Best Cholent Recipes

CHOLENT

Steps:

• Line the bottom of a slow cooker with the potatoes, the onion and then the short ribs, sprinkling the meat with pepper to taste.
• Scatter the barley and the beans on top, then pour on the broth and the honey or molasses. Sprinkle with the paprika and salt to taste. Add enough water to cover all the ingredients. Cook on low for 12 to 15 hours, stirring occasionally (except during Shabbat, for those who observe it), adding more water if necessary. The longer the cholent cooks, the better it will be.

MOM'S AUTHENTIC KOSHER CHOLENT RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large oven safe pot or roasting pan, saute onions in oil over medium heat.
• Add meat, and brown well on all sides.
• Mix in beans; stir continuously until the beans start to shrivel. Stir in the barley. Add potatoes, and add just enough boiling water to cover the meat and potatoes. Mix in dry soup mix and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer partially covered for 20 minutes on stove top.
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).
• Cover pot tightly, and place in preheated oven. Allow to cook overnight for at least 10 to 15 hours. Check periodically to make sure you have enough liquid to cover; add small amounts of water if needed. Do not stir; stirring will break up the chunks of potatoes.

PRESSURE COOKER CHOLENT OR BEEF BARLEY STEW

Steps:

• Heat oil in large skillet and brown beef well on both sides and place into pot.
• Chop coarsely: garlic and onions then place into cooker.
• Cut carrots into large chunks and put into pot.
• Peel potatoes and put into pot.
• Add barley, rinsed until clear, to pot.
• Place everything else into pressure cooker.
• Bring to high and cook 2 hours.
• Let pressure come down naturally before opening.

BEEF STEW/ CHOLENT FOR CROCK POT

Steps:

• Slice up onions and sautee in the 2 tablespoons of olive oil until translucent
• Cut up the sweet potatoes into medium sized chunks and place in crock pot.
• Put the barley, chicken stock, stew meat, and onions into the crock pot.
• Add the garlic salt and paprika.
• Cook on low for 6 hours.

CHOLENT

Steps:

• Place the beans in a medium bowl and cover with a few inches of water. Refrigerate at least 8 hours.
• Using the sear feature of your slow cooker, or a heavy pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Season the beef on both sides with salt and pepper. Sear the beef until deep golden brown on one side, 6 to 8 minutes. Turn and sear other side until golden brown, 4 to 6 more minutes. Remove the beef and set aside. Remove and discard excess oil. Add 1/4 cup of the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pan. Cook until mostly reduced, about 30 seconds.
• If searing in the slow cooker, add the onions in one layer. Top with the potatoes, then the seared beef. If searing in a separate pan, place the onions in one layer on the bottom of the slow cooker. Top with the potatoes, then the beef, then pour in the reduced wine.
• Top with the drained beans, then the carrots, garlic and barley. Whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup red wine, tomato paste and honey in a large glass measuring cup and add 2 cups water. Add the water mixture and the beef broth to the cooker. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours.
• Stir in the vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley and serve.

CHOLENT

Steps:

• Wash the chick peas, pick them over and soak overnight in cold water to cover by at least 2 inches.
• Skin the chicken thighs. Trim and cut the chops into 2-inch chunks. Trim the meat of as much fat as possible. Set aside.
• In a hot saute pan, heat the olive oil, and brown the meat in batches. Brown the onions, then the garlic. Drain and place the chick peas, onions, and garlic in a Dutch oven. Stir in the spices and sugar. Add the veal and chicken. Add water to cover. Cook over low heat for 1 hour.
• Skim off 2 tablespoons of fat and 1/2 cup of liquid from the cholent. Let this cool a little and mix it with the matzo meal and eggs. Form the dough into walnut sized balls and add to the pot. Add the carrots and sausage. Season the stew. Cook for 2 hours on the stovetop or place in a 225 degree F oven overnight. At any rate, it's much better the next day.

