Alternative for bullion cubes

[satisfied7]

When I slow cook a pork lion or a romp roast (beef) I usually use about 4 or 5 bullion cubes that I dissolve with water and cook the meat in. What can I put in the water to give the meat flavor? Is there a relatively simple alternative to these cubes?

Something funny that happened today. My sister has seen me obsessing about what I can have and what I can't have. She said, "why don't you just call the 1-800 number?" I told her if there was a 1-800 number I would have already been on it!!!

Thank you all for being my 1-800 number! Happy Friday!

[Alana in Canada]

Do you have any homemade beef broth?

Water will be fine, but I'm not that adventurous. Mybe throw some sauteed garlic into it?

[Jo Ferris]

one thing that really bumps up the flavor is searing the exterior of the beef or pork on the stove top before roasting it. The chemical process that occurs when searing actually creates a very salty strong meaty flavor. Make sure to deglaze the fry pan with a little balsamic and get all those goodies into your roaster so you can baste your meat as you cook it.

Another way to acheive this searing effect is to put your oven on a high temperature for the first 1/2 hr of roasting and turning your roast every five minutes to get an even sear.

I never add water to my roasting pan and always baste with the natural juices. Most of the time I just add a little salt, pepper ... sometimes I add garlic... or rosemary... but cooking a roast like the above creates it's own flavor.

[Tom Denham]

I slow cook roasts all the time with nothing but spices for flavor. Lately, I dust a beef roast with salt, garlic powder, and coriander powder on both sides and then let it slow cook for 8 hours. My roasts are usually frozen. When I first started, I added water or broth, but over time I learned that I liked the taste of the meat best when I slow cooked it without adding anything. Sometimes, I slice up an onion and lay it on top of the meat in the slow cooker, but I don't think it improves the taste. I just like having some cooked onion occasionally.

I'm not sure about slow cooking a pork loin, but a pork shoulder works great just like a beef roast. My recipes are listed at http://www.wholelifeeating.com/recipe-index/. The newest ones are at the bottom of sections.