CROCKPOT PORK LOIN

This recipe is ultra easy, ultra fast and ultra delicious!! What more can you ask for? And, oh, did I mention...it cooks by itself in the Crockpot!!

The end result is moist, fall apart tender, sweet-ish, completely full flavored and very versatile. It is going directly into my "make often" recipe box!!

2 pounds (approx.) pork loin (tenderloin will work too)
1/4 cup LOW SODIUM soy sauce (regular will be too salty)
1 tablespoon regular old yellow mustard
1/4 cup real maple syrup (not pancake syrup)
2 tablespoons canola oil (or vegetable oil)
2 tablespoons dried onion flakes
3/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Put the oil in your crockpot and rub it around to cover the cooking surface. Put the pork loin in.

Mix everything else and pour over the meat.  Put the lid on and cook on LOW for 6 hours. Turn it over half way through if you can, but its  not necessary.

After 6 hours, remove meat and thicken the sauce (if you want to) and put the meat back in. Whether you thicken the sauce or not, is just a matter of preference, it tastes the same.

NOTE: I use this recipe using a 2 pound pork loin roast, but a tenderloin will work too. I haven't tried the recipe with any other cut of pork.

NOTE: Make sure you use low sodium soy sauce or the final dish might be a tad salty for you.

DRY RUB FOR GILLING PORK

Even here in Alaska, it is grilling season!! This is a quick, easy and extremely flavorful dry rub for pork.  Personally, I like to buy a pork loin (not the tenderloin) and slice it into 1" thick slices and coat it with this dry rub.  It really perks up the pork and everyone here at our house gives it two thumbs up!!

PORK DRY RUB

2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

Mix together well.

Coat pork with olive oil and then rub this mixture on liberally. Cover and refrigerate for a couple hours.  Grill outdoors on high heat. Yum!!

CROCK POT SPICY PORK AND PINTO's

This recipe is a real crowd pleaser. Fork-tender pork tenderloin with pinto beans, spicy gravy and it all cooks together in the crock pot!! The first night, I like to serve this over rice, but it is equally as tasty stuffed into warm flour tortillas, or over a bed of tortilla chips and smothered with cheese; it also has ENDLESS leftover possibilities (which is a very good thing)!!

I like to use a 2 pound pork tenderloin, because it is nice and lean, but any 2-3 pound pork roast will work.  My crock pot is a big one and it tends to run a little hot, so this pork is fall apart tender (for me) in 6 hours ON THE LOW SETTING. Depending on your crock pot, it could take as many as 8 hours on low, but that is unlikely, just start checking for tenderness at 6 hours.

2 pounds (roughly) pork tenderloin
1 1/2 cups DRY PINTO beans (rinse, but DO NOT soak)
(1) 4 ounce can of mild green chilies (I use Ortega)
3 teaspoons chili powder (see note)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dry oregano
1 clove garlic minced
1 cup chopped sweet onion
healthy pinch of dry red pepper flakes (optional see note)

Brown the pork well and put it in the crock pot. Saute the onions and garlic in the same pan and then mix them with the DRY beans, spices, canned chilies then pour over the meat. Add just enough water to mostly cover the beans and meat, it should look like this:

Make sure the liquid gets under the meat as well. After cooking on low for a few hours, check the liquid level in the crock pot and add a little more water if necessary, but not TOO much. THIS BROTH MAKES THE BEST-BEST-BEST RED GRAVY!!
 

Take the meat out of the crock pot after 5-6 hours or when it gets fork tender  (remove any fatty pieces and bones) and pull it apart. Thicken the liquid in the crock pot with a cornstarch and water slurry, then put meat back in with the beans and gravy. 
 

 

 

 

VARIATION: The beans in this recipe make OVER THE TOP delicious re-fried beans. Just fish out the beans and put them in the food processor with a little bit of the liquid. You'll never buy canned refried beans again!!

NOTE: A word about the heat or spice in this recipe. My hubby doesn't like very much (hates) "heat" in his food. He likes strong flavors, he just doesn't like "fire" as he calls it. I use a very small pinch of dry red pepper flakes when I make this for him. If you like a little more "fire", just up the dry red pepper flake ingredient.

