I came across this recipe on Pinterest last year, and have been meaning to make it since then. I don’t know why I waited so long because this a delicious, easy summer meal. It is made in a slow cooker, but the ingredients are added in intervals based on cooking time, so everything ends up perfectly cooked. It works best for a day that you’ll be putzing around the house so you can time when to add your ingredients. I halved the recipe and it was enough to make two meals out of. I had plans to serve it on plates and eat it with a fork  and knife, but we ended up just eating it with our hands out of the serving dish, which made for a fun summer meal. If you are planning to make it for a crowd, you can spread newspapers on a table outside and serve it spread out on the table.

Low Country Boil

via Crock Pot Recipe Exchange

Ingredients:

• 7 cups of water // It turns out that my slow cooker was smaller than I thought so I had to remove some water. You need enough that everything is covered. I scooped out water as I added the other ingredients, which was a little messy but worked. 
• 2 tbsp old bay seasoning
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 head of garlic, peeled with cloves cut in half
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 stalks of celery, cut into 1″ chunks
• 1 1/2 lbs small red potatoes, washed with skins left on
• 2 ears of corn, shucked and cut into quarters
• 1 lb of kielbasa or other smoked sausage, cut into 2″ pieces
• 1 lb of uncooked shrimp, deveined with shells left on // I used 31-40 count, but any size should work
• 1-2 lemons, halved for serving
• freshly ground black pepper
• salt (optional) // I find that Old Bay Seasoning is plenty salty, but if you need a little extra feel free to add it right before serving

Directions:

1. Add water, old bay seasoning, bay leaf, garlic, onion, celery, and potatoes to your slow cooker. Stir gently to combine.
2. Cook for 4-6 hours on low, or until a fork pierces the potatoes easily.
3. Add corn and kielbasa. Stir gently.
4. Continue cooking for an additional 1-2 hours.
5. Add shrimp. Stir gently.
6. Cook for an additional 20-35 minutes or until the shrimp are cooked through, but not overcooked. They should be bright pink throughout.
7. Scoop out solids with a slotted spoon, and serve immediately with a lemon squeezed over the top of everything, along with some freshly ground pepper. Add salt to taste.