Louisiana's 1720s French colonists created hot pot cooking to stretch expensive beef through 8-hour bayou workdays.
Slow Cooker Cajun Beef Hot Pot
Dive into a bowl of comfort with our Slow Cooker Cajun Beef Hot Pot! This flavorful delight combines tender beef, zesty Cajun spices, and hearty vegetables, all simmered to perfection for hours. Let your slow cooker work its magic, and enjoy a soul-satisfying meal that warms you from the inside out!
Prep
15
min
Cook
210
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(4)
- 1 stalk Celery, finely diced
- 3 cloves Garlic, finely diced
- 1 medium White Onion, finely diced
- 2 Peppers, finely diced (1 red 1 green)
🥩Meat & Seafood(3)
- 125g / 4.5oz finely diced Smoked Bacon Lardons (4.41 oz)
- 1x Beef Oxo/Bouillon Cube, crumbled
- 500g / 1lb lean Ground/Minced Beef (5%) (1.1 lbs)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(1)
- 150g / 1 1/2 cup Cheddar Sour Cream (optional) (5.29 oz)optional
🫙Pantry Staples(3)
- 1x 400g/14oz can Crushed Tomatoes (14.1 oz)
- 1x 400g/14oz can Kidney Beans, rinsed & drained (14.1 oz)
- 3 tbsp Tomato Paste (45 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(3)
- 2 tbsp Cajun Seasoning (30 ml)
- 1/4 tsp EACH: Salt, Black Pepper, plus more as needed (1.25 ml)
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika (5 ml)
📦Other(1)
- 400g / 14oz Baby Potatoes, or as needed to cover the filling (14.1 oz)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Add bacon to a large pan then turn the heat to medium. Gently fry until crisp with the fat rendered down, then add to a 3.5L slow cooker, leaving excess fat in the pan.
- 2
Raise heat to medium-high then add the peppers, onion, celery & garlic. Fry until it all softens & starts to colour. This step is important not only to develop flavour, but also to sweat out the moisture so the filling doesn't come out watery. Add beef & fry until browned, breaking up with your wooden spoon as you go. Add to the slow cooker.
- 3
Stir in crushed tomatoes, kidney beans, tomato paste, Oxo cube, Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika and 1/4tsp S&P. Use your wooden spoon to level the top. Slice the baby potatoes to around 1/4" thick then lay the slices over the filling, working from the outside in, overlapping as you go. Generously season with S&P, then pop the lid on & cook on HIGH for 3 1/2 hours or LOW for 7 hours, or until the potatoes are very tender.
- 4
Remove lid, cover with cheese then add the lid back on for 5 or so mins until the cheese melts. If there's a considerable amount of water on the potatoes before you add the cheese, you can gently dab them with kitchen roll/paper towel to remove some. If it's just oil I typically leave it there as it's flavour. Serve with sour cream if desired then tuck in!
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Brown your beef at medium-high heat until internal temperature reaches 140°F to trigger the Maillard reaction, which creates 600+ flavor compounds that won't develop in the slow cooker's moist environment.technique140°F
- ✓Slice potatoes to exactly 1/4 inch thickness using a mandoline because thicker slices won't cook through in 3.5 hours while thinner ones will break down and create a gluey texture.technique1/4 inch
- ✓Cook vegetables until they release 70-80% of their moisture before adding to slow cooker because trapped steam will dilute flavors and create a watery final dish.timing70-80% moisture
- ✓Add cheese only in the final 5 minutes because slow cooker temperatures of 200-300°F will break the protein matrix in cheese, causing it to separate into greasy curds.timing5 minutes
- ✓Layer potato slices from outside to center with 50% overlap to create structural integrity that prevents the top from collapsing as potatoes soften during the long cook.technique50% overlap
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