I had this slow cooker years back.. Thinking I missed this slow cooker, I purchased this. Ribs and roast do not come out tender. HELP! Please!
1674538
I did notice the newer version cooks faster... Lower the temperature to the lowest setting and ensure you have enough liquid in the pan (tomato sauce or BBQ sauce) so the meat stays moist. Also cooking time is less with the newer version too. Hope this helps :)
1674539
I have never cooked ribs in mine but I do frequently cook a roast in it. I do not know how you are prepping it before putting it in the slow cooker but when I put mine it, I set it to "5", put 1 cup of water in with it, put the lid on and leave it for 5 hours. Then, I turn the slow cooker off and take the roast out. The roast is always so tender that it is falling apart.
1674540
I have no problem getting tender meats I put water or broth in with meat and pretty much cook on high (5) for at least 5 hours. Meat is falling apart. �
316917
I use it for a slow cooker all the time. Usually for roasts. I don't know how much it holds but could see by filling it with water if you really want to knnow. I really like it. I also have a slow cooker but I cannot brown the meat with that. That is why i got this one so I can brown the meat and then put water on it and cook it until noon when I put in the the vegtables. Then I go back to work and it is cooked when I get home. You have to figure out the right temperature to leave it at so it doesn't go dry on you. Just below boiling.
1834389
I have this model and it works great. Prime Rib, chicken is awesome on it. Found pork roast smoked up the room too much from fat on roast but it was good tasting.
722308
My West Bend base does get hot enough to brown the bread and melt the cheese. I butter the bread for a crispy toasted cheese. Have you tried turning it all the way up and not putting the sandwich on until it is hot? They do take a little time to get hot...hence the name slow cooker.
1050666
Hi there - the entire metal outside BECOMES SO HOT YOU RISK A 3rd DEGREE BURN IF YOU TOUCH IT! Also, It takes about 5 to 10 minutes to heat thus it seems the slow cooker is only going to be warm to the touch but once it 'gets going' WATCH OUT! It does not matter if you set it on 'low', 'high' or 'keep warm' the results are still the same. Also, these 3 settings are the only settings other than 'On' and Off'.
426261
I have the same device. Of course I didn't realize that it was for meat temp., not grill temp, so when it went over what you'd ever want for meat... well same problem. However, I noticed the problem right away and it was just fine next time I used it. If you didn't see it right when it happened, but let it get even higher you might have burned something out. Not much help, sorry and good luck.
1300422
I believe neither of those options would be wise or healthy for the crock. Better to warm the slow cooker in advance of what you wish to cook, with an amount of water in it.
1740848
Hi, I have the Hamilton Beach 33140 oval slow cooker. It doesn't come with recipes, but it does have guidelines to use the slow cooker. If you follow the exact guidelines, your food cooks faster than stated, so check after 2 hours on high. Enjoy.
1746621
I do. I have an oval slow cooker. a black one, I got at Farm and Fleet. It works fine.
1232680
Jason, I've had a hard time getting it up to the desired smoking temp when it's cool & windy or just cool. I think one of the problems is that they only recommending using 12 or so starter coals. Yesterday I increased this number to 20 or so and that seemed to work better. I'll keep fooling with it and could see using up to half the coals in the chimney starter. And I've found that I need to have the top holes open more than the 5/16 they recommend. I'd say open them all the way up and then throttle them down. I also think it makes a big difference and significantly slows down the process if the meat isn't close to room temp to start. But I'll tell you, the more I use the device the more comfortable I feel with it. I'm having a retirement get together this coming Sat so started preparing for that this weekend. Using a rib rack I smoked 6 full racks of ribs on Sat and 6 more on Sun. I'd never have dreamed that 6 racks of ribs would fit on the Weber but they did. I baby sat the Sat batch pretty closely but once the Sunday batch was up to speed I only looked at about once/hour to stir the coals, add water & wood. We ate one last evening and it was good but will put the rest in the oven for 2 or 3 hours to get them more tender before serving. I hope that this (long) answer is of some help and encouragement. Dave McCartney, Marion, OH dkmcpa@yahoo.com
321274
Karen, I think so, although I've never cooked those particular items in this slow cooker. However, I have cooked a bone-in 3 lb. pork shoulder roast in it with no problem
787720
I got on here specifically looking for an answer to this question because the outside of mine is scorching hot. I wonder if I got a defective one. I went to move it and it was so hot that I burned myself. Its as hot as an iron skillet handle that's been on a stove top. I may have to return mine, which is too bad since I got it because my larger Cuisinart 6.5 slow cooker is so perfect!
26743
I have cooked frozen meat in this slow cooker a number of times. Cracking could be a problem I think if the setting were on high and there was no liquid in the slow cooker. I always start on low and use a little liquid to avoid the possibility of cracking.
675615
You're not alone..Have the exact same problem. I can use the probe to cook, but just don't feel safe doing that. I've searched and searched for the original piece of equipment to no avail. EJC below has the right solution. Even though i love mine, i'm afraid i'll just have to take my losses and discard what was a very good Wok over the years. I'll consider purchasing a new one (about $60 and up). A note of caution if you do this...apparently the non-stick ones are a waste of money in both the short and long term (coating doesn't stay or scratches even on the more expensive models). Sorry...dm
1671458
I have the same problem when I first used it, the temp only goes up to 250. I tried cooking a whole chicken, set the timer to 45mins, then it when it went off, and I checked it was not cooked yet then I tried turning it on again but to no avail! It wont turn on again! I used this thing ONCE only and i ended up with one halfcooked chicken! Disappointed!!!! Dont waste your money on this one.
1515462
I have had the same problem twice. Once, the plug wasn't fully inserted in the cooker and the other time, the breaker had tripped. Hope this might help.
2137295
Hi Allyson, my cooker does the same thing. Overcooks, does not sit well, water boils over and I'm so unhappy with it I can't return it as it's too expensive to return because of the mailing cosyt Would Amazon take it back and pay return postage it was expensive!!!! Lucy Plus you can't put in dishwasher like my old one from 1940.