Slowcooker Asian Pork
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It’s not often that I see a slowcooker recipe that catches my eye and elicits me to make it almost immediately. I wish I did, really. Crockpot cooking is so convenient but the truth is, there just aren’t a lot of meals I make in mine (though I very much enjoy the ones I do).
This recipe, on the other hand, seemed pretty perfect. First of all, it’s shredded meat, which the slowcooker excels at. Secondly, there are no other ingredients added in the beginning—save for the liquid and seasoning—to turn into a mushy pile of ick by the end. And lastly, the ingredients are not only pantry staples, but are extremely flavorful. Oh, and it’s also nice when you’ve taken on entirely too much holiday baking and are too damned tired to cook by dinnertime.
We all thought this recipe was great. I can get behind pretty much anything with a garlic/ginger/soy sauce flavor combo. Zachary really enjoyed this and kept asking for “more chicken” (he apparently thinks all shredded meat = chicken). Thank goodness we are past the stage of him refusing meat almost altogether. He also freaking LOVED the snow peas, which is good to know because he has now started turning his nose up at several vegetables. Toddlers, gotta love ’em.
I ended up adding a cornstarch slurry at the end to thicken the sauce up for this a bit. You could also dredge the pork in flour and then sear it before adding to the crockpot for a similar effect. I was admittedly hesitant about not searing the pork before throwing it in, since I normally do, but then I remembered another slowcooker pork recipe with fabulous results, despite not searing, so I went with it.
I reduced the liquid a bit overall, and also using a center cut roast since it’s leaner (and was on sale for the same price as shoulder). I also threw the snap peas in during the last few minutes, with the cornstarch slurry, because I like them to remain really crisp. As I’ve mentioned, I always use the Saveur method when making brown rice, and it worked out especially well with this because I threw the peppers into the crockpot the same time I threw the rice in to cook, and then I put the snap peas in while the rice was finishing steaming.
Guys, I am always SO happy to add a new slowcooker recipe to my repertoire. It gives me the warm fuzzies. Try this one out, I promise you’ll like it (and so does Zachary :-D).
Slowcooker Asian Pork
Ingredients
- 1.5 tsp. Chinese 5-spice powder
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1 (2.5 lb.) center cut pork roast
- 3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup brown sugar or honey
- 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
- 1 (2") knob ginger, peeled and grated
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 6 scallions, sliced, white parts separated from green
- 1 oz. dried shiitake (or other) mushrooms
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
- 1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
- 1 cup snap peas, halved
- cornstarch slurry, optional
Directions
- In a small bowl, mix together the 5-spice, garlic powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and salt. Rub over the pork, wrap rightly, and refrigerate overnight.
- In the bowl of a slowcooker, mix together the soy sauce, chicken broth, brown sugar, and crushed red pepper until the sugar is dissolved. Add in the ginger and garlic. Place the pork roast into the slowcooker, and place the mushrooms and white parts of the scallions around it. Cook on low for 8-9 hours, or on high for 4 hours. Shred the pork into large pieces.
- About half an hour before serving, add the pepper strips and continue cooking.
- During the last 5 minutes, add the snap peas and, if desired, the corn starch slurry. Cook on high, with the lid off, for 5 minutes. Top the pork with the green parts of the scallions before serving.
I love your adaptation, Elly! I think I’ll make it your way next time! So glad you guys enjoyed it 🙂
Wow, this looks so delicious! Now I’ve just gotta break out the crock pot from the back of the cabinets. Also, that cute paragraph about Zachary just made my morning! 😀
You have practically saved my life with the Saveur article. My brown rice will never be the same (i.e. mushy) again!
Oh, I know. I’ve been using it a few years now, and it’s great. My rice was always either still raw after like 45 minutes, or mushy.
yes I agree that flavor combo in a sauce is a go to for almost anything really. i love it with fish. but what i love most is the smell it creates in the house and then still stays there a day or so after.
My crockpot is definitely the one appliance in my kitchen that I am SO bad about using! It’s just silly because there are definitely nights when I want to come home to a ready made dinner…and it could so help with that!
I’ve never seen an asian dish made in the crockpot but it sounds delicious!
This looks really tasty. What size is your slow cooker? Mine is massive and I think it cooks much faster than most recipes call for. I’m curious how to adjust the time on this one. I think my family will love this!
Sara – mine is a 6 qt. (oval). I had an old crockpot that would run too hot and it was terrible, but this one is great, so it totally depends. I’ve also seen a trick where you can put a covered casserole dish inside the crockpot and use that, so you’re creating a smaller cooking vessel.
Hi Elly! I just discovered your blog and love it! I’m also Greek American (second generation) and like cooking Greek food some of the time. I really appreciate all the great recipes you’ve posted. Looking forward to new posts!
This Asian Pork contains all my favorite ingredients. Though I’m Greek, I “surrender” to Asian flavors. Thank you for this recipe. I will try it, no doubt. Keep up the good work.
I made this today. I only had regular soy sauce, so I used that but boy do I wish I’d taken the time to go pick up the low sodium stuff. This recipe is DELICIOUS but my mistake made it way too salty. I will make this again with the low sodium soy sauce.
I’m glad you liked it! I always try to get low sodium but if for some reason I don’t have it, sometimes I just add a little extra water to whatever I’m making to bring down the saltiness a bit.