Tangy Slow Roasted Pork

Adapted from Allrecipes

Slow cooker recipes are so great. They are so EASY that they are almost impossible to screw up, and the taste is amazing. I tried this new recipe because I was wanting some savory meat to put on crepes, but didn't necessarily want a barbecue flavor. I had all of these ingredients already on hand and the pork turned out tangy and delicious.

Serves 6-8

1 large onion
3-4 cloves garlic
2 1/2 lbs boneless pork loin (about 1 kilogram)
1 cup water
1/4 cup white sugar
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar (balsamic is also acceptable)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 cup tomato puree
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1 beef bullion cube
salt to taste
red pepper flakes, to taste
1 tsp cornstarch

Chop the onions and mince the garlic and put them in a large pot and place the roast on top. Then, in a bowl, mix the water, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, black pepper and beef bullion and pour mixture over the roast. Then keep adding water until the meat is just covered.

Put the lid on the pot and and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. About 3/4 of the way through, open the pot and shred the meat with two forks, adding salt and red pepper to taste. Cook the remaining time, with the lid off if there is a substantial amount of liquid left so it can evaporate (keep the lid on if the liquid is nearly gone) and mix cornstarch with 1 Tbsp cold water and mix it in so the sauce can thicken up a bit.

This meat would be great on sandwiches, crepes, or tacos. Pretty much anything really. Enjoy!

Karelian Stew

from Mandi

Karelian stew (Karjalanpaisti) is a traditional meat stew from Karelia, the eastern part of Finland where Ben's mother is originally from. It is hearty and uses tasty root vegetables found in Scandinavia. I would love to try this in a dutch oven sometime, it seems like perfect camp food.

Serves 4

1-2 lbs of beef, pork or lamb chunks

1 Tbsp butter

1 rutabaga, chopped

3-5 carrots, chopped

4 small onions, chopped roughly

4-5 cups water or beef broth (enough to cover food in the pot)

15 peppercorns

4 bay leaves

salt to taste

6-8 potatoes

Heat the oven to 275 F. Wash and chop all vegetables except potatoes (set them aside). Brown the meat in the butter in a sauce pan and layer meat cubes, onions, and vegetables in a lidded casserole dish. Pour water or beef broth over the meat and cover.

Bake in the oven, stirring occasionally until meat is tender (about 5 hours). While the stew is in the oven, boil the potatoes. Once 5 hours is up, take out the stew, remove bay leaves and peppercorns and serve over boiled potatoes.

Spicy Asian Shredded Pork

adapted from Savour Fare

I made this as a side to a vegetable stir fry, and it was amazing. Slow cooking meat really allows you to capture intense flavor, and it is so easy a child could do it!

2 lbs pork tenderloin, cut into smaller pieces

2 bell peppers, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

sesame seeds to garnish

Sauce:

2 cups teriyaki sauce

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp Thai red curry paste

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Place pork, peppers, garlic, onion into a large pot (or crockpot). Mix together sauce and turn the heat on low for 8-12 hours. Be sure that liquid is always covering the meat so it doesn't get dried out. Once done, pull the pork apart with forks and serve.