Want to change it up? We peeked into each other’s slow cookers for ideas.
I always thought that cholent was the kind of thing you don’t touch. And if I ever wanted to experiment and make another cholent, I’d have to make two cholents, just in case the new one didn’t work out.
My cholent is super basic and takes just a couple of minutes to make, and everyone likes it except for my “yeshiva boys” who are exposed to greater varieties of cholent and tell me that mine is boring by now. I use a whole bag of barley, lots of ketchup, a generous variety of spices (i.e. Lawry’s, cumin, garlic powder, paprika, and whatever else I feel like at the moment) and a piece of kolichal. My optional add-ins, which might vary week to week, are kishke, marrow or beef bones, fried onions, potatoes (just one…we have people in the house that don’t like potatoes), a piece of pastrami or corned beef (in the vacuum-sealed bag), or a can of baked beans (new addition since we have loads of canned beans, the result of a lockdown stockpiling).
One Shabbat, one of those sons invited me to “change it up” and try something new. So, I first turned to my BCP team to learn what their cholent is all about.
Do you know what I learned? Ingredients are not really different…but the techniques are interesting…some just dump everything into the Crock-Pot like I do…and some cholents never even make it to the slow cooker. Read on…
Leah:
My cholent starts in a pot. I saute a large onion in oil, then meat or marrow bones, mix and saute another few minutes before adding a generous amount of paprika, garlic powder, and a bit of black pepper. I add 1 cup beans and 1 cup water to that mixture and continue to cook until most of the water evaporates. Then I’ll add a little bit of ketchup and 2 more cups of water, this time cooking it for 20 minutes. Then, I’ll transfer the mixture to the slow cooker and add, a few peeled and cubed potatoes, ½-1 cup barley and more salt. Add some more water to cover. I add kishke, pastrami in a vacum pack bag and then cook on high for a couple of hours, then lower and cook on low until Shabbos morning.
For exact measurements, see the pareve cholent recipe in this post. (omit the sugar as that is to add flavor instead of the meat)
Shaindy – The 9×13 Cholent!
Lately, I’ve been making my cholent in a deep 9×13-inch pan. We leave our oven on 210F all Shabbos anyway for the overnight potato kugel that we eat on Shabbos morning. In the 9×13 pan, I combine mixed beans, barley, wedged potatoes, lots of bone marrow, flanken, kishka, salt, lots of paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, a little honey, and ketchup. I fill it to the top with water. I cook it first at 350⁰F for a couple of hours until Shabbos starts, then it stays on 210F from when Shabbos begins until the next day.
Esti:
Into my Crock-Pot goes: A bag of cholent beans, about a third of a bag of barley, kolichel, 2-3 cubed potatoes, salt, cayenne pepper, chili powder and a lot of paprika. I sometimes add kishke. Cover with water. I do this on Friday morning and first cook it on high until it’s bubbling (make sure there’s always water covering), and then lower to medium until we’re ready to have it the next day.
Renee:
My kids eat cholent every Friday for lunch. I talk about what I do to have the meat ready by then in this post (yup, I cook it ahead of time).
On Friday morning, I remove the fat from the cooked meat (this is easy to do since it’s already chilled) and throw the meat and liquid into a large pot. I add ¾ bag barley, ¾ bag cholent beans (rinsed in a colander, NOT soaked. Soaking removes taste). Then I dump them in the pot with the meat along with a package of bones and spice with garlic powder, paprika, salt, Lawry’s seasoning salt, pepper, and a squirt of ketchup. Add water to cover and cook all day on the stovetop.
The beans soak up a lot of the liquid. About an hour or so after this has been cooking, I add water. It cooks like this all day, and then before Shabbos I’ll transfer it to a smaller pot that I’ll warm on the hot plate because I don’t need so much for Shabbos day.
How do you make your cholent? Please share! We want to hear about all different variations!
The way I make my chulent
I dice lg onion in deep 9×13 add a bit of oil satire in oven on 400 keep mixing add 2-3 cubes garlic sauté 5 more min add in flanken sauté till changes color turn over repeat make a mixture of ketchup and coffee smear onto meat sauté 5 min add one side nvm beans one side barley some only like barley pour on spices also chulent spice sauté till spice browned put in potatoes salt fill 3/4 with water bake 409 1 hour 350 2 hours then I lower 250-275 all day we usually eat from it Friday I keep in oven fa Shabbos on 205
i add Kishke when adding water
We love a recipe I made up years ago, its a little different than your typical cholent because I use a lot of allspice.
My secret ingredient is honey
I find that the meat sometimes tastes dry in my chulent…. any tips on avoiding that? I use flanken/ cheek meat/ club steak. Should I be using a different cut of meat or should I change my cooking method (crockpot)?
Kolichel meat is amazing in cholent. It becomes buttery soft as it cooks.
The meat you are using is fine, flanken and cheek tend to do very well with low and sow cooking. So is Kalichel, as mentioned. How are you cooking it? Maybe heat is too high.
