March Madness Round 2 Results: Meaty Category - 365 Days of Slow Cooking and Pressure Cooking

The 2nd round results from the meaty category are in! Here’s where we’re at:

Recipe:	Prep time/ease of ingredients (10 points)	Likeliness of making it again (30 points)	Overall flavor (50 points)	Value $ (10 points)
Turkey Breast	10	25	40	3
Beef Gyros	10	30	50	8
Recipe 1 notes and review: This was a very close game at our house this week! We loved both dishes very much, but because only one must go on it is going to be the Beef Gyros. The Turkey was very easy to put together and aroma was so wonderful all afternoon. It was nice to put in the turkey and let it do it’s thing. I liked the overall flavor of the turkey, but not everyone in my family did. The gravy on the other hand everyone liked off the plates! It was very difficult for me to find turkey breast this time of year. I had to go to three different stores before I found some. And the price was too much to swallow! I could have taken my family out for burgers that night and everyone would have been just as happy. If I were to stock up at thanksgiving and have the meat on hand it would have been a better value. I will only make this when the price of turkey drops again.
Recipe 2 notes and review: The beef gyros were so easy to make and I was excited they used herbs that I already had on hand. I put it in before church, and when we got home the whole house was filled with gyro aromas. My husband wanted to dig in right then! We did wait the whole 6 hours of cooking time to dig in and the tenderness was perfect. I liked that I could use a cut of meat that I already had in the freezer and it didn’t end up tasting like a Sunday roast. However the meat was so flavorful and tender I could serve it as a roast and no one in my family would have minded. If you were to purchase the meat this meal could get pricey just because meat is expensive. I was very skeptical of the sauce that is made out of yogurt. But it was perfect on the gyros. My husband wanted more to slather on his gyro because it was so good and I told him to go for it because it was yogurt not sour cream! We will definitely be making this again.

Final Score:

Turkey Breast: 78
Beef Gyros: 98

Review by Jody

Roast Beef Sliders

Recipe:	Prep time/ease of ingredients* (10 points)	Likeliness of making it again* (30 points)	Overall flavor* (50 points)	Value $* (10 points)
Dipping Roast Beef Sliders	10	27	45	8
Slow Cooker Fork Tender Ribs	9	22	40	8
Recipe 1 notes: This was a breeze to throw together in the morning before work. It was flavorful and a hit with the whole family. Next time I make it I will probably leave out the banana pepper rings and juice. For I was the only one who ate the peppers and everyone did not like the tartness the pepper juice brought to the dipping sauce. I will be making it again though!!
Recipe 2 notes: This recipe was simple and smelled delicious. However the paprika taste was over powering the other flavors. The ribs were tender. I used bottled bbq sauce and my family would of prefered the homemade kind. We had no leftovers!! I will make it again using homemade bbq sauce and less or no paprika.

Final Score:
Dipping Roast Beef Sliders: 90
Fork Tender Ribs: 79
Review by Tiffanee

Pork Salad

Recipe:	Prep time/ease of ingredients (10 points)	Likeliness of making it again (30 points)	Overall flavor (50 points)	Value $ (10 points)
Shredded Pork Salad	6	25	42	9
Shredded Beef Tostadas	10	18	35	9
Recipe 1 notes and review: The hardest part of the recipe was the ingredients list. I couldn’t find the Shirley J seasonings (looked up closest retailer…. 3 states over), so I had to use Lipton Onion mix and regular chicken bouillon. Also, there were no approximate amounts to use for the seasonings, but what I did use came out tasty. While the meat was good on the salad, it was even better the next day on a roll with swiss cheese, ham, and pickle relish (modified Cuban sandwich)!
Recipe 2 notes and review: This was the easiest recipe in the world to make. Perfect for a weekday. I managed to get everything in the crock pot while the morning coffee was brewing. The flavors were too mild for my taste, but that is easily fixed with hot salsa and enchilada sauce. The only downside I see to this recipe is that it makes a lot of shredded beef, and I couldn’t think of any good leftover recipes besides repeating something Mexican. Good thing I love Mexican food.

Final Score:
Pork Salad: 82
Beef Tostadas: 72
Review by Molly

Cafe Rio Shredded Beef

Recipe:	Prep time/ease of ingredients (10 pts)	Likeliness of making it again (30 pts)	Overall flavor (50 pts)	Value $ (10 pts)
Honey Garlic Chicken	10	30	49	10
Cafe Rio Beef	10	30	50	10
Recipe 1 notes and review: This was super easy to make. Unfortunately, my go-to taste testing husband is on a business trip this week, so I had to rely on my taste buds alone…or so I thought! Our 1 1/2 year old ate most of my leftovers! I guess he liked it, too! The chicken reminded me of the Bourbon Chicken that every Asian Bistro in every food court in every mall gives out as samples. It tastes JUST like it. Also, you try it and then you have to have Bourbon Chicken for lunch. Or in this case, you have to eat IT ALL.
Recipe 2 notes and review: I made a slight adjustment to the dressing. We had about a cup of chipotle mayo in the fridge begging to be used, so I did. It gave it a nice big kick. I could very easily eat this every single day. It’s delicious. I like pretty much anything that has tomatillos in it, so I knew this was going to be awesome before I even hit start on my crock pot. My son didn’t eat this because his lack of teeth can’t handle the beef. So…it’s up to me. I declare Cafe Rio the winner. Crocked beef will ALWAYS win in my world. Oh, and I have to crock both recipes again so my husband can try them. 🙂 Jessie @ borntocrock.blogspot.com.

Honey Garlic Chicken

Final Score:

Cafe Rio Shredded Beef: 100
Honey Garlic Chicken: 99

Another high scoring game! Jessie was the volunteer chef for these two recipes.

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