Some good recipes in this book. Very American so some of the ingredients could be tricky to source in the UK.

A decent, well rounded cookbook for a family that loves meat & taters :)

I'd have loved more pictures, but the recipes were easy to follow and the ones I've had a chance to try were delicious

As a European cook, I have to admit to not knowing a great deal about Texan food, but the Tex-Mex foods I have eaten have appealed, so I was intrigued to find out more.

This is not a beautiful book. It has few photographs, and its layout is not very interesting. So not a coffee table book – and on first going through the book, I was put off by this fact.

However, on reading further, and trying some recipes, I revised my opinion; I made the Beef Stew which was a simple recipe, but very tasty. I tried the Fajitas - rather skeptically since my experience is of rare sliced skirt steak- but I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of flavor and tenderness after the slow cooking. Definitely worth trying! For me, recipe books are solely about the quality of the recipes and if they are successful, then the book is a success for me.

So many regional cookbooks (famous chef writes a recipe book on Spanish food, for example) seem to try to adapt recipes and ingredients for a wide audience. There is none of this in Cheryl Jamison’s book – she is unashamedly proud of Texan cuisine and gives a great selection of recipes here

Something else worth noting is that the recipes are easy to adapt to use without a slow cooker – for example I made the Jala-Peach Wings in the oven and they were great. It seemed less work than frying them then cooking them in the slow cooker, and ensured a lovely crisp result.

A wonderful collection of recipes. Easy to follow instructions. I would have liked more pictures of completed recipes, that was the only downside.

This is down-home, Texas cooking at its finest and all done in a handy slow cooker! The comments before each recipe were pretty entertaining to read as well.

Great recipes, beautiful illustrations. I will be trying the recipes!

If you throw Texas in the title of a cookbook, I am likely going to check it out to see if it's a. really Texan, and b. full of deliciousness. I think Cheryl Jamison has succeeded in meeting my criteria. The Texas Slow Cooker is full of fantastically Texan food. I would literally try any recipe in this book. I especially liked the section on chilis (although some would argue any chili with beans is quite in-Texan, I am willing to try any variation on one of my favorite meal time staples).  The sides are also worth mentioning, especially the Mac 'n cheese with a Texas Twist. And of course, the book is full of  fabulous desserts. Particularly notable are the peach cobbler, and Margarita cheesecake. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys utilizing their slow cooker, or who loves good downhome southern food.

Some great recipes and ideas. Some recipes need a lot of ingredients cooking before putting in the pot, they are not all throw in the raw ingredients in the pot n go off to work. That said there are some great recipes that I will be trying.

Texas cooks will love this cookbook. Some people from other parts of the country might also, but if you're not used to the foods that are special to Texans (e.g., queso, anything with Fritos, Texas Red), you might not like many of these recipes. The one disappointment of this book is the lack of photos. When I buy a cookbook, I want to see a photo of every recipe (or nearly so). This book seems to only show one photo at the beginning of each section.. And, the reader is left to guess which recipe goes with that photo, in many cases. The appearance of the rest of the recipes is left to the imagination. On the positive side, there is an abundance of recipes in each category, particularly the meat chapters. If only there were more photos!

I had real high hopes for this cookbook. I mean what's better than Texan recipes and a slow cooker? The recipes, while interesting, really didn't whet my appetite. The reason for this? NO PICTURES! I mean how does one expect to market a cookbook when there are only a handful of pictures. I'd like to at least salivate over a good pic of what I'm attempting to make. I get that a glossy picture filled book is probably way more expensive to produce, but I need more. Sorry, but this faux pas totally destroyed this book for me.

I received a free electronic copy of Texas Slow Cooker: 125 Recipes for the Lone Star State's Very Best Dishes, All Slow-Cooked to Perfection by Cheryl Jamison from NetGalley. I was not very impressed by this recipe book. I don't like that there were no pictures in this cookbook. I wasn't very impressed with the recipes either. I think there are some good recipes in it but nothing that I couldn't live without. I feel like with when purchasing a recipe book, a buyer would normally pick it up and flip through it and the first thing that grabs a buyer is yummy beautiful pictures of food. This book was lacking.

