Recipe Sifter

Low and slow baby back ribs rubbed overnight and smoked for 5 hours with homemade BBQ sauce. Eight full racks feed a crowd and deliver that fall-off-the-bone tenderness every pitmaster chases.

Pot roast with sour cream gravy: chuck roast braised with vinegar and dill, paired with potatoes, carrots, and zucchini. The Eastern European-leaning Sunday dinner that finishes with a tangy sour cream sauce.

Premium steaks marinated in a Roquefort, sour cream, and red wine marinade, charcoal-grilled and topped with butter-sautéed mushrooms. A show-stopping steakhouse dinner for a crowd.

Grilled steaks in a soy-ginger-curry marinade with torch bananas wrapped in foil with honey, coconut, and pineapple juice, finished with flaming brandy. A showstopper BBQ dinner.

Caldo Gallego: hearty Galician white bean stew with salt pork, ham bone, chorizo, potatoes, and collard greens. A slow-simmered Spanish comfort stew that warms you to the bone.

Szechwan spiced beef stew braised with star anise, hot bean paste, crushed peppercorns, and dry sherry. Deeply aromatic Chinese-style comfort food.

Ravioli in roasted garlic broth with sauteed bell peppers, green peas, and golden garlic breadcrumb topping. A lighter, brothy take on stuffed pasta.

Browned pork chops baked low and slow in a tangy pineapple, brown sugar, and soy sauce glaze with onions and green peppers. Fork-tender in under 2 hours.

Traditional Southern Hoppin' John with dried black-eyed peas, rice, ham, and cayenne. A one-pot New Year's Day staple believed to bring good luck.

Pear and ginger cheesecake bakes a granola crust around a filling of simmered pears, crystallized ginger, and a lightened cottage-and-cream-cheese base. A cozy holiday dessert with less heft than classic cheesecake.

Louisiana roast cuts deep pockets into the meat and stuffs them with the Cajun trinity of onion, celery, and bell pepper bound with garlic and butter. Baked low and slow so the seasoning melts into every slice.

Chocolate shots slice-and-bake cookies with oats, butter, and powdered sugar rolled in chocolate sprinkles. A make-ahead icebox cookie with a fun, crunchy sprinkle-coated edge.

Southern Hoppin' John soup with black-eyed peas, ham, rice, collard greens, and a kick of crushed red pepper. A hearty, soul food classic simmered low and slow for deep, smoky flavor.

Orange or grape juice blocks set unsweetened fruit juice with unflavored gelatin into firm, sliceable squares. A sugar-free, diabetic-friendly homemade alternative to gummy candy.

Shredded turkey slow cooks in enchilada sauce and tomato paste, then gets smothered in melted Monterey Jack. Scoop it up with corn chips or stuff it into tacos for the easiest Crock-Pot Mexican dinner you'll ever make.

Slow cooker one-dish meal with ground beef, bacon, smoked sausage, and four kinds of beans in a sweet-smoky ketchup and honey sauce. A hearty crowd-feeder for 10.