NOTE: If I'm making this for children, I back off the chili powder to 2 teaspoons and omit the chili flakes.

MARINATED PORK LOIN

After grilling the same country style pork ribs  for the past umpteen years, I wanted a change.  I wanted to find some cut of pork that didn't need pre-cooking (in order to get it nice and tender). So recently, we started grilling pork loin (not tenderloin). The whole loin is very tender, flavorful and unlike the country style pork ribs that have lots of ... what picky-picky husband calls "waste" (fat, gristle, bone), the loins have ZERO "waste".  I usually buy a 2 pound loin and that is perfect for three big eaters (or 2 of us plus lunch tomorrow).

 

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons pineapple juice
1 tablespoon dehydrated onion flakes
4 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Put everything in a large zip lock plastic bag and squeeze it around to mix well.

Slice your 2 pound pork loin into 3/4" thick slices and put them into the bag with the marinade, making sure the liquid reaches all of the meat surfaces.  Put the bag in the fridge for 6-12 hours (I did it for 6 hours and it was perfect).

When you are ready to grill, remove the meat from the marinade (but save the marinade). Bring the marinade to a very gentle boil and cook it for 15 minutes. This cooking time will make the marinade safe to eat AND it will thicken the marinade so you can use it to baste the pork loin on the grill.

Grill your pork outdoors, basting the meat each time you flip it over.

STOVE-TOP TO OVEN BABY BACK RIBS

Shelby, over at The Life & Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch, posted this "recipe" recently. It is more of a cooking technique than a recipe, but never-the-less, it is fantastic and so much fun to bring the tastes of summer indoors during the winter!!! Shelby has such good recipes over there, I hope you will visit her page.

This isn't the best photograph, but the ribs QUICKLY disappeared before I realized I needed a better photo, so this will have to do for now.  Let's just say that the ribs went from the above condition, to the condition in the next picture in record time.

Start with a 2 to 3 pound section of baby back pork ribs and cut them into three sections. I buy the more meaty baby back ribs, so I think next time I'll cut them into even smaller sections.

Put the sections in a large deep pot and cover with water. Shelby said to salt and pepper the ribs, but I added a full tablespoon of salt and a ½ teaspoon of black pepper directly to the water.
Bring everything to a boil and then reduce to a "high simmer" (not a full boil) for an hour, then drain.

While the ribs are simmering, cover a baking sheet (that has a lip) with foil and spray it with vegetable spray. This will be a huge help in cleanup.

Place the boiled ribs bone side up first and cover with a thick layer of your favorite barbecue sauce. Shelby recommends Sweet Baby Rays and I totally agree.  Broil in a PREHEATED broiler, on high, for 5  minutes.

Remove from oven and flip the ribs over so the meaty side is up. Apply another thick layer of barbecue sauce and put back under the broiler for another five minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and just starting to crisp up (watch it because it will burn quickly if left under the broiler too long).

Remove and serve immediately....with LOTS of napkins!!!   Delicious, thanks Shelby.

SWEET & SOUR PORK RECIPE

There are three reasons to try this great recipe. First, this recipe is made in the slow cooker, so it's super easy. Secondly, this recipe is very cheap to make and thirdly, it gets rave reviews whenever I make it. What more can you ask for?

 

.
You should know that I am not a big sweet and sour fan, but I love this recipe. It is extremely moist and just the right amount of sweet to sour ratio.

 Walmart sells a small vacuum packed 2 pound pork roast that is perfect for this recipe. The package says "pork loin rib eye pork roast" and even here in Alaska, it's only $4.50!!
.
2-3 pound lean pork roast
1 cup granulated sugar (seems like a lot, but it mellows out)
½ cup white vinegar
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons ketchup
20 ounce can crushed pineapple (drained)
.
Brown the pork roast on all sides and put it in your slow cooker. Mix everything else and bring it to a boil, then pour it over the meat.
.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until very tender (spoon the sauce over the meat every once in a while).
.
That's it...super easy!! At the very end of the cooking time, I thickened the sauce a little with a slurry of cornstarch and water (right in the crockpot). To serve, slice the meat and spoon a little of the sauce over it; it's great with rice.