I really hope the print book is better than the digital galley I have been reading. The recipes seem simple and tasty. I’d love to try the French Toast Casserole, Blue Crab and Corn Soup, and drunken Deshebrada. However, the days of the black and white cookbook are gone. If I want a cookbook with just recipes, I will purchase the cookbook from the local church group. This book has an amazing cover, but you do not get to see and drool over pictures of the amazing food inside. Just recipe after recipe. There is one picture in the beginning of each chapter, but it’s not enough. The food food needs to look good, just not read good.

I recently changed my nutrition to clean eating and have been looking for some ways to cook grass fed beef. This cookbook did not disappoint. I expected there to be great recipes (it's Texas after all). The introductions are well written, the food photography is beautiful, and most importantly, the recipes are fantastic. The author focuses and slow cooker meals that don't taste bland--like a lot of show cooker meals do. Well done.

The cover alone will make you drool in anticipation and want to hit the grocery store to stock up on ingredients so you can get elbow deep in some good old fashioned Texas cooking.

Cheryl Jamison did a great job in how she presented the recipes; they are easy to read, follow and their placement is eye appealing. You get large titles that jump out at you with short introductory paragraphs explaining the dish along with serving portions and cooking times. Ingredients are neatly listed followed by instructions in short numbered paragraph form. Essentially the best way possible to set out a recipe to make it as easy as possible to follow. The only way to make this easier and better would be a picture which brings me to my one complaint.

My only negative in how she organized them was the lack of photos. I’m a visual person and gravitate towards cookbooks with photos so I can compare how I’m doing and to understand better what to do.

As Texas is highly influenced by the Mexican culture you will find many recipes showcasing those tastes such as Chile Relleno but you also get the prototypical southern fair like Praline Bread Pudding.

The introduction is well-written and provides tips about safety as well as cooking different types of foods together so they complement one another.

I tried a few and used google images to look up the dishes to see how close I got which helped but also felt a little bit like I was defeating the point of having a cookbook right in front of me that is supposed to do all the teaching.

I thought the variety was great and well represented the state and its influences but I just couldn’t get past the lack of images.

The Chapters included are:
1. A BREAKFAST TO KICKSTART YOUR DAY
2. STARTERS, TAILGATING SNACKS, AND SOUPS
3. CHILI AND STEWS
4. BEEF, BISON, AND VENISON
5. PORK, GOAT, AND POULTRY
6. GULF SEAFOOD AND FRESHWATER FISH
7. BEANS, VEGETABLES, AND OTHER SIDES
8. DESSERTS AND OTHER SWEETS

A really nice collection of recipes. If only there were pictures.

This book is for someone who doesn't have much time to cook, which is pretty much all of us. The recipes are very common ones like King Ranch Casserole.

TITLE: Hey y’all! There’s Menudo, Barbacoa, Deshebrada, Gulf Gumbo and A Bowl of Red in this slow cooker book!

I’ve been happy with this slow cooker book since opening and reading its first pages. And reading and working with the recipes increased my pleasure as I worked through the chapters.

For instance, from the first chapter, I found Menudo along with pecan steel-cut oatmeal, grits, a French toast that’s more like a bread pudding, and an apple-laced Dutch Baby, (which we were introduced to as an oven-bake in Jamison’s Breakfast book). I’d call it all American fare, with an exaggerated, big, huge nod to Texas favorites.

There are some breakfast/brunch dishes that are must-tries: A Hatch chile, egg and cheese casserole and a strata made with fresh chorizo and sweet peppers. And there is a fairly authentic recipe included for Menudo, which lends itself easily to an overnight slow cooking process. It comes close to a recipe I use from “Dishes From The Wild Horse Desert” by Melissa Guerra—just tweaked to make some steps more convenient and to concentrate more flavor into less liquid at the get go.

