This is super simple to make, and is just as good as any of the local take-out places in Hawaii. A few hours before I want to serve it, I put the juices in tall cups and put in the freezer when shredding the meat to help remove some of the fat. Then as I'm shredding the meat, I remove any large chunks - not so much because I am concerned about fat content but because I don't like the slimy feeling it leaves in my mouth. Then, once the meat is shredded and fat removed, I put it back in the crockpot. Take the juices out of the freezer, remove the fat that has floated to the top, and add all the juice back to the crockpot too. MMM.

Reviewed On: Oct. 9, 2010

Great combo of flavors, but I did change the quantities a bit: 1 pound of bacon, cut small before frying and draining, 2 pounds of peas, rinsed under cold water to thaw instead of cooking, skipped the onions (I had none on hand), about a cup of shredded cheese, and just enough ranch to coat everything (about half a cup). I didn't want my peas swimming in dressing, so I only added enough to get a small amount of flavor from it. It was a HUGE hit at a potluck dinner party, and super simple to make.

Reviewed On: Apr. 30, 2010

I made a few changes the second time around : used regular rice (but still used the water from the corn to cook it), left out the lemon juice, used raw red onion, didn't reserve the liquid from the beans, and I forgot to add the tomatoes. The salad was pretty good, but I liked it better when I fried up the leftovers in a bit of olive oil and then put into a tortilla with cheese and salsa. Either way, I think it makes for a filling vegetarian meal.

Reviewed On: Feb. 9, 2008