Beef

Choose chuck, stew meat, flank, brisket, short ribs, shanks, or oxtails; ground beef needs to be parcooked (browned briefly on the stovetop) so it doesn’t clump up unpleasantly in the cooker. Avoid most steaks, which are almost always better cooked hot and fast. Grass-fed beef may take longer to cook to absolute tenderness than grain-fed, so you might wish to factor that into your planning.