Yesterday, upon waking in my Cheshire Cat Pajamas, I decided it was the perfect day to use the crockpot, and to get rid of some freezer items in the process. I have yet to begin even making a dent in the mass amount of frozen vegetables, meats, and fruits that have been amassed over the past year. Each time I open that door to what seems like another dimension, I am surprised at what I find. I swear things are beginning to multiply. Frozen veggie babies are being born right now as I speak.
Thankfully this recipe came out tasting magnificent, which is sometimes asking a lot when you just start dumping stuff into a crockpot willy-nilly, and crank up the heat to high for an entire day. B.O.B. Bob witnessed the interesting process, and found it quite amusing to see how I do things. Later on in the day, he even played a small part in the dish, when I sent him and our dinner guest to the market to buy red potatoes. There was just no possible way that this dish was going to hit our table, unless it was served in heaping mounds over a bed of fluffy mashed potatoes.
This thrown together dish was a great treat at the end of a busy day. B.O.B. Bob, our friend John, and I spent most of the day rearranging “Grandma’s Room,” making room for a large bookshelf that my father built for my brother, and a gigantic mirror also framed by my father, that we refer to as the “Fun-House Mirror,” due to its wavy figure distorting reflection. Somehow rearranging the room seemed to make more space in the room, even though we added two new large items, and several new decorative features. Apparently “Grandma’s Room” and the freezer both have some wacky things going on with their spacial dimensions; the “Fun-House Mirror” should fit in perfectly.
Ingredients:
- 1 Large Sirloin Steak
- 1 Bag Frozen Green Beans
- 1 Bag Frozen Carrots
- 1 Cup Frozen Corn
- 1 Large Onion, Cut in Half and Sliced Thinly into Half Rings
- 1 Bottle of Your Favorite BBQ Sauce
- 1/4 Cup Bourbon Whiskey
- 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
- 1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Chives
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
- 3 Teaspoons Corn Starch
- 3 Teaspoons Cold Water
- Mashed Potatoes (Optional, But Highly Recommended)
Directions:
- Dump all of the ingredients, except for the corn starch and water, into a crockpot in the order given above. Cook on high heat for at least 8 hours.
- After a few hours, you may want to stir up the veggies and sauce a little bit. Be careful to avoid disrupting the sirloin.
- When everything is finished cooking, carefully remove the veggies from the crockpot, and then gently place the sirloin on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Add the vegetables back into the crockpot, mix the corn starch and cold water in a small bowl, and stir the mixture into the vegetables. Cover and let cook for an additional 10 minutes.
- Shred the beef with two forks.
- When serving, place a mound of mashed potatoes on each plate, topped with a heaping spoon of gravy-laden vegetables, and sprinkled with shredded sirloin.
Suggestions:
- I used a frozen sirloin steak, which I took straight out of the freezer; you can use one that is fresh as well. If using a non-frozen sirloin, decrease your cooking temperature to low. You will want to use a sirloin steak that is roughly the size of the bottom of your crockpot.
- All of the frozen vegetables I used in this recipe came from my garden or the farmer’s market, so I estimated the amount used; throw in whatever vegetables you like in the amount that looks good to you, however, avoid overfilling your crockpot too much.
- I used a bottle of Remington Camp Cooking BBQ Bourbon Sauce in this recipe. I have a pantry overflowing with BBQ sauce at the moment, and was happy to see one go and make space for something else. Use whichever BBQ sauce you prefer in this recipe.
- Garnish with fresh or dried parsley.
Improvements:
- Serve over Mashed Potatoes; they soak up all the lovely vegetable gravy.
- Replace the frozen green beans with sliced multi-colored peppers and a teaspoon or two of taco seasoning for a Mexican flavored crockpot sirloin.
Ingredients:
- 1 Large Sirloin Steak
- 1 Bag Frozen Green Beans
- 1 Bag Frozen Carrots
- 1 Cup Frozen Corn
- 1 Large Onion, Cut in Half and Sliced Thinly into Half Rings
- 1 Bottle of Your Favorite BBQ Sauce
- 1/4 Cup Bourbon Whiskey
- 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
- 1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Chives
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
- 3 Teaspoons Corn Starch
- 3 Teaspoons Cold Water
- Mashed Potatoes (Optional, But Highly Recommended)
Directions:
- Dump all of the ingredients, except for the corn starch and water, into a crockpot in the order given above. Cook on high heat for at least 8 hours.
- After a few hours, you may want to stir up the veggies and sauce a little bit. Be careful to avoid disrupting the sirloin.
- When everything is finished cooking, carefully remove the veggies from the crockpot, and then gently place the sirloin on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Add the vegetables back into the crockpot, mix the corn starch and cold water in a small bowl, and stir the mixture into the vegetables. Cover and let cook for an additional 10 minutes.
- Shred the beef with two forks.
- When serving, place a mound of mashed potatoes on each plate, topped with a heaping spoon of gravy-laden vegetables, and sprinkled with shredded sirloin.
