Crockpot Grinders

What a name.  I know, the first time I came across this recipe I thought "what on earth is a crockpot grinder?".  It's a sandwich, made in the crockpot.  WHAT?!?!?!



Yes, the crockpot, that little device that seems to bring a huge smile to my face especially when the weather starts cooling down.  I tend to do more slow cooking in the fall and winter for soups and puddings and mac and cheese and even mashed potatoes.  Yum!

Anyway, back to the Crockpot Grinder.  Yes, this one I actually found while browsing Pinterest.  It's funny but lately anything I make people ask "Oh is that from Pinterest?"  LOL  Ummm...believe it or not, I don't go to Pinterest very often, I much prefer blog browsing through my Google Reader :) Thank you to Big Red Kitchen for this great recipe, I'm already imagining different combinations of meats and cheeses for the next one.

Only problem I had was that the loaf of bread I was using was way too big for my slow cooker, so I had to cut it in half, but the good part is that the other half is wrapped in foil and tomorrow will be popped into the oven for a quick lunch.

Crockpot Grinders
Adapted from: Big Red Kitchen

one round loaf Artisan Italian Bread
slices provolone
slices ham
pepperoni
jalapeno peppers
onion slices
oregano

Slice bread 13 times, almost all the way through but leaving 1/2 inch space at the bottom. (the only bread I could find was presliced, but all I did was made sure not to push the cheese and the meats all the way to bottom)

Layer slices of cheese and top with ham, pepperoni, onion slices, jalapeno peppers and then sprinkle on some oregano. Repeat until you have enough filling for as many sandwiches as you're making.

Fold each bundle in half and tuck down between every other slice of bread. Now it may look like the sandwich is starting to separate, all I did was put some heavy mason jars on either side to keep it from opening all together.

Once all done, wrap the whole bread tightly with foil....two times. So double the foil.

In the crockpot, I made some balls out of foil and placed them on the bottom, it's just so the sandwich doesn't sit directly on the base.

Pour in 1/4 cup of water, then place the sandwich on top of the foil balls (haha, sorry it always makes me laugh).

Cover and cook on low for 2 to 4 hours. To serve, just unwrap from the foil, separate the sandwiches and enjoy.

The center sandwiches are pretty big so I sliced those in half.

I served mine with a simple salad.  Got big thumbs up from the family :)

For the original recipe, head on on over to Big Red Kitchen.