If you are a fan of Jamisons’ cookbooks—and there have been many of them--you should already be accommodating of, and not surprised by, the fact that there are no pictures—just great recipes. If this is your first taste of Jamison recipes, I suggest you read the recipe, imagine the dish as you will, make it your own, and don’t complain or criticize about the lack of pictures. Seriously people, saying, “I need to see how the dish is supposed to look”, stifles your creativity.

Texans tailgate, it’s a fact and no doubt about it. And there is a whole chapter (#2), dedicated to recipes suitable to that pastime, plus many more throughout the book which work well for tailgating. What makes these recipes even easier is the fact that there are Crock Pots available with lock-down handles, especially made for traveling. The Queso recipe is pretty basic, (check out the new Ten Speed Press cookbook “Queso!” by Lisa Fain, for alternatives that can be adapted using this recipe as a guide, coming out soon.) And there is a current Texas standby: Spinach-Artichoke Dip with jalapeno. I found very helpful: A slow-cook, easy, fool-proof way to make spiced pecans. Need a stand-by wing recipe? There is one here that uses pickled jalapeños and peach jam. This chapter also includes a few favorite soups: Tortilla, Black Bean, Beef and Barley, Blue Crab and Corn. Remember that weird old favorite, Lil’ Smokies and Grape Jelly? There is something similar, yet spicier: Lil’ Smokies in crushed pineapple.

Chilis and Stews chapter contains six versions of Chili. There is one for a classic bowl of red beef and chilis, no tomato, of course). And since it is a Jamison family recipe, you know it’s authentic (except it lacks that distinctive top layer of chili-tinted beef oil, which is probably a good thing!). Then there is a version with tomato, and one with beans, and one with chicken and fresh chorizo, one with venison and one with turkey and black beans, one with pork. Because stews and slow cookers go hand in hand, I feel it necessary to call out the very worthy green chili and pork, the South Texas Venison Stew, Texas Red Wine and Beef Stew, Hopkins County Chicken Stew (Sulphur Springs), and a Hill Country German Goulash (William Gebhardt immigrated to Texas and made himself famous with his Gebhardt’s Chili Powder.)

Okay, so you are thinking I’m spending a lot of time listing recipes here. Yes, I am. I simply want to make a major point of saying—and giving examples of—the fact that there is a lot of Texas in these recipes. Like almost all Jamison cookbooks, a lot of effort always went into researching and planning their books for publication. Now that Cheryl Jamison is on her own (so sad to hear her partner/friend/husband Bill passed away), she has not shortchanged us on the background information. And lively tongue-in-cheek humor is much in evidence—and keeps the ball rolling. Hardly ever a dull moment in this Jamison cookbook! There are so many fun facts, bits of history and lore in this book! It all speaks to her personable style, her great writing skills and her attention to details—and of course, her vast experience.

I am going to continue on with my rattling off of great recipes below, because I’m excited about so many of them, and I am truly looking forward to continue working with this book all Fall and Winter long—and maybe I’ll even be prompted to keep using my slow cookers through the hot months, too. (And I will also continue my list because the “Look Inside” feature on this product page lacks an index page and half of its contents page, and not even one recipe is included…..) But, if you have had enough of my excitement, let me just sum up for you:

The ingredient lists don’t leave room for any doubt, neither do the very clear and numbered instructions. Ingredients are listed in Imperial and Metric units. And you will find details like “plump” garlic cloves, “2-bite size” chunks of Yukon or red waxy potatoes, and suggestions for brands like “Ro-Tel. Serving sizes are usually 6-8. Cooking times don’t often go beyond 8 hours and some are much shorter. Some recipes need ingredients to be browned, some don’t. (There is a nice beef pot roast where the chuck roast goes in the cooker without browning, for instance.) And if the contents of the cooker can sit and coast on Warm, she mentions it. Some recipes can be cooked either on High or Low, and she mentions that, too. Index is decent.

