Does anyone remember a few weeks back when I was in the middle of a house purge? The scary kind where you venture into boxes that have been packed since you last moved like 6 years ago. And into weird little storage alcoves where there are like 1,000 dead spiders and box upon box of old maternity clothes. But I will tell you what else I found. My slow cooker. And I have been looking for that, SERIOUSLY, for years. I’m not saying that I looked real hard- mostly I have been thinking about looking for it. I jumped up and down with glee when it was unearthed, and was very excited to put it right to work.

I had a huge pork shoulder in the fridge that I meant to slow braise- but I love a novelty cooking item as much as anyone, so I decided to toss it in the slow cooker!!

I mean, I guess it was pretty cool that I could leave the house and do errands and stuff without freaking out that I was going to burn it down. A definite bonus. I think I’m into it. What else should I make in the slow cooker? What do you guys make in the slow cooker?

By the way- is Pork Ragu the right name for this? I’m not really sure. It’s not like a Bolognese or thick tomato sauce, so I may have overstepped the boundaries of the name. It is massively tender pork shoulder slowly cooked for 8 hours in tomato, carrot, onion and garlic. Flavorful? Yes. Delicious? Yes. Perfect over pasta? Yes. So maybe Ragu is ok?

I feel like this will be the perfect kind of dish as the days get colder and darker, or when we head up to the mountains to go skiing, and want to come home to a hot homemade dinner. Total comfort food.

I am so pumped up about my slow cooker, that I am going to give one away to one of you. A CRAZY huge, cook for a crowd Slow Cooker!! What do you think?

To enter to win a Calphalon 7QT Slow Cooker ($229 value) Just leave a comment below telling me what you would make in your new slow cooker!

You can earn extra chances to win by doing any of the following (and then telling me you did so BY LEAVING A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH below!)
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**The giveaway is open until Tuesday, November 13th 2012 at 11:59 p.m. MST. The giveaway is only open to USA residents. Be sure a valid email address is included with your comment. Winner will be chosen randomly (random.org) and announced on this post Wednesday, November 14th 2012 in the morning. I will email the winner and if the winner doesn’t respond in 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen. Good Luck!! (By the way- this is not sponsored by anyone but me!)

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED!!

The winner is (via random.org)
#2 Geri Rosa Brown
Submitted on 2012/11/02 at 3:28 am

“I would make a gigantic batch of cheesey, buttery, polenta with fresh herbs:’) YUM”

To make this Pork Ragu:

Make a nest of the onions, carrots, garlic and thyme. Add the pork on top of the veggies and then pour the tomato sauce in.

Cook on high for 8 hours.

Break the pork apart (it will really just fall apart) discarding any chunks of fat that have not cooked down, as well as the thyme wood.

Season to taste with kosher salt, black pepper, hot pepper flakes and thyme and serve hot over pasta.