potatoes (peeled and quartered), shin beef (chunks), pearl barley (I think DH uses less than me, so his cholent is more soupy, mine is more solid), and dried cholent beans (you get them in any kosher shop, but if not, they definitely have kidney beans and lima beans). I used to soak the beans overnight before making cholent (apparently makes you less gassy after eating beans), but I forgot too many times, and don't bother now. Put in crockpot on low, with ketchup, cumin, paprika, curry spice, salt, pepper, garlic powder, bit of silan (or honey, or brown sugar). Have put in a bit of coke before as well, or soy sauce, or worcestershire sauce (non fish based - we don't mix fish and meat for kashrus reasons). Don't bother mixing, it sorts itself out. Layer it and add plenty of water. Cook on low for hours and hours (it's all day and overnight here). Needs sufficient water that it won't dry out.
Sometimes we add eggs (in their shells, just wash thoroughly), when you take it out the cholent it is brown inside and has a meaty flavour, and is delicious.
Some people add a kishke as well, I have never made kishke, but you can buy it in a kosher shop, and it just gets popped in.
This recipe is somewhat similar to what we do and how it looks at the end (brown and solid and not appetising lol) is how mine looks. It smells delicious but the look is not gourmet. https://jamiegeller.com/recipes/family-heirloom-chulent/
Her other cholent recipe is closer to how we spice it https://jamiegeller.com/recipes/classic-cholent/. I'm amazed that there are cholent recipes, because it is the kind of thing you just kind of do by sight. It is also something that men seem to take ownership of cook and often make. Maybe because you can't mess it up too badly, it is pretty forgiving, and men absolutely love it (anecdotally), whereas women can be very meh. I stopped cooking it in pregnancy as the smell made me heave.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cholent-Mix-16oz-3-Pack/dp/B071P25C5B (cholent beans)