Avoiding Dried Out Slow Cooker Meals (2024)

by Reader Contributors

A slow cooker can help you get a hot meal on the table on busy days instead of spending money on delivery, but you want those meals to be tasty! Our frugal readers share their tips and tricks for preventing a slow cooker from drying out your efforts.

Dear Dollar Stretcher,
My slow cooker meals always come out so dry. What can I do to keep it moist (and I don’t mean just wet)?

I would love to use my cooker more often, but I can’t figure out how to make things right. Please help!
Sue

How Do You Avoid Dried Out Slow Cooker Meals?

We turned to our frugal readers for advice. They are pros at slow cooker cooking since they know it can help them keep food costs in check by allowing them to cook from scratch even on busy days. Read on for the advice and tips they shared.

Know the Size of Your Slow Cooker

You must pay attention to the size of the slow cooker versus the size suggested in the recipe! If you put a small amount in a very large slow cooker, it cooks much faster. Hence, you’ll have dried out food.I have found that pot roast will turn dry as dust even if it is swimming in gravy if it is overcooked.

Cooking on high all day is not the way to go. Check your manual for your slow cooker to see how full it should be. Follow recipes exactly as to the length of time and what setting. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the food. If it is not hot enough at the end of the cooking time, turn on high and cook for 30 minutes and check again. It will probably be done just right.
B

Don’t Lift the Slow Cooker Lid

Things that could make slow cooker meals too dry:

Brown Meat Before Putting It in the Slow Cooker

The number one thing that I found that helps my meals stay moist is to brown the meat before placing it in the slow cooker. This helps seal in the juices.

Don’t lift the lid during cooking unless absolutely necessary. It increases the cooking time and lets precious moisture escape. Also, make sure you are putting enough liquid in the cooker to keep things moist. It doesn’t need to be a lot, but a little will help your meal steam a bit, which prevents moisture loss.

Also, make sure your recipes require enough cooking that they won’t be completely over done when you get home. For example, a recipe that calls for eight hours cooking is probably fine on low for up to ten hours, but a recipe that only called for five to six hours of cooking could be overdone if you don’t get home until ten hours later.
Cindy

Related:12-Hour Slow Cooker Recipes

Try Cheaper Cuts of Meat in Your Slow Cooker

Using a slow cooker in the hot summer months saves energy and doesn’t heat up your house, making your air conditioner work harder. When you are cooking with a slow cooker, remember that cheaper cuts of meat do much better (such as chuck roasts or chuck steaks). Very lean cuts of beef come out very dry. Chicken legs or thighs generally will give a more moist end result than chicken breast. If you do use chicken breast, use the whole breasts, not the boneless skinless breasts, since whole breasts will remain moister. Remove the bones and skin after cooking.

Also, remember to use enough liquid to cook over a long period of time. Liquids like chicken or beef broth or cream soups diluted with water make very good gravies in the slow cooker.
Linda

Are You Converting Slow Cooker Recipes?

Dryness can be a problem when you are trying to convert regular recipes. By carefully reading the amounts of ingredients and the amounts of liquid that are in the recipes, you may be able to successfully adjust your own recipes in you accurately keep the same ratios. There are many online sites for slow cooker recipes. Check there to see what they are giving as “liquid” amounts in their recipes.
Maren

No More Dried Out Slow Cooker Meat!

I was given a few tips that seem to help with dry meat:

First of all, choose meats with more fat.
If you are avoiding fat, marinate the meat overnight with vinegar, citrus fruits, and spices. Acids like vinegar and lemon juice tenderize meat so you don’t have to cook the meat to death in order to get a good flavor.
Another option is to seal the meat with a hot skillet. Heat a cast iron skillet (make sure it is well seasoned). Place your meat in the skillet and sear the meat’s surface. Turn and position the meat until the hot skillet has seared all surfaces. This will help to keep a lot of the juices in the meat.
Someone once told me that when liquid is called for in a recipe to position as little of the meat in the liquid as possible. The liquid can draw a lot of the flavor and fats out of the meat as it soaks, and even though you have a tasty broth, your meat will be as dry as cardboard. I’ve even been told to try cooking on foil balls to raise the meat above its juices.

I’ve tried all of these suggestions and they each work well depending on the recipe. And my slow cooker meals are getting better each time.
Valeria in Athens, GA

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Reviewed March 2023

FAQs

Avoiding Dried Out Slow Cooker Meals? ›

Don't lift the lid during cooking unless absolutely necessary. It increases the cooking time and lets precious moisture escape. Also, make sure you are putting enough liquid in the cooker to keep things moist. It doesn't need to be a lot, but a little will help your meal steam a bit, which prevents moisture loss.

Discover More Details ›

How to stop food drying out in a slow cooker? ›

To keep a pot roast from drying out, your slow cooker needs liquid to create a moist environment, and that can include meat or vegetable stock, wine or water. This doesn't mean the meat should be submerged; a cup or two of liquid will be enough, since the cooker is covered and liquids stay trapped inside.

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How to keep meat moist in a slow cooker? ›

Meat is tender and delicious when cooked in a slow cooker or crockpot. To keep the meat moist, add a small amount of water and keep the lid shut.

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Why putting a tea towel over a slow cooker? ›

Try putting a tea towel over the top of the slow cooker before replacing the lid. This absorbs the excess moisture, thickening the dish and deepening its flavours. The cloth can be replaced with a fresh one when needed, but usually one tea towel during the final couple of hours will do the trick.

Why has my beef gone dry in the slow cooker? ›

The most likely cause of this is overcooking. As meat cooks, its muscle fibers shorten in both length and width and eventually squeeze out the juices they normally hold. As you can imagine, this leaves meat dry, and often stringy in texture. To avoid this problem, choose less-tender cuts of meat.

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How do you stop a chicken from going dry in the slow cooker? ›

Chicken breasts are a lean cut and the key to slow cooking them without drying them out involves the right amount of moisture. Add just enough liquid to come 1cm up the side of the bowl. Cover and cook on High for 2 ½-4 hours or on Low for 4-6 hours.

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Why did my chicken come out dry in the crockpot? ›

While cooking on high DOES work for certain cuts of beef and pork in recipes like our Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork, Crispy Carnitas, or French Dip Sandwiches it simply does not work with chicken. If you cook chicken all day (or on HIGH), it will be dry-dry-dry.

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Should meat be submerged in liquid in slow cooker? ›

There is no need to cover the meat in liquid when cooking with a slow cooker, you only need enough liquid to cover the base of the slow cooker as the meat and vegetables will release liquid as they cook. Slow cooking beef is a simple and soothing winter option that never goes out of style.

Why put foil under lid of slow cooker? ›

The heat bounces off from the lid and allows your food to cook faster. Also, you will not lose any of the steam that usually evaporates.

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Why do people put plastic bags in slow cooker? ›

Slow cooker bags line the base of your slow cooker to prevent food from making the inside of the pot dirty. Once the base of the pot is lined with the slow cooker bag, you can then add food and turn on your slow cooker. Most slow cooker bags are made to fit 3-7 quart oval and round slow cookers.