The on-field action will be fast-paced for Super Bowl Sunday.

But that doesn’t mean your food has to be fast, too.

Relying on a slow-cooker for your football feast is a simple way to cook with little effort.

“It’s so much easier,” says Liz Karr, owner of Liz Karr Catering, 512 E. Ninth St. “It can be cooking while you’re doing lots of other things.”

The slow-cooker – that’s a Crock-Pot to most of you who don’t have to worry about trademark laws – was introduced in the 1970s and remains a popular wedding gift. But Beth Hensperger, author of “Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook,” says many people don’t know how versatile it can be.

“Many people have them,” she says. “They say, ‘Oh, I have something like that, and it’s in the closet.'”

Slow-cookers cook food at around 190 degrees on the low setting, and 290 for the high setting. The relatively low temperatures mean food often has to cook for hours.

But it also means flavors have plenty of time to meld, and meat – even cheaper, tougher cuts – can become tender. And because the temperature is so low, you usually don’t have to worry about scorching.

That makes the slow-cooker a valuable kitchen tool, even at a time when most gadgets work to help you get done with your meal more quickly.

And the possibilities extend beyond the two workhorses of the slow-cooker world: cheese dip with Rotel and little smokies with barbecue sauce.

Hensperger, who lives in Mountain View, Calif., recommends it for just about any food, from meat loaf to stew. For Super Bowl Sunday, she suggests making chili, chicken wings or ribs.

“If you put it on the warm setting, you can leave it plugged in on the table,” she says. “Everybody eats at the beginning, and then there’s that second wave.”

Karr, the local caterer, says her favorite slow-cooker recipes are brisket cooked with beer and black bean dip.

No matter what you cook, though, she says it’s simple.

“It’s always a case where you put everything in, put the lid on and turn it on,” she says. “Then you come back several hours later, and your meal is ready.”

Smoked beer brisket

1 whole brisket

3 tablespoons fresh chopped garlic

1/2 cup liquid smoke

1 can or bottle of beer

2 tablespoons ground black pepper

Trim most visible fat from brisket. Cut the whole pieces in 1/2 or 1/3 to fit in crock pot. Place ingredients in slow cooker. Put lid on pot, turn on low setting and cook at least six to eight hours.

Source: Liz Karr Catering

Black bean dip

8 cans black beans

1 small can chopped green chiles

1 small can or jar of chopped tomatillos

2 tablespoons ground cumin

Little smokies in barbecue sauce

2 tablespoons chili powder

3 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups Monterey jack cheese or 2 cups queso fresco cheese.

Drain most of liquid from beans. Place in slow cooker with remaining ingredients. Simmer on low setting for two hours, then take a potato masher or hand-held blender and partially mash some of the beans, leaving 1/3 of them whole. Add cheese. Serve with tortilla chips.

Source: Liz Karr Catering

Gringo Chili for a Crowd

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 pounds lean ground beef or chuck

3 cloves garlic, minced

6 large yellow onions, chopped

4 medium-size green bell peppers, seeded and chopped

3 ribs celery, chopped

Four 15-ounce cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Three 28-ounce cans whole tomatoes, with their juices

Two 6-ounce cans tomato paste

1/4 cup chili powder or pure New Mexican chile powder, or to taste

3 pinches of cayenne pepper

3 cloves

1 bay leaf

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Salt to taste

For serving:

Shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Shredded sharp Monterey jack cheese

Shredded iceberg lettuce (some people like napa cabbage)

Sliced ripe black olives

Strips of roasted green chile peppers

chopped tomatoes

Sliced radishes

Sour cream

Guacamole

Chopped fresh cilantro

chopped green onions or red onion

Lime wedges

In a very large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil, then cook the ground beef and garlic until the meat is no longer pink, breaking up any clumps; drain off the fat. You may have to do this in two or three batches. Place in the slow cooker. Add the onions and bell peppers to the skillet and cook, stirring, until tender; add to the cooker. Add the celery, kidney beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder, cayenne, cloves, bay leaf, and vinegar to the cooker and stir to combine.

Cover and cook on LOW for 9 to 12 hours, stirring occasionally. The last hour, season with salt. If the chili is too thin, leave the lid off and cook a bit longer or thicken with masa harina mixed into a paste with some water; if it is too thick, add a splash of red wine. The longer you let it simmer, the better it gets. Serve with toppings on the side. Serves 12 to 16.

Source: “Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook: Entertaining”

Always-Smooth Chile Con Queso

1 1/2 pounds Monterey jack cheese, cubed

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

Cheese dip with Rotel

2 medium-size white onions, finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely minced garlic

Three 4-ounce cans roasted whole green chiles, drained and coarsely chopped

and coarsely chopped

2 jalapeno chiles, seeded and minced

Dash of salt (optional)

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Tortilla chips for dipping

Place the jack cheese in the slow cooker; cover and set on LOW. Stir frequently until melted. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter, then add the onions and cook, stirring, until quite limp and transparent but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a minute or two more. Add the chiles and jalapeños and cook, stirring, about 5 minutes more. Add the salt, if needed, and season with pepper.

Scrape the mixture into the slow cooker and stir to combine with the melted cheese. Cover and keep on LOW for up to an hour. Set the slow cooker in the entertaining area. Set on low, leave the cover off, and dip tortilla chips into the queso. Serves 10.

Source: “Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook: Entertaining”

Barbecued Chicken Wings for a Crowd

1 1/2 cups BBQ Queens’ Barbecue Spice (recipe following) or other barbecue

spice mixture

5 pounds chicken wings

2 cups your favorite commercial tomato-based barbecue sauce

Place the barbecue spice in a large paper bag or a pan, then toss the chicken wings in the spice mixture. Coat the slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Pile the wings in the cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 2 hours, then pour the barbecue sauce over the wings. Stir to blend until evenly coated and cook for another 2 hours or until the wings are tender. Serve hot or warm.

BBQ Queens’ Barbecue Spice

1/3 cup ground black pepper

1/3 cup sweet Hungarian paprika

3 tablespoons garlic powder

3 tablespoons onion salt

2 tablespoons dry mustard

2 tablespoons celery seed

2 tablespoons chili powder of choice

Combine all ingredients in a large glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Secure the lid and shake to blend. Will keep in the cupboard for several months.

Source: “Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook: Entertaining”

Slow Cooked Pulled BBQ Chicken

1 small yellow onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1 large garlic clove, minced (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)

8 to 10 (2 pounds) boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon dried ground chipotle chile powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 to 12 hamburger buns, split

Spray the crock with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle the onion and garlic over the bottom, then top with the chicken thighs. Stir the ketchup, cider vinegar, canola oil, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, chipotle chile powder, and salt together in a medium bowl until well blended; pour over the thighs. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours, until the chicken is fork tender and easily pulls apart.

Remove the chicken from the slow cooker. In batches, pull apart with two forks into thick shreds then return to the sauce in the crock and stir to combine. Pile into buns and have lots of napkins nearby.

Source: “Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook: Entertaining”

Little smokies

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 cup chili sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons onion, chopped

4-5 drops Tobasco sauce

1 package little smokies

Mix all ingredients in slow-cooker and heat through.

Source: www.cooks.com

Cheese dip

1 can Rotel tomatoes with peppers, drained

1 clove garlic

1 medium onion, chopped

2 pounds Velveeta cheese

Combine ingredients and melt slowly.

Source: www.justslowcooking.com