Dog Community

crockpotting, again.

Posted : 4/12/2007 11:34:46 AM

I have some meat for Ella in my freezer to use up. I'm not feeding her raw much these days, but I have a TON of barf tripe (ground, square patties), beef heart, a whole chicken, beef liver and kidney, ground turkey, chicken leg quarters and some pig necks and ground beef.

I want to crockpot the whole chicken, two barf tripe patties, a pound of ground turkey, beef heart (that's been cut up into square pieces), and some liver. I plan on adding some veggies and probably potatoes (haven't decided on whether I'm going to use sweet, red or white potatoes, advice on that would be great). Since I'm going to use an entire chicken, I'm assuming I shouldn't need to add a calcium supplement. But if I did, what would be a calcium supplement I could add that's not an actual calcium vitamin powder/supplement? Example: eggshells. Could I throw eggshells in there? That may be a stupid question to those of you that cook all the time and know what you're doing, but I have a TON of extra eggshells left from when I fed Ella raw.

I might have to not crockpot so much meat and possibly just the whole chicken, liver, and maybe som tripe OR beef heart. I might not be able to fit in all that meat with the addition of potatoes and veggies.

Any suggestions to make this more complete? What other supplements should I need to add to it? I haven't decided if this is going to be fed to her in meals (as meals) or just a kibble topper.

Thanks in advance!

chewbecca

Posted : 4/12/2007 11:36:20 AM

oh, D'OH! Is it OK to crockpot ground meat? Will it still come out in meat form or will it...liquify?

Sorry for the stupid question! I've not crockpotted ground meat before!

cakana

Posted : 4/12/2007 11:46:10 AM

When you say that you're going to crockpot the whole chicken, you mean including the bones? Are you then going to feed it to her bones and all? I think that'd fall into the "cooked bones" no-no category, wouldn't it? I know you can use a pressure cooker and then use the bones, but a crockpot won't cook them well enough to make them soft. As for crockpotting the ground meat, it'll likely turn mushy, but it shouldn't totally liquify. I'm not sure I'd use the crockpot for any of this, unless you're going to pull the chicken meat off and toss the bones and carcass. I'd probably just lightly saute any of the ground meat too. Sorry I can't help with the calcium question. It's too much like math for me and makes me break out in a cold sweat [

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sooner

Posted : 4/12/2007 12:16:55 PM

People have said that if you crockpot chicken with bones long enough, the bones will get mushy, but it's never worked for me.

chewbecca

Posted : 4/12/2007 12:19:04 PM

I've done the whole chicken thing, and you have to crockpot it for almost 24 hours, but they DO turn to mush.

chewbecca

Posted : 4/12/2007 12:45:25 PM

Oh, and if I use rice, how soon can I put it in there without it getting ruined? Obviously, I'm going to cook the entire chicken first and I figure a few hours or so before it's done, I'll add in the other meats

rexandbaby

Posted : 4/12/2007 1:05:11 PM

We boil out ground meat to get alot of the fat out, drain like pasta and it is just fine. As for the rice, a few hours in the crock should be fine.

sandra_slayton

Posted : 4/12/2007 1:05:24 PM

Here is how I do it. I start with a 5 pound pack of chicken thigs that i get at Walmart. i put them on about 5:00 or so in the afternoon, add water to cover, bring to boil (this takes a while), then turn down on low and cook all night. First thing next morning I add another 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of other meat--ground turkey, chicken gizzards, chicken livers, chopped up calf liver. Also a 1 pound bag of frozen green beans, a couple of chopped up apples and sweet potatles (they love sweet potaotes) and sometimes I vary a little and add squash insted of so many apples or sweet potatoes, or some frozen carrots. Bring to boil, reduce heat and cook til about 5:00, about 24 hours total. The bones do crumble. Becuase they get about 2/3 to 3/4 kibble and 1/4 to 1/3 c home cooked, i do not add any sups. BUT I do put a giant spoon of plain yogurt on their breakfast kibble. They do get fish oil, Vitamin E, EsterC , biotin, brewers yeast on the side.

Hope this helps.

chewbecca

Posted : 4/12/2007 1:09:59 PM

thank you!
I think I shall try it that way, then.

chewbecca

Posted : 4/12/2007 1:30:09 PM

And thanks, rexandbaby, for the info. on the rice.

I figure I'm going to just use it to top her kibble or as a noon meal once in a while.
My feezer is just so full of meat for Ella that I want to get rid of some of the meat. I have two bags of chicken leg quarters (over 10 quarters in each bag) and I thought it might be nice as something different for her.

jenns

Posted : 4/12/2007 3:08:40 PM

My dog is asking me if she can come over to Sandra's house for some home cooking! [

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chewbecca

Posted : 4/12/2007 3:16:33 PM

I started the chicken and added one clove of garlic.
mmm...actually, that chicken scared the crap out of me. I didn't put my rubber gloves on before I took it out of the bag, so I was holding the chicken in my sink by the wings. I actually had put my hands under its "arm pits" and started to pick it up (for like 15 seconds I couldn't decide what I wanted to do with it for some reason) and then I had flashbacks of picking my kids up out of the sink when I used to bathe them in the sink. I had to put the chicken down and put my gloves on.

I cut the legs off and the wings off and threw it all in the crockpot.

That whole sink thing was a really weird moment for me.

janet_rose

Posted : 4/12/2007 3:27:14 PM

mmm...actually, that chicken scared the crap out of me. I didn't put my rubber gloves on before I took it out of the bag, so I was holding the chicken in my sink by the wings.

How do you do with live chickens? [sm=lol.gif]

chewbecca

Posted : 4/12/2007 3:30:23 PM

hahaha. It wasn't a live chicken. It was a whole DEAD, headless chicken. But it's like the size a of baby. And it freaked me out when I had to think about what I was going to do with it (if I was going to chop off the wings and the legs or throw it in whole).

I should have put my gloves on. I can touch ANYTHING if I have gloves on. I freak out if I can feel things.

jennie_c_d

Posted : 4/12/2007 8:30:29 PM

Yeah, do that[

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You can use the eggshells in with the ground meat and veggies, and it's fine. Cooking doesn't bother calcium. I would *not* reccomend crock potting tripe or liver. You like your house, right? You want to stay there? The smell will be atrocious, LOL. I once decided to put sardines in my dehydrator, before work..... Yeah. Don't do that, either.

I'm amused by your chicken moment. I've had days like that.