Subsitute sherry for balsamic vinegar?
Hey all. I'm the new crock pot user from this entry last week. I decided to make this "Nice Slow-Cooked Pork" recipe from www.allrecipes.com. That link is to their 400 crock pot recipes section.
In the recipe it calls for sherry, but I only have balsamic vinegar. Would that be an alright substitute? I think one reason for the sherry is coloring to get everything to a brown goodness. Another alternative would be to put a can of whole tomatoes in there. In the comments section, a lot of people said it was way too much liquid and advised to cut liquid by about a quarter. I was going to put about 24 oz of chicken broth and a 28oz can of stewed tomatoes in there. If it seems like too much liquid, I'll half the stewed tomato juice and drop in all the cut up tomatoes. That should be sufficient but not too runny, correct? I'm looking for more of a stew and I hope this is going the right direction; I'm adding carrots and spinach to it as well. Thanks for any advice.
EDIT: The pork shoulder has a rind of fat around it like normal. I don't have to brown the meat before placing it in the cooker right? My cooker's advice/tips say yes, but reading from others, that's not necessarily so.
The recipe follows:
A Nice Slow-Cooked Pork
Cook Time: 8 Hours
Servings: 6 (change)
INGREDIENTS:
* 1 (3 pound) pork shoulder roast
* 1 quart vegetable broth
* 1 cup sherry
* 3 cups peeled, chopped potatoes
* 2 cups pearl onions
* 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
* 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
* 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
* salt to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1. Place the pork roast in a slow cooker. Pour in the vegetable broth and sherry. Mix in the potatoes, onions, mushrooms, rosemary, and pepper.
2. Cover, and cook on Low at least 8 hours, to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Season with salt to taste.
In the recipe it calls for sherry, but I only have balsamic vinegar. Would that be an alright substitute? I think one reason for the sherry is coloring to get everything to a brown goodness. Another alternative would be to put a can of whole tomatoes in there. In the comments section, a lot of people said it was way too much liquid and advised to cut liquid by about a quarter. I was going to put about 24 oz of chicken broth and a 28oz can of stewed tomatoes in there. If it seems like too much liquid, I'll half the stewed tomato juice and drop in all the cut up tomatoes. That should be sufficient but not too runny, correct? I'm looking for more of a stew and I hope this is going the right direction; I'm adding carrots and spinach to it as well. Thanks for any advice.
EDIT: The pork shoulder has a rind of fat around it like normal. I don't have to brown the meat before placing it in the cooker right? My cooker's advice/tips say yes, but reading from others, that's not necessarily so.
The recipe follows:
A Nice Slow-Cooked Pork
Cook Time: 8 Hours
Servings: 6 (change)
INGREDIENTS:
* 1 (3 pound) pork shoulder roast
* 1 quart vegetable broth
* 1 cup sherry
* 3 cups peeled, chopped potatoes
* 2 cups pearl onions
* 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
* 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
* 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
* salt to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1. Place the pork roast in a slow cooker. Pour in the vegetable broth and sherry. Mix in the potatoes, onions, mushrooms, rosemary, and pepper.
2. Cover, and cook on Low at least 8 hours, to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Season with salt to taste.