The: I'm broke and prefer to smoke but gotta eat on the cheap crock pot thread

Started some country-style ribs with some of my homemade BBQ sauce in the crock pot this morning. Realized I need to can some more up; I'm really running low.

 

I know some traditionalists will be right now...

 

I ain’t upset. But I will be putting some on the grill later today.

 

And they can kiss my ass.
Anybody who wants to come hang out at the house and spend hours smoking ribs for me during the workweek is welcome to do it, but I sure don't have the time. I work for a living. Which is why I use a crockpot so frequently. Even if I just grilled them low and slow over charcoal I'd be eating supper at 9pm, since I get home at 5:30, have to get the charcoal warmed up, etc.

When I'm retired, it will be a different story. But for as long as I'm working 11 hour days, crockpot to the rescue.

 

Hope so. If it came out of the package that color, something's very wrong.

 

I hear ya on the time issue! Granted I’m retired but I still don’t have time to babysit a smoker. Yes, I use a gas grill. I can get a low, even temp for a long duration without standing over it.

I did just buy a Green Mountain pellet smoker after seeing @anonemoose use his at a camp out. Haven’t even taken it out of the box though... just like lots of our goods that we’ve replaced in the last three month. We’re hoping to get settled into a more semi-permanent place. Everything is all neatly boxed, easier to move... then it will be like Christmas!

 

Even if I had the time, I probably wouldn't have the patience.

 

We had one of those too... haven’t bought a new one yet...

I think there was a label on it? Likely only on one end. Why it wasn’t on the lid, I don’t know...

 

The best corn bread I know of is called "hot water" cornbread or fried cornbread.

I don't know what all goes in it, but I know it tastes like heaven and it's not sweet at all.

 

Current conditions at
Auburn-Lewiston (KLEW)
Lat: 44.05°NLon: 70.28°WElev: 289ft.

Overcast

39°F

 

Yep, just smoked a half gallon of salsa yesterday. Phone beeped me while I was at the store getting stuff for my crockpot beans. Reminded me to check their prices - I can make a quart of mesquite smoked salsa for half the cost of their pint and mine stays good in the frig for weeks longer... Won't ever add a ghost pepper to it again though....

 

Actually it's warm for this time of year. Yesterday it was 30 and snowy.

And it's already grown; I've had to trim it back twice already because it started getting curly.

 

Here's my recipe for beans. LOL


With minor changes of course, depending on what I find in the fridge and pantry.

Remember that this thread is "... gotta eat on the cheap..."


I hesitate to call it Mexican Beans, because I used regular Sweet Peppers and a single lonely fresh Jalapeno.

Fire roasted (sweetens the peppers a little more and give it more depth), washed, cored, rough chopped.



As usual, I sautéed a bunch of onions and garlic, then added the peppers.



And I can't call it Mexican BLACK Beans, because somehow I grabbed a can of reddish/white bean of some sort.




Added Oregano, Sazon Goya powder stuff. I also threw in a handful of the pickled Jalapeno from a jar and poured in some of the vinegar from same jar.



Cover, let simmer on low for ~2 hours. Don't overdo it coz its gonna get mushy.



This really doesn't have to be a Crock Pot dish, but I like that I can let it go for a few hours and just come back to it when ready.
Today, it allowed me to run to the dentist.

The new name for this is "Subway4x4's Savory Mexican-ish Hybrid Beans."

 

Get one of the multi pots