Slow Cooker Balsamic Pork makes a great dinner and couldn't be easier. Serve it with some Parmesan Roasted Green Beans and Easy Roasted Potatoes.
Have you ever made pork in the slow cooker? Well, get ready for a line of neighbors at your door, because once they get a whiff of this cooking at your house, they're going to be wanting to either be invited in for dinner, for the recipe, or both.
Cooking pork in the slow cooker is one of my favorite ways to prepare it. Not only does it come out moist and tender, it always packed with flavor since everything has time to soak in during the longer cooking period. It's also a nice alternative to chicken in the slow cooker, which I admit, even I can get stuck in a rut with. Chicken is versatile, true, but so is pork! You just need to experiment a little to come up with the right flavor profiles to suit your tastes and that of your family or any guests.
This simple recipe creates a seriously delicious pork with just a few ingredients you probably already have at home — balsamic vinegar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, and some basic spices like garlic powder, onion powder, and red pepper flakes. Throw it in the slow cooker before you leave for the day and by the time you are home, dinner is ready.
Ways to Serve Slow Cooker Balsamic Pork Roast
I like to serve this with rice but other ways I'd serve this are below.
- Shred the pork and add it to a roll for a pulled pork sandwich.
- Make a lot of mini pulled pork sandwiches for "slider night."
- Serve with a side of quinoa, brown rice, or egg noodles.
- Add shredded pork over the top of some steamed vegetables.
- Wrap up the pork in a taco shell for a different take on carnitas.
- Drain the pork of any liquid and slice it thin. Add the slices to the top of a salad made with hearty greens like kale, endive, or arugula.
- Put some pork over a slice of baked polenta. Yum!
How Can I Use Leftover Slow Cooker Balsamic Pork Roast?
If you have any left, well you have more willpower than I do! Here's what I would do if I had leftovers:
- Freeze them! Make sure you use a vacuum sealer or an airtight plastic bag. These will freeze well for up to three months.
- Add pork to a nice sandwich instead of lunch meat.
- Pack some pork over brown rice with a side of broccoli for a nice, healthy lunch.
- Use the pork as a meat instead of beef in a vegetable or barley soup.
- Add it to cooked rice noodles, thinly sliced vegetables and ginger dressing for a yummy, easy-to-put-together cold Asian salad.
- Add a few ounces of shredded pork to your eggs in the morning.
How Can I Customize This Slow Cooker Pork Recipe?
If you want to make this recipe your own way, there are many ways to do that.
- Substitute the spices for ones you enjoy more, or try a seasoning blend, like Italian, Herbs de Provence, or even experiment with some more ethnic spices, like Garam or Tikka Masala.
- Try using beef broth instead of chicken broth to intensify the "meaty" flavor of your roast.
- Try another kind of acid, like red wine vinegar instead of balsamic.
- Skip the Worcestershire sauce and use soy instead.
- Try maple syrup instead of honey for a little bit of a sweet taste to the roast.
Can I Make This Slow Cooker Balsamic Pork in the Instant Pot?
Yes, you sure can. What you want to do is sear the pork roast in a tablespoon or two of olive oil first by turning the pressure cooker to its "saute" setting and letting it heat up. Then, go ahead and sear it on both sides until browned. Get all the little bits of browned meat off the bottom of the inner pot so that those little pieces don't burn.
Next, add the other ingredients, from garlic powder through honey. Lock the pressure cooker according to manufacturer's instructions and set to cook for 20 minutes per pound of roast (so for this recipe that would be for 40 minutes). When the timer goes off, let the pressure release for 10 minutes. Once the pressure is completely released, go ahead and shred or slice the roast and eat as you see fit!
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