Good recipe, and a definite keeper. However, that said, I made some changes. I skipped the browning phase, and added some freshly ground pepper to the sauce. I used Apple Cider vinegar instead of the Red Wine vinegar. I also added 1 tsp onion powder, approx. 1/3 cup corn starch, and 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes (it sounds like a lot, but it just gives it a little zip). I realized that although the sauce tasted wonderful in the crock pot, as with all recipes like this I've tried, it was very bland on the rice. So, before I put the leftovers away, I simmered the remaining sauce, which condensed it quite a bit. In the future, before serving this dish, I'm going to reserve approximately 3 - 4 cups of the sauce about 1 hour before serving this dish. I will use my gravy separator to remove excess grease, and then I will simmer the liquid while I cook the veggies, rice, etc. Our leftovers were AMAZING after I condensed the gravy. Thanks, Pam, for this recipe!

Reviewed On: Aug. 22, 2009