Steve Freides wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> We've been using our slow cooker for a few months and are very fond
> of it. A couple of things we don't understand, though.
>
> 1. Our favorite thing to make is a 5 lb. pork butt with some root
> beer, brown sugar, a couple of onions, and a small can of chipotles
> in adobo sauce. (And we salt the meat liberally, too.) We don't
> understand why the meat comes out tasting great, with just a hint of
> hotness, but the sauce in the pan is much hotter, and the onions are
> positively flaming. We throw out the onions, and put just a little
> of the sauce into the pan when we make a bbq sauce to put on some of
> the pork.
>
> 2. Is there any formula for cooking time? For a 5 lb. pork butt, we
> do overnight, about 9 hours, on high, and that seems to work out
> well. We do notice, however, that not all the fat is rendered, and
> we're wondering if maybe another hour or three would be even better -
> but 12 hours on high seems like a lot. What does it look like if you
> overcook something in a slow cooker? So far, we have undercooked but
> never overcooked.
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> -S-

Well, first I'd not advise high at all. At most, the first 2 hours on
a defrosted one to speed it along. Older recipies will use high but
that was based on a lower temp of the earlier machines.

To reduce the fat, as the natural liquid develops, start using a turkey
baster to remove it. Do this every 2 hours or so.

If your recipe started with water or broth, that is part of the
problem. Start the pork butt just as it is with at the most a splash
of vinegar, soy, and worstershire.

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