Will my slow cooker plan work?

December 17, 2015 7:28 PM

For the first time in my life I'm going to cook dinner for guests tomorrow. I tested a boneless-short-ribs-in-slow-cooker recipe a few weeks ago and it came out well. But I'm worried about the timing tomorrow.

Guests are coming at 8pm, I have to leave the house by 11 and won't be back until 5 at the earliest.

If I start the slow cooker at 1030 it'll be done by 630 -- is it ok from a food safety perspective to keep it on low heat until people show up? If so, will everything be mush by the time they do?

posted by pocketfullofrye to Food & Drink (7 answers total)

Does your cooker have a warm switch? If it does just switch it to warm. But if it doesn't it will be fine on low until your guest arrive. If you want to around 6:30 you can just take the lid off, check your dish, then put lid back on, you lose a hour of cooking time just doing that with a slow cooker.
posted by just asking at 7:39 PM on December 17, 2015

I think you can have it cook for 6-8 hours and then let it cool to room temp. Keep the lid on and if you're concerned about contamination, maybe add a layer of foil under the cover to make sure it's more air tight. You can come home and warm it up (20 min) and it should be good to go! Slow cooker action is pretty fool proof and consistent.

Enjoy!
posted by demonstartivepapadonous at 7:41 PM on December 17, 2015

Best answer: Ribs, like brisket or pot roast, can't be overcooked, in my experience. Fall off the bone is a feature, not a bug. I've made crockpots ribs before. They'll be fine on low heat.
posted by Ruki at 7:41 PM on December 17, 2015 [3 favorites]

Honestly, I'd start them at 8 and leave them going until 6:30 or later. I put a pork shoulder in for a work potluck at 7pm the other night and took it to work at 8am and plugged it in til 11am and it was perfect. Tacos for everyone!
posted by good lorneing at 7:46 PM on December 17, 2015

Best answer: I don't know if you're still up, but could you start them NOW, let them cook overnight, store and reheat? I usually cook ribs ahead of time because letting them cool means I can scrape off some of the extra fat. (Not all of it -- flavour! -- but enough that they're not over-rich.)
posted by maudlin at 9:13 PM on December 17, 2015

Just set it to Warm at 6:30. It'll be totally fine.
posted by prize bull octorok at 9:49 PM on December 17, 2015

Ribs are really hard to cook too far. Set it when you leave the house, take 'em out at around 630 and keep warm in a sealed container in a low oven with some of the liquid. Meanwhile take the rest of the liquid and reduce by boiling until you have a sauce.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 8:10 AM on December 18, 2015