I used to make a ‘sweeter’ version with ketchup and brown sugar/honey. I switched over to a more savory version, with soy sauce and beef soup mix, along with the other typical cholent spices. It adds an amazing depth of flavor! We like it much better.
KOLICHEL? BABY KOLICHEL? FISHEL KOLICHEL? DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
Smoked paprika
The one I buy is called small kolichel (from Evergreen), but honestly, I don’t think it should make a difference. Maybe you need to add more liquid to your cholent, or lower the temp so it doesn’t dry out.
Easy hamin/cholent, in order — 1 tbl sesame oil, 1 cup barley, 3-4 eggs, 2 lbs meat (I've tried lots, but the family favorite is short ribs. Used to use buffalo when kosher buffalo was available.) 4 frozen garlic cubes, 1-2 chopped onions, Two cans canellini beans, 'enough' smoked paprika, hot paprika, cumin, mushroom soup mix, bottle of Man. Elderberry wine, 1/2 chickie's bbq sauce, water to cover.
My recipe is my fathers from back in the day in eretz yisroel. In a small pot, use a generous amount of oil to saute an onion on a high flame. When the onions are completely brown , add 3T sugar, 2.5 T salt, 1T paprika, and 1/4 T black pepper. Let the spices melt. Quickly transfer to a crock pot. (If using a liner only use reynolds since the other brands melt from the hot oil). Add the soaked beans. We dont eat so much cholent so this is for 1.5 cups beans and half cup barley. Cook on high. You can use any meat you like add potatoes, kishka, pastrami etc. We have gotten tons of compliments on this cholent and the basic flavors is what makes it so great. The smell when sauting the onions with the spices is the best erev shabbos smell!!
Anyone looking for a gluten free alternative to barley we use kasha in ours and it comes out great! Not much different otherwise
We use Lindbergh short grain brown rice for our gluten free option 🙂 it mimics the barley
Same! Nobody can tell the difference… and it doesn’t give you that heavy cholent feeling, because it doesn’t have gluten. We’re totally not gluten free and we only use Lindbergh short grain brown rice.
I use brown rice for my gluten free boys and we don’t miss the barley at all!
1 sautéed onion
1 1/2 plastic 7oz cup of barley
2 handfuls chulent beans
Ketchup
GARlic powder
Black pepper
SAlt
Paprika
Chili powder
Flanken on the bone
Half pkg cocktail franks
4 large red potatoes
Kishke
PUt it all in crockpot on Thursday. Cover with water
Put in fridge till Friday morn. Then cook it all day friday
I make a parev cholent most weeks.:
Bag of cholent beans, soaked
1/3 c. Barley
6 frozen sautéed onion cubes
4 frozen garlic cubes
Squirt of Hunt’s BBQ sauce
Squirt of sweet chili Sauce
Smoked paprika
Black pepper
Salt.
Put in crockpot on low on Thursday night
I saw most of the posts about making cholent I have a few comments. 1) You can dice the onions without sauteing them and put them right in along with a lot of fresh garlic I find it gives the cholent a bolder taste. You can add the garlic whole or chopped if you want to see the garlic in the cholent like when you buy whole roasted garlic if you know what I mean!
2) I like soaking the beans overnight because I find that it makes it easier to digest
3) I was tought the best meat for cholent is cheek meat. Although it has some fat it cooks really well overnight. I find some meats loose there tenderness when it cooked for a while cheekmeat on the other hand breaks down very well.
4) You don’t need to put in ketsup or coke beer BBQ sauce etc. to make a good cholent. I find just fresh garlic and onions does a big part. You can keep it simple by putting in seasoning salt or even easier soup mix (I use chicken or meat seasoning it is a bit spicy though) paprika and maybe cumin. You can add brown sugar to give it sweetness if you like I did not have good experience with honey.
The main thing to keep in mind is to add enough liquid before Shabbos that it’s almost a soup just so it on a small simmer over Shabbos night or if you don’t make sure it on really low!
The secret to a great cholent is the fried onions.
I grate the onions and fry them till they get really brown, almost burnt. I use plenty oil..
Place potatoes in crock pot and cover with hotwater.
Add onions with a bit of the oil from pan and mix. Add raw piece of meat on top of potatoes.
Keep on high just till it starts boiling and then on low. The low gives it a better taste and doesn’t over cook it.
Before shabbat add in a handful or more.of barley and then the spices.
I add osem chicken powder, a squirt of mustard, ketchup, cumin, all spice and salt.
It comes out amazing and everyone tells.me it taste like a bubbys cholent, the colour and taste is unbelievable.
