Watching Rick Bayless just now, he is going to cook some pork in a slow
cooker. But first, he takes the (apparently) ceramic crock out of the
cooker and puts in on top of the gas stove. When it is good and hot, he
uses it to brown the pork in some oil, before putting it back to cook.

Is that safe? I would be afraid that heating the crock on top of the
stove would be uneven and risk having it crack in two right down the
middle. I don't remember anything in the skimpy instructions from my
Hamilton Beach cooker that would suggest that procedure.

Does anybody here do that?