Is it necessary to brown meat first before going in crockpot?

The entire reason of using a crockpot is to skip those steps. Has anyone made a recipe w/ ground meat in the crockpot w/out browning it first. If I have it on low for 7-8 hours, I would think it would get brown on is own?

Every freakin recipe I find is brown meat in skillet first. So annoying.

Re: Is it necessary to brown meat first before going in crockpot?

I think that they tell you to brown the meat just to get rid of some excess fat.

I could be totally wrong, though.....

Message edited 12/6/2006 8:42:11 AM.

Re: Is it necessary to brown meat first before going in crockpot?

i feel the same way! i was wondering about this, too!

Re: Is it necessary to brown meat first before going in crockpot?

The reason is because while the crockpot cooks the food, it will never brown. Most recipes call for this browning for cosmetic purposes only....so it's really your choice. Sometimes the meat tastes a little better and looks a little better when it is browned first.

Re: Is it necessary to brown meat first before going in crockpot?

I agree w/ gwen but I always make chili w/out browning the meat first and it's great. I use very lean chopped meat though, or else I think it would get really greasy.

Re: Is it necessary to brown meat first before going in crockpot?

Thanks guys so much. I now have a better understanding of it.