve, prepare escabeche. Combine carrots, red onion, lime juice, oil, cilantro and salt, mixing well. Serve pork with hot corn tortillas, sour cream, salsa, queso fresco and lime wedges for squeezing over the meat.

I tend to use mine with total disregard to recipes.

I just adapt recipes I would ordinarily make and add just a tad more liquid. I love adding mushrooms to any crock pot recipe since the exude their own juices naturally.

I make Chicken Marsala frequently and nothing is specific in it except for the chicken, marsala wine and mushrooms. I add garlic to taste, a tablespoon or two of worchestire (sp?) sauce and often add baby carrots for sweetness as well as a ready veggie for a side dish. I generally use some of the cooking juices as well as regular water to make rice as an accompaniment.

Just get creative and try your regular recipes.

smash, I remember when I asked for slow cooker opinions you helped me pick mine out.  I think I might have gotten the same one you've got (5 quart?)!
I too, have gotten in the habit of simply throwing things in there.  My favorite thing to make is beef roast because you can throw almost any kind of beef in there and it will become extremely tender.  This is my most fail-proof yummy dish:

1 beef roast, approx. 3 lbs.
1 large jar of mushrooms
1 packet of Lipton onion-mushroom soup mix
water to taste (if you like it brothy or want to make gravy later, add more water)
minced garlic - I always use the one that comes in a jar
salt and pepper

I can usually have this going in 5 minutes before I go to work and have something delicious when I get home.  Then I make mashed potatoes and a vegetable to go with it.

I also love Arroz con Pollo - basically rice, a whole chicken cut up (could use white meat only but it's much more flavorful if you include some dark meat), green peppers, red peppers, onions.  And I have been known to throw random vegetables in there.

Of course pot roast is good with celery, carrots and potatoes - such comfort food.

My version of marsala chicken which is the chicken recipe from the campbells can that has cream of mushroom soup and mushrooms, but I add marsala wine too.

Mexican pot roast - might have originally come from my ex's low-carb slow cooker cookbook.  Anyway I put beef, red peppers, bay leaf, diced tomatoes, a large can of red enchilada sauce and a little tapioca for thickening.  This was sooo good.

Chicken with vegetables.... pretty basic.  I've also made plain chicken with paprika and other spices and it turned out very well.  That reminds me of adobo chicken.  Lots of garlic, about 3/4 cup of low-sodium soy sauce, 1 sliced onion, 1/2 cup vinegar to tenderize and of course the chicken.  Spices and water to taste - I add bay leaf , ginger and some water.

Asian beef ribs - also from that low-carb book.  It's extremely similar to the asian dish mizzle posted but with ribs instead of roast.  

There is also this recipe I adopted from an italian cookbook I had.  Has asparagus, 1 bag of sliced carrots (I use baby ones now), diced tomato, and chicken all in a marinade of honey, balsamic vinegar, italian dressing, and red pepper flakes to taste.  This doesn't take as long to cook so I save it for days when I'm home and can gauge when it's ready.  I serve over pasta.
Ham with apricot glaze, pineapple slices and cherries optional - only made it once because I'm not a fan of ham.  I made it after everyone at work raved about ham in a slow cooker.  It was admittedly really good and easy to make. 

I also make chili, which you've done, and soups in general are great for the slow cooker.  Barley soup was really good, split pea soup, lentil soup, fifteen-bean soup.  Yum.  I just made myself hungry typing all this.

That's all I can think of for now but I'll post more if I can think of anything else.  Good luck!