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A great slow cooker pork loin recipe topped with a honey butter sauce with garlic. Sweet, smoky, and spicy all in one! This is ready within 4 hours on low and becomes the deliciously tender and juicy pork you crave. Say goodbye to dry pork! Serve this over polenta, egg noodles, or a salad!
You can substitute the pork loin for pork shoulder, but keep in mind that the cooking time will change. I made this recipe because I know it would work well for pork loin, but found it can also be used for pork shoulder. This recipe is a sort of a dump-and-start slow cooker meal. The only thing that needs to be done is simmer the sauce to pour over the pork. The best part? This didn’t come out dry at all which is my biggest flaw in pork recipes. Pork loin is a lean cut of meat so it’s only natural to serve a buttery sauce with strong flavors with it! You can baste it while cooking if you are home to do so, but it’s not really necessary. It still comes out juicy and golden from the sauce.
How to make Slow Cooker Pork Loin Roast with Honey-Garlic-Butter Sauce
This recipe is easy and doesn’t require a lot of work. You just need to leave the slow cooker on for 3 1/2-4 hours on low (time varies on size) and thicken the sauce from the juices that are leftover from cooking. I would not recommend cooking it on high. Low and slow!
- Pork Loin Roast: Depending on how many pounds you get, the cooking time will vary. I had a 2-pound pork loin, so it was done within 3 1/2 hours on low. If you have 3-5 pounds, I would cook it for 4-5 hours on low. For 6 pounds, 6 hours on low for it.
- For the Spice Rub: Smoked Paprika, Salt, Pepper, Minced Onion, Thyme, Garlic Powder, Cayenne, Chipotle Powder, Oil: If you have fresh thyme, feel free to use that instead of dry!
- For the Honey-Garlic-Butter Sauce: Honey, Butter, Garlic, Apple Cider Vinegar, Salt, Pepper
Mix the spice rub with oil, then rub the pork with the spice rub. Pat it on there. In a skillet, heat some oil and brown on all sides until it has a deep golden brown color. Be careful not to let the spices burn. Place the pork in the slow cooker. To make the honey sauce, add butter to the skillet you just used for the pork and melt. Do not wipe the pan out. Add the garlic and cook for one minute until golden, but not burnt. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and simmer rapidly for only 30 seconds. Turn off the heat, and pour the sauce over the pork. Cook on low for the time you need. Remove pork from the slow cooker once it’s done, cover loosely with foil and allow it to rest for a while. Pour the juices from the slow cooker into a saucepan. Mix together cornstarch or flour in a cup to create a mixture, then add to the sauce. Simmer on medium-high heat until it reduces and becomes a syrup-like consistency. Pour over the pork, or serve the pork with the sauce on the side.
Tips & FAQs
- It’s important to sear this before slow cooking it. Brown food tastes good as Anne Burrell would say! Browning the meat gives it more flavor. It’s best not to skip this step.
- How do I cook this with pork shoulder? Being this cut has more fat marbled through them, they are natural choices to use for slow-cooked pork. For pork shoulder, for 3-5 pounds, it will need 10 hours on low. The shoulder is a tougher cut so it requires more time to break down the fibers and fat. For 2 pounds, it will need 8 hours. For 6 pounds, it will need 11-12 hours.
- Can this be made ahead? You can brown the pork and make the sauce up to a day ahead. Pour the sauce over the pork and refrigerate. If you are preparing more than 12 hours ahead, keep the sauce separate. It will make the pork sweat.
- Storage: This can be kept in the fridge for 3 days, or in the freezer for 3 months. Pour the sauce over it. It runs through the pork and it tastes even better.
- Trim any excess fat. You don’t want a lot of surface fat melting into the braising liquid, which becomes the sauce.
Want the recipe? Click print below! Let me know how it came out for you by tagging me on Instagram (@missravenskitchen) and using #missravenskitchen! Follow my Facebook page for updates as well! Let me know if I need to tweak anything.
Slow Cooker Pork Loin Roast with Honey-Garlic-Butter Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 lb pork loin roast
- 1 1/3 tsp salt, divided
- 1 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp minced onion
- 1 tsp dried thyme, or 1 tbsp fresh
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 3/4 tsp chipotle powder
- 1 tsp + 1 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup honey
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp cornstarch or flour mixed with some water
Instructions
- Combine 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, minced onion, thyme, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, chipotle powder, and 1 tsp olive oil in a bowl. Rub all around the pork, then pat to adhere.
- In a large skillet, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Place the pork in the skillet and sear on all sides until it has a deep golden brown color, about 3 minutes per side. Be careful not to let the spices burn. Place the pork into the slow cooker.
- In the same skillet you used for the pork, add the butter and melt. Cook garlic for 1 minute until golden. Add the honey and apple cider vinegar, season with the remaining salt and pepper, mix together, then simmer rapidly for 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and pour over the pork.
- Cook for 3 1/2 hours on low. Do not cook on high.
- Remove the pork from the slow cooker onto a plate, then cover loosely with aluminum foil for 10-20 minutes to allow to rest.
- Pour all of the juice from the slow cooker into a saucepan. Add cornstarch or flour to the pot, then simmer on medium-high for 5 minutes or until it reduces and becomes a syrupy consistency.
- Slice the pork into thick slices and serve with the sauce on top or on the side.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
622.36Fat (grams)
29.34Sat. Fat (grams)
13.22Carbs (grams)
38.3Fiber (grams)
0.74Net carbs
37.57Sugar (grams)
35.01Protein (grams)
51.52Sodium (milligrams)
791.06Cholesterol (grams)
183.55I did my best to research! Let me know if these are correct!
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