Sizzling burgers and blistered corn on the cob — this is how many mark the beginning of summer.
WalletHub reported that 65% of Americans plan to barbecue this Memorial Day weekend, and while grilling may be synonymous with the holiday, slow cookers can take a lot of the stress out of hosting by making sides and barbecue meats with minimal effort.
"You can free up so much of your time by using a slow cooker and hang out with your guests instead of laboring in the kitchen," Chungah Rhee, the author of the blog Damn Delicious, told Business Insider. "Especially for side dishes or dips. You put it all together, set the time, and it comes out ready to go."
From mouthwatering barbecue ribs to savory pulled-pork sandwiches, these slow-cooker recipes are perfect for any Memorial Day cookout.
For your Memorial Day cookout this year, try making the potato salad using your slow cooker.
You can parboil potatoes in a slow cooker by chopping them, covering them with water, and seasoning with salt, pepper, and butter, then cooking on low for about six hours, or until fork-tender.
Then mix the dressing for your potato salad as you normally would, using mayonnaise, dill, whole-grain mustard, and a splash of red wine vinegar.
You can also make a German-style potato salad with bacon, light dressing, and baby potatoes.
Dips, such as this spinach-and-artichoke dip, are also easily made in a slow cooker.
"I love to make spinach-and-artichoke dip in my slow cooker," Rhee, who shares a recipe on Damn Delicious, told Business Insider.
This set-it-and-forget-it corn-and-jalapeño dip is creamy and easy to make.
"Another favorite of mine is this corn-and-jalapeño dip," Rhee said.
The recipe combines many of summer's best ingredients, from fresh, vibrant jalapeños to sweet corn.
Buffalo-chicken dip is another quick and easy favorite you can make in a slow cooker.
One of the benefits of making a slow-cooker Buffalo-chicken dip, like this recipe on Rhee's blog — or any other side dish in a slow cooker — is that it can be prepared well ahead of time and reheated when you're ready to eat.
Rhee said first-time slow-cooker hosts may want to start with a simple dip or side dish before tackling a main course.
"If for some reason it doesn't turn out, because we all know that can happen using an appliance for the first time, it's not detrimental to your dinner party being a success," she said.
Queso can serve a whole party when made in a slow cooker.
This creamy queso dip from Martha Stewart uses ingredients like American cheese and pepper jack cheese, a can of evaporated milk, diced tomatoes with chilies, sliced jalapeños, red onion, and cilantro.
Brisket is an easy, crowd-pleasing option for feeding a larger group.
"Brisket is a natural partner for the slow cooker, as a gentle braise renders it meltingly tender," Kim Laidlaw writes in her cookbook, "Everyday Slow Cooking: Modern Recipes for Delicious Meals."
Laidlaw's recipe for slow-cooked braised brisket includes garlic, onion, dry red wine, carrot, and chicken or beef stock, with a chimichurri sauce.
Pulled-pork sliders are another great way to use your slow cooker for a cookout.
One of the best ways to use braised and slow-cooked pork shoulder is to make pulled-pork sliders, like this Damn Delicious recipe, with all that tender meat.
For an upgraded take, pile the meat onto brioche buns or potato rolls and top it with barbecue sauce and slaw. The carnitas also work well in tacos.
You can also make barbecue ribs in a slow cooker.
Nothing screams an end-of-summer cookout like sauce-covered ribs, like Laidlaw's recipe as shared on Cooking by the Book. After cooking them in the slow cooker, transfer them to a baking sheet and broil until slightly crispy.
To save space on your grill, you can also make slow-cooked sausages and beer brats in the slow cooker.
Brats with onions, peppers, and garlic simmered in the slow cooker with beer — like this recipe by The Magical Slow Cooker — are one way to use your slow cooker over Memorial Day weekend.
Top your brats with a bit of sauerkraut and put them on buns for an easy summer dish.
Mac and cheese can also be made in a slow cooker.
If you're looking to add some carbs to your menu, look no further than a piping hot pot of mac and cheese. Martha Stewart's recipe for mac and cheese in a slow cooker calls for evaporated milk, three kinds of cheese, and homemade breadcrumbs.
Garlic-and-herb mushrooms are a delicious side dish but can also be used as a burger topping.
"The recipe for slow-cooker garlic-herb mushrooms is divine and so easy," Rhee said. "Mushrooms made in a slow cooker are truly the best."
Shredded Buffalo chicken pairs well with salads.
One of the best — and easiest — ways to use your Crock-Pot or slow cooker is to make shredded Buffalo chicken, such as this recipe from The Magical Slow Cooker.
Add seasoned chicken breasts to the slow cooker and cover with your preferred Buffalo sauce. Then add a splash of ranch dressing and a cube of butter, toss your chicken breasts in the mixture to coat fully, and cook until the chicken is shreddable. You can use it for Buffalo-chicken sliders, salads, or tacos.
You can even make Buffalo or barbecue chicken wings using a slow cooker.
You can make any style of wings in a slow cooker, from Asian-style to barbecue and Buffalo wings. Add your wings to the slow cooker, add your sauce of choice, toss to combine, and cook for a couple of hours on high.
To make them crisp up, add a cornstarch and water mixture to your slow cooker. After they're cooked through, broil them for a few minutes in the oven.
Meatballs make a great appetizer for guests and don't require cooking over a hot stove.
Meatballs make the perfect appetizer for parties big and small and are easy to make in a slow cooker.
Place your seasoned, raw meatballs in the slow cooker, top with sauce, and let it finish them off, says one recipe from Spend With Pennies. Serve them on their own with toothpicks or stuff them inside toasted sub rolls for a meatball sandwich.