JOAN NATHAN'S CHOLENT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 225 degrees F. In a skillet saute chopped onions in oil until softened. Add meat and brown well.
• In an 8-quart casserole heat honey for a few minutes until lightly caramelized. Add rinsed, drained beans, barley, potatoes and the meat. Scatter garlic cloves around the meat. Dissolve salt, pepper and paprika in a cup of water and pour over meat. Add whole onion and bones. Add enough water to cover ingredients.
• Bring to a boil, cover with aluminum foil and lid and simmer 15 minutes. Transfer casserole to oven and cook overnight. The next morning, check casserole. If water still covers meat, uncover and cook until water evaporates to a thick sauce, about 2 hours. To serve, spoon onto a large platter, keeping each ingredient separate.

CHOLENT BRISKET

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 225 degrees. In a Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, over high heat, heat 1/2 cup oil. Season the brisket with salt and pepper. Brown the brisket in the oil on both sides, then transfer to a platter.
• Drain the oil from the Dutch oven. Add the remaining 1/2 cup oil and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions and paprika and cook, stirring, until the onions are brown and soft, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the honey. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat.
• Place the brisket on the onion-garlic mixture. Surround the brisket with the potatoes, carrots, beans, lentils and barley and place the marrowbones on top. Cover with cold water by 4 inches. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Return the Dutch oven to the heat and bring to a boil. Skim off any scum that forms on the surface of the liquid. Cover and place it in the oven. Bake for 8 hours or overnight.
• Remove the brisket from the oven. If it seems dry, moisten it with a little water. When ready to serve, reheat, covered, in a 350-degree oven until it is hot. Transfer to a large platter and serve.

CHIEF OF STAFF CHOLENT (HEBRONITE HAMIM)

Steps:

• 1. On Thursday night, soak the white or red beans and chickpeas in cold water to cover.
• 2. On Friday morning, in a large heavy pot, sauté the onions in the vegetable oil until translucent. Then add the brown sugar and the water and carefully caramelize the onions over very low heat. Turn off the heat until the remaining ingredients are prepared.
• 3. Drain the beans and scatter them on top of the onions.
• 4. Cut the fat from the brisket, dice the fat, and set it aside. Rinse the rice in cold water and then drain; repeat twice more. Season the rice with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper and dot with about 4 tablespoons of cubed beef fat. Place the rice in the center of a sheet of cheesecloth and enclose it loosely, so that the rice can expand. Tie with a thin strip of cheesecloth or twine and set aside.
• 5. Season the frika, bulgur, or barley with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper, dot with about 4 tablespoons of cubed beef fat, and put it in another piece of cheesecloth. Tie it up loosely.
• 6. Add the beef bones to the onions in the pot. Set the brisket on top, then the 2 bags of grains, the kishke, pearl onions, potatoes, and eggs. Sprinkle with additional salt to taste, pepper, baharat, and soup powder. Add water to cover, cover the pot, and ring to a boil. Then transfer to a preheated 200-degree oven to cook overnight or put the pot on a blech (a heated asbestos pad which many Jewish cooks use to keep Sabbath dishes warm) over low heat and leave until ready to serve.
• Joan Nathan shares her tips with Epicurious:
• •For this dish, Nathan prefers the texture and flavor of dried chickpeas and beans to canned. •Baharat, an Eastern Mediterranean spice blend, generally includes paprika, hot pepper, black pepper, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, and salt. It is available at Middle Eastern markets. If you can't find it, Nathan recommends using your favorites from the list above, being sure to include pepper. •"This dish can easily be made in a slow cooker," says Nathan. "Sauté the onions and place them in the cooker, then add the drained beans and other ingredients. Leave the dish to cook throughout the day or overnight."

KOSHER VEGETARIAN CHOLENT

Steps:

• Soak the beans overnight, then drain.
• Or, follow package directions for quick soaking.
• In a large skillet, heat the oil and saute the garlic, onions and celery until tender.
• Put in slow cooker.
• Add the potatoes, carrots, beans, bay leaf and paprika.
• Dissolve the soup mix in 1 cup of the hot water and add to the vegetables with the remaining 3 cups of water.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Cover tightly and cook on low 18-24 hours.
• Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
• Makes four very generous servings.

EASY CHOLENT

Steps:

• Add all to the crockpot and top with water.
• Cover and cook on low about 16 hours or until needed.