Now this last suggestion is not for everyone, but my picky-picky hubby absolutely loves it. On day two, I pull this pork apart and mix it with a little of the sauce (make sure you include some pineapple out of the sauce). While its still cold, I roll it into a large burrito size tortilla (folding in all the ends) and then I brown the whole sandwich in a little butter until its piping hot. Hubby is extremely UNdemostrative when it comes to food, but he ooohhh'd and ahhhhhh'd about this sandwich until the last bite.

NOTE: Sorry about these photographs. This is one of those recipes that, no matter how hard to try to get a good photo, it just doesn't work. You'll just have to trust me that it is delicious.

HEIDI's MEXICAN PORK CHOPS

Recently, Heidi, from Tried-and-True Cooking With Heidi, posted a recipe for Mexican Pork Chops. I'm always searching for simple pork recipes and this one caught my eye. It was a snap to make and tasted great, thank you Heidi!!

Browned pork chops are baked on top of a taco seasoned rice. The flavor of the pork bakes down into the rice and just before serving, it's all topped with cheese. Oh so good!!.
6 pork chops (I used 3 thick ones)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (for frying)
1½ cups water
¾ cup long grain rice
8 ounce can of tomato sauce
2½ tablespoons taco seasoning
1 medium green bell pepper chopped (I used red)
1 cup shredded cheese (I used cheddar)
.
Brown the pork chops well, and set aside. Mix the water, rice, tomato sauce and seasoning and put it into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Top with browned pork chops and the chopped bell pepper.
.
Cover tightly and bake in pre-heated 350F oven for 1 hour. Uncover and top with cheese. Return to the oven for 15 minutes.
NOTE: I seasoned the pork chops with the seasoning mix from my last post, (before I browned them). I used this same "taco seasoning" in the rice.
.
NOTE: I used chopped red bell pepper (instead of green pepper) because we like it better. I also mixed it into the rice (instead of putting it on top of the meat and rice). I also added a 15 ounce can of (rinsed and drained) black beans to the rice.
NOTE: Just before I serve this, next time, I'm going to sprinkle it with a little chopped avocado and cherry tomatoes.

GREEN CHILE PORK LOIN ROAST

We love this recipe, not only because it is easy and tasty, but because of it's excellent leftover possibilities. Green chile roast leftovers make great cold sandwiches or it can be torn apart and tucked (hot) into warm tortillas (with a little bit of the chile gravy & some pepperjack cheese) for a great leftover transformation (it is one of those recipes that tastes even better on day two).


4 pound boneless pork loin roast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
7 ounce can of Ortega fire roasted green chiles
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon dry red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder (not salt)
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 Reynolds roasting bag + 1 tablespoon flour
Place the tablespoon of flour in the roasting bag and shake it around (per roasting bag instructions). Place the bag in a roasting pan (set aside).

Mix all of the dry ingredients and rub it all onto the surface of the pork roast. Brown the roast in the vegetable oil (both sides). Place the browned roast into the roasting bag and put half of the green chiles on top of the roast and the other half under the roast.

Seal the bag tightly and make a few small holes in the top of the bag to let steam escape. Bake in preheated 325F oven for 2 hours (see note). Thicken juices and serve over pork slices.

NOTE: I have not tried it, but I see no reason why you could not use a roasting pan that has a tight lid instead of the plastic roasting bag.

NOTE: Most recipes tell you took cook a boneless pork roast like this for 20 minutes per pound, however, we like our pork cooked longer than that. Thirty minutes per pound will give you very tender pork but still slice-able (not quite to pulled pork tenderness). If you don't care for pork done this way, figure 20 minutes per pound.

CROCK POT BBQ PORK SANDWICHES

This is a great weekend crockpot recipe because you can turn the "extras" into many different things over the weekend. The crockpot method makes the best pork sandwich ever (and there is lots of sauce in the crockpot to make them extra juicy)...plus you can turn the extra pork into tacos, or burritos, or pork and rice just to name a few. I like to make this recipe with pork tenderloin but any pork roast will work.

