Pineapple Pork Loin
Corona Kitchen Week Four. Give yourself a hand…and a break. At the beginning of this isolation period, I listened to a friend who is posting one minute meditations on Instagram. She advised that we should be kind to ourselves. Don’t beat yourself up every night by recounting the closets that you didn’t clean out or the paperwork you didn’t organize. This is a time to take care of yourself, mentally and physically. A time to slow down and do activities that provide joy, comfort and peace of mind. Yes, there are still things that must get done, and frankly clean closets and an organized desk can contribute to a positive outlook but this is clearly a marathon, not a sprint. Some days you are going to wake up filled with energy and motivation and others may be darkened by despair. So, give yourself a break.
Okay, now I’ll get off the soapbox that no one comes looking for at Sly Rooster and make the connection. I’ve been coming at you with culinary projects and strategies. Today I wanted to share a recipe that you can throw into your slow cooker in the morning (or afternoon) and enjoy for dinner that night, and likely leftovers later in the week. This recipe for Slow Cooker Pineapple Pork Loin is very forgiving. As I mentioned last week, I had pork tenderloin in my freezer so I used that instead of pork loin. Tenderloin is a thin, leaner cut so I set my slow cooker to the bottom end of the cooking suggestion. It came out perfect (you want to be able to slice the pork as opposed to having it shredded–unless you’d rather have it shredded!). I had fresh pineapple in my fridge and canned pineapple juice in my pantry, so I combined the two to replaced the canned pineapple with liquid. You could easily substitute canned peaches if that’s what you have and the pork would be as delicious (and reminiscent of a recipe Mrs. Hubbard shared with me so many years ago). I served the Pineapple Pork with brown rice and some roasted asparagus. Whatever grain you choose, be sure that there is something to sop up all of the flavorful cooking liquid because you will have plenty and it will be delicious. And finally, the first step in this recipe is to brown your pork on all sides. I hate to dirty a pan when part of the pleasure of slow cooking is cleanup ease but don’t skip this step. It helps flavor the pork and give it texture. If you happen to have a slow cooker insert that can go directly on the stove top, lucky you! If mine ever dies that is certainly the replacement I will purchase. Oh, and one more thing! If you don’t have a slow cooker, click the link to the original recipe where you will find directions for making this pork in the oven. No more complicated than the slow cooker and since you have no place to go…sorry to remind you!
Be kind to yourself. Get out of the kitchen and enjoy!
By the way, I apologize for this sideways photo (it wasn’t a good one, anyway). I tried in vain to correct it and finally decided to be kind to myself and move on. 😉
Slow Cooker Pineapple Pork Loin
Ingredients
- 1 2-3 lb pork loin (trimmed of excess fat) or two pork tenderloins
- 2 Tbls vegetable oil
- salt and pepper
- 8 cloves garlic smashed or minced
- 1/4 c soy sauce
- 1/4-1/2 c brown sugar original recipe calls for 1/2 c but if using canned fruit reduce to 1/4 c
- 1 23.5 oz can pineapple chunks with juice or a combo of fresh pineapple and canned juice (I used 1 qt fresh pineapple chunks + 12 oz canned juice) or canned peaches with juice
Instructions
- Trim pork loin of excess fat, season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add oil, once the oil is hot, add the pork loin and brown on each side for about 2-4 minutes or until golden.
- Add the pork to the slow cooker. Add garlic, soy sauce and pineapple chunks with pineapple juice to the slow cooker. Distribute the brown sugar evenly over the top of the pork.
- Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours, for a soft pork loin, that can still be sliced. If you are using pork tenderloin, cook on low for 4 hours.