BRISKET CHOLENT

Steps:

• Rinse Beans in Cold Water, If dry, Soak for 8 Hours Rub Meat with Seasonings, (Garlic, Bay Leaf, Paprika).
• In A Dutch Oven, Or OvenProof, Stovetop Pot, Sweat the onions over medium heat.
• After Onions Brown, Add Barley, Potatoes, Add water, stir slightly before adding Brisket, and covering with water.
• Simmer for 3 hours. Then Preheat Oven to 200 degrees.
• Cover Pot and place in oven for overnight.
• Serve at noon following day.

EDITH KLEIN'S CHOLENT

Steps:

• Place beans in a bowl, cover with cold water to a depth of 2 inches and allow to soak at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Heat fat or oil in a large, heavy casserole. Add onions and shallots and saute until golden. Stir in garlic and cook for about a minute. Remove the vegetables from the pan with a slotted spoon, draining them well, and set aside.
• Brown chunks of beef lightly in the fat and remove them.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Cut pastrami into 1-inch cubes and stir them into the fat, then stir in the paprika and honey. Return onions, shallots, garlic and beef to casserole. Stir in barley. Drain beans and add them.
• Add 6 cups boiling water to casserole. Cover and place in oven. Bake for 30 minutes.
• Reduce heat to 250 degrees and bake 30 minutes longer. Remove lid, season to taste with salt and pepper, then cover casserole with a piece of aluminum foil and replace the lid. Place in oven and allow to bake 7 to 8 hours or overnight.

VEGAN MUSHROOM CHOLENT IN THE CROCK POT

Steps:

• Soak the beans overnight. In the morning drain off the water. Rinse the pearl barley under cold water.
• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions through the parsnips and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened. (This should take about 7 minutes.).
• Add the garlic through peppercorns and stir for 1 minute. Add the vegetable stock and take it off the heat.
• Put half the onion and stock mixture into the crockpot. Add half the beans.
• Spread the potatoes on top to make an even layer. Put the mushrooms on top so that it covers the potatoes (cutting the mushrooms to fit if needed).
• Spread the pearl barley on top of the mushrooms and the rest of the beans on top of the barley.
• Add the rest of the onion/stock mix on top.
• Cover and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours or on high for 5 to 6 hours or until the beans are tender.

CHOLENT

Steps:

• Soak beans overnight and rinse beans.
• I also rinse the barley.
• In large frying pan heat oil and add onion.
• Fry until browned.
• Add meat cubes and brown.
• Add tomato paste, onion soup mix, brown sugar and 1 cup of water and simmer on low flame with lid for approx 20 minutes.
• Now using a crock pot.
• Add peeled potatoes.
• I like them whole, but some like to cut them in chunks.
• Add soaked and rinsed beans and rinsed barley.
• Pour sauce and meat mixture over this and try to mix.
• Add approx 3/4- 1 cup of water or until it is barely covered.
• Place in crockpot on low right before the Sabbath and it will be ready the next day for lunch.
• The entire house will smell amazing.
• Remove liner from crockpot and let sit about 15 minutes.
• Stir gently and serve.

BEEF AND BEAN STEW (CHOLENT)

Steps:

• Soak the beans in water to cover for 8 hours, and drain.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large clay pot, place the beans, beef, potatoes, salt, pepper, onion and water. Cover the pot tightly, first with a piece of aluminum foil, then with the lid of the pot.
• Put the pot in the oven for 30 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 200 degrees and bake overnight, at least 10 hours. Do not stir or disturb in any way.
• Warm the chicken broth. Ladle the stew into soup plates. Ladle the chicken broth over the stew and serve.

BEST CHOLENT EVER

Steps:

