Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin

Slow cooker pork tenderloin is a perfect dish for a cozy weekend meal with family or friends. The tender, flavorful pork is slow-cooked in a rich broth and then glazed with a homemade balsamic glaze that adds a delicious sweetness to the dish. With just a few hours of cooking time, this recipe is both easy and impressive.

Ingredients:

• Pork tenderloin
• Chicken broth (10 ounces)
• Onion, chopped into big chunks
• Cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• Salt and pepper
• Avocado or olive oil
• Brown sugar
• Cornstarch
• Low-sodium soy sauce
• Balsamic vinegar

If you love tender, flavorful pulled pork, this is a delicious dish that doesn’t take the whole day to cook. Now let me show you how we make it. We’ll be using one pound of pork tenderloin, a can of chicken broth, onions, garlic, and salt and pepper to slow-cook the pork. Then, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, low-sodium soy sauce, and cornstarch make the balsamic glaze.

This pork tenderloin is about a pound, and this recipe will serve three to four people. It comes in two to a package and is sold in a four-pack at Costco for about $18. You can easily double this recipe to serve more people. This piece has been trimmed up pretty well, and if yours still has some silver skin on it, use a sharp knife to remove it.

Making Pork Tenderloin In The Slow Cooker

First, season the pork with salt and pepper.

     

Then, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add about a tablespoon of avocado or olive oil and sear the pork tenderloin on all sides. Today’s recipe is for a pork tenderloin, which is smaller and leaner than a pork loin. There are different cuts of pork. This pork tenderloin is going to take two to four hours to cook on low. In a slow cooker, a pork loin will take about four to six hours on low.

While that finishes searing, chop the onion into big chunks. These are going to soften, and we like to serve them mixed in with the pulled pork and balsamic glaze. So I’ll keep the pieces large so they don’t break down too much as they cook.  Next, peel and roughly chop the garlic, add the onion to the bottom of the slow cooker, and then rest the seared pork tenderloin on top. Add one 10-ounce can of chicken broth, and then toss the garlic on top. Cover and cook this on low for about an hour.

At about an hour, begin preparing the balsamic glaze in a medium saucepan. Combine a half cup of brown sugar with one tablespoon of cornstarch and whisk this together. Add two tablespoons of low-sodium soy sauce and a quarter cup or four tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Whisk the mixture and heat it over medium heat, bringing it to a boil and cooking it for about five minutes until the glaze has thickened.

Turn the tenderloin over in the crock and spoon some of the glazes over the top. Cover and continue cooking until done. For serving this tenderloin in slices, look for a temperature around 145 degrees. To serve this as pulled pork, I like to cook mine until the pork is very tender and easily pulls apart. And for me, that’s about four hours.

Remove the pork from the slow cooker, this step is optional. I like to glaze the pork with more of the balsamic and then pop it under a high-heat broiler for a few minutes just so it gets a little crispy and has almost a candied crust.

Then shred the meat and top with more of that delicious balsamic glaze and serve. This is so flavorful and juicy. It tastes amazing, and I hope you get a chance to try it. 

Tools Needed:

• Slow cooker
• Large skillet
• Medium saucepan
• Knife
• Cutting board
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Whisk