Best Classic Cholent

Chantzy Weinstein Chantzy Weinstein
5.0 (2 reviews)

Cholent is the traditional warm food served at the Shabbos lunch meal, and also the food that brings bachurim together on Thursday nights. How to make it and who serves the best version is a heavily debated topic. Some people literally put in everything but the kitchen sink—honey, coffee, beer, duck sauce, Coke, just to name a few of the add-ins I’ve heard of. I’m a little more traditional than that and I’m happy to share my best version with you.

I personally love using my six-quart slow cooker for cholent, which requires a lot less “babysitting” than a pot. I line the pot with heavy duty foil and then a Reynolds crock liner. The foil will keep the bag from sticking to the sides, as some slow cookers get hotter than others. (I highly suggest using Reynolds brand plastic liners, because some of the other brands are thinner and tear easily, creating a huge mess.) There is no need to add water under the bag.

4h 30m 6
Easy Meat

Contains: Gluten, Wheat

Directions

  1. Check beans and barley for any bugs or pebbles that sometimes find their way into the bag.

  2. Place checked beans and barley into a large ziplock bag. Add water to the bag, then drain water out and refill the bag with hot water. Let soak for about four to six hours.

  3. Add beans and barley to a slow cooker, along with all remaining ingredients and approximately eight to nine cups water. Cook on high for about four hours, then switch to low. When reducing heat, check on the cholent to see if it is starting to look dry, and add some additional water if needed.

Notes:
You can start the cholent on Thursday afternoon, as I do, and check on it Friday morning. If you’d rather cook it on Friday, soak the beans on Thursday night, then cook the cholent on high all day Friday and switch to low heat right before Shabbos.

Every slow cooker is different, so you may need a few weeks to get to know your pot and how quickly it cooks on different settings. (My personal preference is the original Crock-Pot brand.)

There are so many delicious add ins to cholent — hot dogs, kielbasa, kishka, and marrow bones, to name a few. My personal favorite is butternut squash, or as I call it, mock kishka. Peel and cut the squash into very large chunks and place 2-3 chunks on the side of the pot after the cholent has already been cooking for a few hours. Don’t wrap it in foil because you want it to take on the flavors of the cholent. Don’t worry, it won’t change the flavor of the rest of the pot! If you only use 1/2 or 1/4 of the squash each week, you can freeze the rest of it for another time. When ready to use, add it straight to the pot—no need to defrost.

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