A Good Slow Cooker Recipe Is Always Blog-Worthy

I've been buying something labeled "Top Round Sirloin" from Costco. It comes in a pack of 2 2.5-lb. hunks of meat. Tonight was the first time I used it in a recipe I really liked.

If you search for recipes for "top round sirloin," you will be lead to believe that it's the same thing as London broil, or that it's almost the same thing as London broil, or possibly that it differs significantly from London Broil. Nothing like a consensus, eh?

I haven't have much luck with the London broil recipes (specifically, a couple of the "Bloody Mary London Broil" recipes). Today I tried one that called for a "chuck steak," which is something else entirely, but the top round worked for it. I am also given to believe that paillards and grillades are good uses for top round, so I might try those in the future.

photo: Martha's site

In the meantime, I highly recommend this Lucinda Scala Quinn recipe for Steak Pizzaiola.  

Lucinda is a hard-working and virtuous person who diligently browned the meat and chopped the vegetables before braising them in the oven. I am a lazy slob, however, and I did not brown anything before I put it in the slow cooker. Furthermore, I used already-crushed tomatoes, and instead of mincing 5 cloves of garlic (tedious, smelly, time-consuming, ugh), I just peeled an entire head of garlic and threw all the cloves into the pot.

So after you cook this thing forever, you shred it in the pot and serve it over polenta (i.e. grits). Here is some good info about cooking polenta/grits without having to stir constantly.

It was all way better than it had any right to be. Oh, Slow Cooker, I love you so very, very much.