2½ pound pork tenderloin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup favorite barbecue sauce
2 tablespoons honey
¼ teaspoon dried red chili flakes
Our market sells pork tenderloin in 2½ pound packages and there are two tenderloins in each package. Cut each tenderloin in three pieces. If you are using a pork roast, trim obvious fat and cut it into pieces about the size of your fist. Mix the dry ingredients (except for the chili flakes) and rub all surfaces of the meat; place, covered, in refrigerator for an hour or so.

Brown the meat in a couple tablespoons of canola oil then put it in the crockpot. Mix the honey & dried red chili flakes into the barbecue sauce and pour over the meat. Cook on low for six or seven hours - every crockpot is different. To check for readiness, use two forks to see if the pork will pull apart easily.

Remove meat from crockpot and pull apart with two forks. Stir sauce and put the meat back in the sauce to keep it hot.

The above sandwich was made with my bun recipe which you can find HERE

NOTE: It isn't absolutely necessary to put the meat in the fridge after you put the dry rub on it, but it strengthens the flavor.
NOTE: Turn the meat over a couple of times during the cooking cycle...not absolutely necessary.

CROCKPOT MAPLE PORK TENDERLOIN

This recipe gets five stars for two reasons...it is totally delicious AND super simple. As a matter of fact, it is one of the best crockpot recipes that I've tried in a long time. You can not get much simpler than this: brown the pork loin, cover it with sauce and 8 hours later (my crockpot only took 6 hours) and you have fork-tender, delicious pork loin and a gravy that is amazing.

 2½ pound boneless pork loin
1 cup real maple syrup (DON'T USE PANCAKE SYRUP)
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2½ tablespoons cider vinegar
2½ tablespoons soy sauce
salt and pepper

I bought my pork loin, vacuum packed from Walmart (2½ pounds seems to be a standard size). When you open the package, there will be two long loin pieces. I cut each one into three pieces, then salted and peppered them and browned them in a little olive oil. Place the browned pieces in a wide crockpot for even cooking (as opposed to the tall ones).

In a small bowl, whisk the maple syrup (do not use pancake syrup, it is way too sweet and will ruin your pork, trust me), Dijon mustard, cider vinegar and soy sauce together. Pour over browned pork loin pieces. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours (my crockpot took only six hours). If you use a different cut of pork, you may have to use the full 8 hours. It isn't absolutely necessary, but try and turn the meat over a couple of times during the cooking process. When it is time to eat, thicken the gravy. I served this with rice and coleslaw. It also made delicious sandwiches the next day.

NOTE: If you are concerned about the maple flavor being overpowering...don't be. As a matter of fact, it is almost a background flavor, but it IS there and the meat was extremely tender and slightly sweet. This is a fantastic recipe for any special occasion.

ULTRA TENDER PORK RIBS

This is more of a cooking technique than a recipe. I've made country style boneless pork ribs using this technique for as long as I can remember and they are fork tender every time. I am guessing that most of the experienced cooks out there already know this method, but there might be a few younger ones who would like to try this.

Look for boneless country style pork ribs (the leaner the better) in the meat market. An hour before you want to grill, cut them in to sections about 4" long and put in a large sauce pan and enough water to cover them. Add a tablespoon of salt and a teaspoon of black pepper.

Bring this to a boil on high. After a few minutes, you will see some "crud" float to the surface. Don't get grossed out, but it will look like this:

Skim it off and throw it away (you may have to do this a couple of times). Reduce the heat to a gentle boil and boil for 45 minutes. Pull one of the pieces of pork out of the pan and see if it is fork tender. If not, boil for another 15 minutes (but no longer). Some pork tends to be tougher than others.

Drain pork and put it into a bowl. Drizzle with enough melted butter to coat each piece. Put the pork onto the barbecue grill and coat with your favorite barbecue sauce. Keep turning and basting until the barbecue sauce starts to crisp up on the edges (usually only takes about 10-15 minutes tops.

These ribs are So flavorful and you don't even need a knife to cut them. I hope you will try this technique.

NOTE: Country style pork ribs are usually cut about 2" wide and 10" or so long. Ask your butcher if you can't find them. Make sure you get the boneless ones (better value).