Top 10 Reasons to Do Sides in the Crock Pot When You Grill

1. 
   
   I just got a new copy of the New York Times bestseller Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook by Phyllis Pellman Good from the PR firm. This is the revised and updated edition. I have the original (bought that one), and it rocks, and so does the new one with even more cool stuff to make in the crock pot.
   
   
   
   You may be wondering what the Barbecue Master is doing with a crock pot and great crock pot cookbook. Well, I know some of the BBQ guys give us all heck for crock potting, but if you are doing a full meal and on your own with some teen boys for helpers, then I can tell you that the slow cooker can be a godsend.
   
   So, here are the top 10 reasons the Barbecue Master has a slow cooker going at her barbecue bashes and why she loves Fix-It and Forget-It and gives the book for gifts to grill buddies and to new cooks.
   
   10. Most grills are not that large. Most guests do not want to eat grilled meals in shifts. We are not talking gourmet courses here. Why serve up the meat and make everyone wait another hour for the potatoes.
   
   9. Keeping the hot dog chili warm on the grill is just fine, but it takes up space on the grill - plus is easy to scorch that chili.
   
   8. Some things do not do that well on a grill. You can crock pot a dessert and have it simmering along rather than trying to figure out how to make a cake that is burned on the bottom and soggy on top on the grill.
   
   7. Grilled egg plant does not make the top 10 list on any list that I know of. Better to have a good crock pot side than a flabby veggie never meant to be grilled.
   
   6. You can't be two places at once, and it is not a good idea to catch the kitchen on fire trying to make something in the oven while tending the grill outside.
   
   5. Prep is an issue if you try to do the whole meal on the grill. I can swing it, but I would not recommend it to new grillers. Master one thing at a time, and let the crock pot simmer along and cover parts of the meal.
   
   4. There is no reason to let the slow cooker or crock pot gather dust. With 700 recipes in the Fix-It an Forget-It Cookbook, you get extra mileage and with very little wear and tear on your nerves.
   
   3. If you don't have some parts of the meal easy to cover, then you are a lean (or not) mean grilling machine. And, grumpy hosts are not a good thing. Take the load off with something in the crock pot.
   
   2. Teen boys seem to have no sense of the smell of burning food. They will get to watching the ballgame and forget to go check your oven dishes. This is not an issue with the crock pot.
   
   1. If you totally wreck your grilled meal, you still have something tasty going in the slow cooker if you use the Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook. After all, 5 million people can't be wrong.
   
   Be sure to sign up for my news alerts. I never see your contact info, but Google lets you know when I write something new. that is over to the right side. I'll hook you up with a great baked bean (well crock beans really) recipe here soon.
   
   Happy grilling, and let the crock pot make your entertianing easier when you need to do a full meal for the family or buds.