14 easy cookout foods you can make in a slow cooker

You can parboil potatoes in a slow cooker by chopping them, covering them with water, seasoning with salt, pepper, and butter, and cooking on low for about 6 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.

"I love to make spinach-and-artichoke dip in my slow cooker," Rhee, who shares a recipe on Damn Delicious, told Business Insider. 

"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.

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.

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 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.

Braised pork shoulder shines in dishes that let its tender, fall-apart texture take center stage, like this Damn Delicious recipe.

Turn the meat into pulled-pork sliders by serving it on soft brioche buns or potato rolls with barbecue sauce and crunchy coleslaw. If you're craving something different, the same slow-cooked pork also makes an excellent taco filling.

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.

Brats with onions, peppers, and garlic, simmered in the slow cooker with beer — like this recipe from The Magical Slow Cooker — are one way to use your slow cooker over the Fourth of July weekend.

Pile the brats onto buns, add a generous spoonful of sauerkraut, and you've got an easy summer meal.

If you're looking for a comforting side dish to round out your menu, slow-cooker mac and cheese is a major crowd-pleaser.

Martha Stewart's recipe combines evaporated milk with three kinds of cheese for an extra-creamy texture, then finishes the dish with homemade breadcrumbs for a crispy, golden 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."

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 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 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.