Hawaiian Crockpot Steak

Ingredients:
3-6 tablespoons oil
1 1/2 lbs round steak
salt and pepper
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup cider vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper
1 large onion, cut into about 1-inch pieces
1 (8 ounce) can pineapple tidbits, drained and reserve juice
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water

Optional Ingredients:
3 cups baby carrots, cut in half
1 large green pepper, seeded and chopped

Heat oil in a skillet. Season the steak with salt and pepper then brown in hot oil on all sides.
Combine brown sugar, cider vinegar, soy sauce, red pepper, and garlic. Stir until brown sugar is completely dissolved; Pour into gallon size freezer bag. Place the browned meat and chopped onion in the bag and turn to coat. Freeze.

To cook from frozen: Defrost meat overnight in the fridge. Dump bag of steak into the crockpot. If using, add carrots to the slow cooker. Open can of pineapple, and pour just the juice into the crockpot over everything. Cover and cook on LOW setting for 6-8 hours or on HIGH heat for about 3-4 hours, or until the meat is tender. Increase the heat to HIGH. Dissolve the cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl. Add in the cornstarch mixture, pineapple tidbits and green pepper into the beef mixture in the slow cooker. Continue to cook for about 30 minutes, or until the green pepper is crisply tender and the juices are thickened. Serve over cooked rice.