On Sat, 30 Apr 2016 11:06:30 -0400, "Steve Freides" >
wrote:

>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-
>
I prepare this exact same recipe for my husband a couple of times a
year. The directions for a 'whole' butt is 6 hours (covered) in a
300F oven. When I do a half butt - about 8 pounds - I have it in the
oven for a little less time. 300F is sort of a slow oven, compared to
the average 350. The fat is very soft when done. It is easily pushed
off by hand. The liquid in the pot will have a layer of liquid fat.
The sauce in the pot is very spicy. That is where the chipotles in
adobo ended up. The meat is not, as you pointed out, spicy. That is
the saving grace for the recipe as far as I am concerned. I wouldn't
care for the meat to be really spicy.
The aroma from this roast while it is in the oven is killer.
Janet US