For the most part, though, most of these recipes do not lend themselves to people who work ten hour days or who have long commutes. But those folks can always make use of these slow cook recipes on the weekends. And sometimes you can get creative and stretch cooking times by adding certain cold or frozen ingredients, or using a cooker with a timer and an automatic switch to warm when the cooking process is over. (Good common sense and thoughtfulness is needed for attempting to stretch cooking times.)

It is a jam-packed cookbook, with plenty beef and pork, and a few token chicken recipes and one for goat. Plus a chapter on Gulf seafood and freshwater fish. Beans and grains are not so prevalent and are mixed with other sides and vegetables. There are some desserts, too.

Got to try:
--Faux Q: ‘Que in a slow cooker, both a brisket recipe and a turkey leg recipe.
--Dr. Pepper Braised Brisket: This is a perfect recipe for work commuters: Slice one pound of onions and divide into rings and gather together six other simple ingredients (including spices and a can of Dr. Pepper. Add it all to the cooker in the morning along with an un-browned 4 pound brisket. Done in 10 hours on Low.
--Barbacoa: If you find a recipe for Barbacoa using beef chuck, I’ll tell you flat out—it ain’t Barbacoa! The recipe in this book uses beef cheeks, as is proper. If you have been making Barbacoa with chuck, mimicking a large restaurant chain, you haven’t been making—or eating—Barbacoa! And when cheek meat is cooked low and slow, you don’t even have to tediously remove the silver skin….
--Chili Gravy, in memory of the first Tex-Mex restaurant, opened in 1897, in—of all wacky and wonderful places—Marfa.
--Smoky Pork Ribs: A 3-pound rack, standing up in the pot, coated with a very nice smoky dry-spice mix. It’s basically dry cooked for 8 hours on low, just drizzled with a tablespoon of vinegar and Worcestershire before closing the lid and turning on the heat. When done, they take a trip under the broiler, brushed with sauce.
--Tired of dry pork loin boneless roasts? Try this one with sweet potatoes and onions, herbs, some heat and bacon.
--Pork Carnitas uses an unconventional technique, but it is easy and not messy.
--Regarding chicken: Chicken breasts with a chipotle cream sauce or try margarita-glazed. And, of course, the very famous King Ranch Chicken Casserole. There is also Chicken Spaghetti and Posole and chicken and Dumplings, Chicken Tinga, to name a few.
--To highlight Texas’ waters, there is a Snapper and Shellfish Stew that allows for almost any substitution and a Gulf Gumbo, with a recipe for a Slow Roux made in the cooker!
--The Garlic Shrimp with Vermicelli cooks (2 pounds peeled large shrimp) in an hour and a half on High.
--Beans, beans, beans: Drunken, baked, red with rice, and some black-eyed peas, too.
--There are a few token potato recipes, a few veggie sides. I liked the Creole cabbage.
--There are a dozen desserts, but we don’t do much in the way of sweets at our house. They look good though: Peach cobbler, Grapefruit Pudding Cake, Pear Butter, Fig Preserves and Flan, to name a few.

*I received a temporary download of this book from the publisher, and soon realized that I would have to have it for my own library—to sit amongst my other Jamison cookbooks. So you will see the Verified Purchase tag above my review.

As a long time fan of Bill and Cheryl Jamison’s cookbooks I knew I would love this cook book and I wasn't wrong. In The Texas Slow Cooker Cheryl Jamison does an amazing job of making Tex-Mex and classic Texas recipes in the slow cooker including Dr. Pepper and Texas Sheet cake. She chose to honor her late husband Bill's heritage by doing a Texas themed book. I'm sure he would be proud of this book. All the recipes are in an easy to use format with a brief introduction to each and cover everything from breakfast to dessert. Even though I would have loved to see more pictures this is another must have All the recipes are in an easy to use format.

Delicious recipes. Very well written and easy to follow. I am looking forward to testing many of the recipes.