The Best Cuts of Meat for Slow Cooking
Slow Cooker Chronicles
August 7, 2012 at 5:26 pm
by Heather Eng
As all you fellow slow cooker aficionados know, not all meats fare equally well in the device. I learned that early on when I slow cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Sure, they were edible. But, they were basically just that. They weren’t juicy or tasty; they were on the border of being tough and overcooked.
You can prepare lean meats like that in the slow cooker as long as you use a short cooking time. But you’ll yield the best results when you opt for fattier cuts that can withstand cooking for many hours. (Proof: The pork shoulder tacos I made were among the tastiest meat dishes I made.)
I wanted an expert’s take on the best cuts of meat for slow cooking, so I went to Michael Tyrrell, our associate food editor, slow cooker guru and star of out monthly Facebook slow cooker chats. Here are his recommendations for what meats make for the best slow cooker dishes:
Pork shoulder
Beef chuck
Brisket
Beef short ribs
Pork ribs
If you want to make poultry, opt for bone-in chicken thighs as opposed to boneless, skinless breasts.
What cut of meat has yielded your best slow cooker dish? Tell me in the comments below.
Heather Eng is web editor of FamilyCircle.com.
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