• You will need a 5.5 gallon pot you can put in the oven (i.e. no plastic parts). Cook the spaghetti in a different pot with the tumeric (for color).
• While it cooks, heat the oil in the pot over a large flame and add the chicken and ground beef. Stir as necessary so they are browned on all sides.
• In the meantime, slice the potatoes into 1/2" discs.
• When the meat is browned, take out the chicken pieces and the beef, but leave the oil and shmaltz in the pot. Add the onion slices to the pot to form the first layer--the onion layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
• Add the potato slices to form the potato layer. Sprinkle with the chicken soup powder and pepper to taste.
• Add the chicken drumsticks, squeezing them together to make a nice tight chicken layer. Sprinkle with the paprika and add salt and pepper--you know the drill.
• Strain the spaghetti, rinse it off and add it to the pot to form the spaghetti layer, salt and pepper as usual.
• Add the ground beef--it will not be a layer, it's just there for flavor.
• Cut a cooking bag open so you have a sheet. Place it on top of the layers and add 1 Tbsp of oil and 1/2 c of water. Make sure they stay in the center of the cooking sheet and don't spill over into the cholent--they will fill your hermetically sealed pot with the steam necessary to cook your cholent without it drying out as it waits 16 hours in the oven for you to eat it!
• Cover the pot and wrap it on all sides with aluminum foil. Put it in a 180 degree Celsius (medium temperature) oven for 40-60 minutes, then switch the oven over to the hot plate setting, or move it to a hot plate with a box around it to make sure heat is even on all sides. From experience, putting it on a regular hot plate means the bottom layers burn and the top layers are kind of anemic looking, without all the delicious sauce.

SHABBAT CHAMIN / CHOLENT (MEAT AND POTATO STEW)

Steps:

• Combine all ingredient in a large crock pot (eggs on top), and add water to cover 1-2 inches above.
• Cook on high for 2 hours, then reduce heat to low, and continue to cook overnight and into the daytime, for a total cooking time of approximately 12-14 hours (It will be ready to eat before 12 hours of cooking time, but tastes the best when cooked for a very long time)
• Note: You can increase or decrease the amount of spices as per your liking. You can even add a dash of ginger and allspice. Avoid the urge to stir this - your potatoes will break into a mush.

LOW FAT CHOLENT: ISRAELI CHAMINC ISRAELI CHAMIN (KOSHER-MEAT)

Steps:

• Here it goes -- :.
• Heat pot on the stove - and place meat to fry and seal. Turn the meat to seal it all over. Use a large pot, suitable for the oven as well (I use oval).
• Pour boiled water to half the height of the meat.
• Place the soaked rinsed beans on one side of the pot -.
• Place potatoes on the other side.
• Insert barley into cooking bag (preferable made of cloth).
• On top of beans and potatoes, arrange meat, onions, garlic, cooking bag with barley and the sweet potato - try to even out the height. If you want eggs, this is the time to insert them as well.
• I usually add Kosher Kishka (stuffed darma, has less than 30% fat)- I couldn't add it to the ingredients as the program cannot recognize this food -- -).
• Dilute honey with some warm tab water - and pour all over.
• Dilute salt with some warm tab water - and pour all over.
• Dilute the sweet paprika with some warm tab water - and pour all over.
• Add boiled water to cover it all, make sure it's at least one inch above ingredients.
• Scatter tea bags. (See picture for the prepared pot.).
• Preheat oven to 250 F (120 C).
• Bring to boil on stove.
• Reduce heat and allow cooking with gentle boil for at least two hours.
• Move the pot to the oven.
• Make sure to check on the Chamin and add water if necessary. The water reduces but it mustn't get dry.
• At night, reduce oven's heat to 215 F (100 C).
• Check first thing in the morning!
• See if you need to add some water and reduce or increase oven's heat.
• The smell already drives everybody nuts -- soon, soon - we'll all sit and enjoy a great Chamin.
• Serving:: When you open the pot, everything is arranged in the same order you put it inches Take out cooking bag with barley, open it carefully and pour barley into a serving bowl. Add some of the Chamin's liquids onto barley. Put garlic aside - some like it some don't. Take out each ingredient to a different serving dish or bowl, and pour Chamin's liquids. You'll have several dishes and bowl on the table: meat, beans, barley, potatoes, sweet potato, onion, kishke, (eggs) -- See pictures.
• Enjoy!

HEARTY AND DELICIOUS CHOLENT FOR A CROWD

Steps:

• In an 18 qt electric roaster, layer ingredients in order listed.
• Cover with water (plus an extra inch or two), cover pot, and cook at 250F for about a day and a half. (We put it up on Thursday night, and check the water levels again on Friday morning and Friday afternoon.).
• Eat with lots of pickles, and a good shot (or 2? or more?) of vodka.
• Shabbat Shalom!