Dynamite Slow Cooker Recipe
Dynamites are basically soft hoagie rolls or burger buns filled with spicy minced beef, peppers and onions that have been cooked to death in the slow cooker. You can also make these vegetarian friendly by substituting minced beef for Quorn mince. (taste is more or less the same, texture is just more squishy)
They are similar to Sloppy Joes… but they’re not the same.
Dynamites are something I will forever associate with the big family cookouts of my childhood, growing up in Rhode Island. Odd food for a hot day, I know… but it works on any day… I promise!
The slow cooker component makes this an ideal dish to set up in the morning to enjoy as an evening meal.
Serves 6-10 people
Ingredients:
250g lean ground beef
3 large bell peppers (Any colors, but at least 1 green works best)
2 onions
200g – 400g Tomato paste (depending on how saucy you want it)
1/2 cup water
1 Tsp Garlic granules
1 Tsp Chilli pepper flakes
Rich beef stock pot (optional)
Freshly grated cheese (optional)
Olive oil
The first thing you need to do is chop the peppers and onions. I prefer to dice mine quite small, however the dynamites of my childhood always had massive chunks of pepper…. it’s completely up to your personal preference.
Everything is getting dumped in the crockpot to simmer away, however to get the best texture and consistency, I have found it’s a good idea to pre-fry the veggies and the meat with a bit of olive oil. You can get away with not doing this, but it will extend the cooking time and the meat will be the wrong texture.
You don’t have to fry the vegetables until they’re completely tender, just give them a head start and fry until the onions start to go clear, and the main reason for frying the meat is not to cook it, but to separate it.
So… either fry them or don’t and then add the meat, vegetables, tomato paste, garlic granules, chilli flakes and 1/2 a cup of water (also optional stock pot) to the slow cooker. At this stage, I’ll be honest with you… it doesn’t smell that great… it doesn’t smell bad or anything… it’s just … well, for lack of a better word… boring. But don’t worry! That’s the way it’s supposed to be.
Next turn the dial to Medium, if you have a medium setting and leave it to cook for 6-8 hours. If you do not have a medium setting, set it to Low and leave it for at least 8 hours. (you can feel free to lift the lid and stir it a couple of times if you want to)
The long slow cooking is when the magic happens… the veggies will fall apart and all of the aromas and flavors will melt together into one of the most satisfying and comforting (and low fat) sandwich fillings of all time.
To serve, just ladle onto/into some nice soft rolls, leave them for a moment to allow the juices to soak into the bread and enjoy!
Top with some freshly grated cheddar for extra awesomeness. :)
