The Rival Crock Pot BBQ Pit cooker: A review of an indoor alternative to the outdoor or balcony BBQ

Last time I offered up a new Rival Elume Crock Pot review, this time around I want to take a look at an equally new and unique kind of rival appliance: the Rival Crock Pot BBQ Pit cooker.

There is no question that the well known Rival crock Pot brand of slow cooker has long since become a cornerstone appliance in many North American homes, however it is very likely that a majority of Crock Pot users are only vaguely aware at best of one of the most recent Rival slow cooker inventions: the Rival Crock Pot BBQ Pit. It is probably no surprise to hear that the BBQ Pit crock pot comes with its own learning curve; this is one Rival appliance that you probably don't want to try and use straight out of the box without at least a cursory perusal of the included instruction manual/cookbook. It is also a good idea to make use of the included meat rack as well as to make sure that you are using dry meats before you begin to achieve better barbecue style results with your cooking efforts. If you should decide to cook any foods without using the included rack expect your results to be more stew-like in nature.

There are a few positive and negative features about the BBQ Pit Crock.

First the positives; The counter-top design of the appliance means that it is quite easy to use indoors. Obviously this is a big selling point for the appliance: the ability to perform barbeque-style cooking inside of the home. Another plus is the included rack which is adjustable to two positions depending on whether you are going to be cooking something like ribs or other types of meats. One more positive feature of the indoor BBQ Pit is that it comes with a removable stoneware liner that is both dishwasher safe as well as oven safe, a feature that is becoming more noticable with some of the most recently released Rival Crock Pots.

Of course I also said that there are some less desirable, or negative, features to this appliance. Although the unit is promoted as an indoor barbequing solution, it is a rather large appliance (by neccessity) and as a result it will require more extensive storage space than most other appliances that you might own but not have out at all times. Also, you might find it is rather challenging to completely remove some burned on foods from the surface of the stoneware when cleaning it. There are also no handles on the bottom of the heating unit of the BBQ Crock Pot, so you have to make sure that you place it carefully before you start barbequing, because you won't be wanting to move it once the unit has started cooking.

If you should have a larger-sized dishwasher in your home, then it would be a more desirable method of cleaning your BBQ crock pot's stoneware insert. If instead you should decide to wash any burned on foods off of the insert by hand it will take quite an effort due to its larger size. I have heard others suggest that spraying cooking oil on the insert before using it will make clean up much easier. I have also heard that using a paste of water and baking soda is an effective-yet less abrasive way of cleaning tough stains off of the insert.

The entire Crock Pot BBQ unit measures in at around 20 by 16 inches, so you better plan on making some room to store it. The unit has no handles on the base heating unit, so don't try to move it once it has heated up. However, there are handles attached to the stoneware crock insert. Really, the bottom line here is that the Crock Pot BBQ Pit won't end up replacing your traditional gas or charcoal barbecuing methods, but it will offer you a convenient and effective indoor alternative for those occasions when barbecuing outdoors is just not a feasible option.

**Update: On a side note, I have recently come across a gourmet recipes site called The Recessionproof Gourmet that offers a killer gourmet steak recipe that you might feel up to the challenge of preparing in the BBQ Pit cooker. whether or not you feel up to trying that recipe with the cooker, I really encourage you to give the site a look through because the other recipes that have been posted on there so far are equally intriguing. The site is quite new so there are only a few recipes on there so far but with more coming in the future...