I also don’t saute the onion. Dice it, put it on bottom of the pot. Add layer of meat,(called Shabbos meat, or stew meat) some smoky bbq sauce right on the meat few shakes soy sauce (for umami), few dashes hot sauce,, next potatoes, if you like sweet potato cut a few spears and put standing on the sides (otherwise they fall apart. Then beans and barley in the amounts you like. Now this step is critical-if using your crock pot add boiling water, then salt,pepper, garlic powder (don’t skimp) and paprika (one more shake then you think is enough). Don’t mix anything! Cook on high, adding boiling water as nec to cover, turn to.low (my crockpot doesn’t have medium) closer to Shabbos. Sorry , no amounts, you have to learn what works with your pot with time. If you add kishka, take off the wrapper, wrap.in foil (neatly, one thin layer)make holes in with knife to blend flavors. Dont be scared to experiment that’s how you learn. Gut Shabbos!
Sauté diced onion. 2 bags great northern beans rinsed. Fill the pot with water. One garlic clove. Salt and black pepper. Lots of meat. That’s all. We eat lots of it.
Regarding not soaking the beans- many people are not aware but soaking grains- especially beans- makes it much easier and lighter to digest. In addition to the beans being more nutritious this way. Google and you’ll read up a lot of info on soaking instructions. Thank you for your amazing and informative website!
I was always super careful about soaking beans for this reason, but I found out that so many people never heard of it and don’t bother to do it at all. Is soaking beans a myth?
Growing up my mother always soaked and checked the beans not because its lighter to digest but because its so dirty and has to be checked if theres no bad beans. You leave it overnight to soak and then you drain the water a couple of times till it is completely clear easier option is to buy prechecked beans
I sautee the onion in the crockpot with a reynolds liner and some oil on high. Then add in 1 bag cholent beans and 1 cup barley, 2 potatoes, marrow bones and kolichel. Cover with water 3/4 way up. Add in lawry’s seasoned salt, garlic powder, paprika, a drop of pepper. Cook overnight from Thursday night until Friday morning on low. Add in kishka and eggs Friday morning and leave on low until Shabbos day. We usually also steal some Friday night.
Trader Joes Umami Mushroom powder! For a savory cholent, without any ketchup/honey or the like, it adds such delicious flavor!!
Also, I use canned beans. Makes a big difference and saves loads of time soaking and cooking.
Sometimes I do chicken instead of meat.. gives a delicious flavor . I also add chicken soup mix
i put mine up raw and set the crockpot to turn on (high, because i prop the crock up on foil and find that low is no good) a bit before shekia. usually i put in 1.5 packages frozen skin-on chicken wings, half a kishka, 1-2c whole grain barley (make up the shortfall will lentils if i’m out of barley), 250g tomato paste, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, water. maybe one potato or a carrot if i feel like it. onions if i have (or a can of onion but those are expensive), but the kishka is full of onion. we like it well enough, though obviously a proper beefy labor-intensive caterer-style cholent is much better. i do find that having enough fat makes a huge difference, and we accomplish that with all the chicken skin. then makes no difference what grain or pulse you use. and i find that a tiny bit of meat in cholent is depressing, so i’d rather a lot of chicken than a little meat.
I’m obsessed with any restaurant-bought cholent, the one you get at the deli counter or buffet, I would love to hear if anyone knows how I can recreate that delicious deep and savory taste and texture at home?
hi! which crockpot is best to buy?
We have a post on that!
https://betweencarpools.com/what-kind-of-slow-cooker-should-i-get/
wow never saw that-this is the best website it really has everything a Jewish woman needs to know! thanks!
I don’t usually put ketchup in the chulent. I usually use store bought shakshouka sauce (Pri Mevorach in a square red plastic package – for those in Israel).
Spices: Gril Of (chicken grill spice – maya brand)
A lot of Gvishei Shum (granulated garlic- maya brand)
Salt and Pepper/hot paprika/ dried chili pepper
Meat – the best is hacker ribs – but hackers goulash meat is good too
Barley – Ki Tov Vacuum packed Grisei Penina – half a bag if not having guests, full bag if having quests
Cut up potatoes
Sometimes diced onions
There you have it. How to make a delicious savory cholent in Israel. Don’t forget to check spices for bugs (find out which spices need checking) And check the barley if not using the vacuum packed bug-free.
Am I the only person who doesn’t put an onion in the cholent?!?!?!?!?!
I’m so curious, I see all these cholnts that are a mash at the end. Mine has distinct parts. brown the meat in oil on all sides (ossa bucco, maybe, and leander shoulder (neither chopped up). Soaked white beans and barley. Then, layer it, meat on the bottom, bubbelekh, a whole peeled onion, a few cloves of garlic, peeled potatoes on top. Then boiling water with salt, pepper, paprika & silan. Add eggs in the morning, that’s it. You can do it in a pot in the oven or a crockpot.
I make my cholent in a 9×13 in the oven! I add all the ingredients and bake it at 350 from about 1pm until candle lighting. Then I lower it to 200 and leave on just the bottom burner of my oven (I’ve done both burners too). Check the cholent before shabbos the first time you do this and add water if necessary. Adjust the temp accordingly for the future. Enjoy your relaxing motzei shabbos cleanup 🙂
i cook my cholent on high friday morning and then turn to low after 4 hrs till shabbos day…. my barley always burns\ dissapears… any suggestions??
Im left with a vert liquidly cholent