Good things come to those who ... wait

Cooler weather calls for heartier meals, cooked over many hours, locking in flavour and filling the house with heavenly aromas.

Whether you prefer to cook a roast on low in the oven for an afternoon or toss everything into a slow cooker so you can walk away and do something else, one thing is clear, slow cooking is wonderfully hands-off way to create incredible flavour. We recently tried simple slow cooker stewed apples and now we are addicted; we are swapping them for feijoas here as they are still falling thick and fast from the tree. Meanwhile a cheap cut of beef gets a deliciously slow makeover and duck legs become a thing of legend. Slow-cooked pulled chipotle beef This recipe uses brisket as it "pulls'’ apart really well due to its long muscle fibres. However using any other cheaper cut of beef is fine too, blade, chuck, shin etc. You can also use other types of meat — pork shoulder (a very cheap cut) is terrific, especially for tacos. This dish is so easy you won’t believe how good the end result is for so little effort. And this basic recipe can be used to create a few different dishes over a few days, turning a slow-cooked meal into a quick one for a mid-week dinner. 1 kg piece of lean beef brisket 330 ml bottle dark beer

1 cup beef stock

¼ cup chipotle sauce

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 onion, peeled and chopped 1 cinnamon stick

1 dried chilli, optional 1 Heat oven to 160C.

2 Cut brisket into large 5cm pieces. Place in a heavybased casserole dish with a tight-fitting lid and add beer, beef stock, chipotle sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, onion, cinnamon stick and dried chilli (if using). There should be just enough liquid to cover the meat.

3 Cover with a lid and cook in oven for 3-4 hours or until the meat is soft and shreds easily. Note: if your lid does not fit tightly, cover dish with tinfoil before placing the lid on top – this will help to create a seal.

4 Check on the meat after about 2 hours — if it is looking a little dry, top it up with a little more stock and beer.

5 Once cooked, remove beef from the dish and place on a chopping board. Pour the liquid into a saucepan and boil for about 5 minutes to reduce a little. 6 Meanwhile, use two forks to shred the meat, pulling the long fibres away from each other. Mix shredded meat with the reduced liquid — the meat will soak up the sauce.

Serve with simple mashed potatoes and greens.