Depending on how much other food is being served, this recipe feeds 6-8 adults.
- 1 large onion, chopped and divided
- half of a 15 oz can of vegetarian beans
- 1 cup pearled barley
- 1/2-1lb Grow & Behold Chulent Meat
- 1 strip Grow & Behold Flanken or 4 pieces Flanken Ends
- 1 fist-sized creamy white or red potato
- 2 heaping teaspoons salt
- 1 heaping teaspoon garlic
- 1 heaping teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
Optional:
- 1/2 tsp chipotle pepper and sauce from Roland canned Chipotles in Adobo Sauce (for extra kick)
- 1-2 capfuls of liquid smoke (for extra smokiness)
- 1/2 lb Grow & Behold Kishka (1/2 log)
Build your chulent in a crock pot in this order:
Spray bottom of crock pot with oil.
Place 1/2 of chopped onion on bottom surface.
Cut chulent meat cubes into smaller bits (4-8 pieces per cube). Cut meat off Flanken. Place bones around walls of pot. Layer meat on top of onions.
Layer 1/2 can of vegetarian beans over meat. (Save second half in air tight container for next week’s chulent!)
Pour in even layer of barley.
At this point, I take a cup of hot water and put into cup the chipotle, salt, paprika, garlic powder, and chili powder and liquid smoke. I stir it up well and pour over ingredients already in pot.
Next layer is the second 1/2 of onion.
Finally, peel the potato and dice it into small cubes, approximately the same size as meat pieces. (Mine are 1/4″ x 1/4″) Later it evenly as top layer of the chulent.
If you’re adding kishka, slice off the size you like, unwrap it, and smush it down in the middle thru the potatoes.
Add water
Water is tricky. Some crock pots leak more steam than others. I usually fill up my pot so that water is around 1/2″ higher than potatoes. The goal is to add enough water that your chulent cooks without drying out, but not too much to make it soupy. (Check with your Local Orthodox Rabbi about kosher ways to add hot water on Shabbat to avoid your chulent drying out if water gets too cooked out.)
Cook on low
Set your crockpot to cook on low for 12-24 hours. If your lid doesn’t fit tightly, cover with extra foil or thick hand towels so that you don’t loose too much moisture. Chulent is typically prepared before Shabbat Friday evening, so that it cooks and is ready for lunch the next day.