Looks Delic
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Braised pork in sweet soy sauce with sliced apples and onions tastes like you slaved over dinner for hours. It’s rich and tender and yet it only takes 15 minutes to throw together.
Everything you need to know to make Slow Cooker Maple Soy Pork
- Recipe Notes
- About the Ingredients
- How to Make The Best Soy Sauce Pork
- Substitutions and Variations
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Get the Recipe
- Similar Recipes you Might Want to Try
Casandra’s Recipe Notes
Pork is one of those foods that has to be cooked just right and so a lot of home cooks tend to shy away from it. It can easily turn dry and tough. The solution to all of you pork cooking woes is to use the slow cooker. Recipes like this soy sauce pork come out juicy and tender every time thanks to the low and slow method and lots of cooking liquid.
This recipe is for a pork loin. That is not the same thing as pork tenderloin so don’t make that mistake. A tenderloin is a long, thin, cut from the pig’s back that is very tender on it’s own similar to the filet mignon of beef. The loin is also from the back but is cut in a roast shape and is more lean muscle and therefore a little tougher. We want to cook the pork loin in this recipe because it will hold up much better to the 7 hours of cooking.
A quick note about the flavors in this maple soy pork recipe – they are an unexpected but incredibly delicious combination. Combining the Asian and Italian flavors isn’t something we often do or taste but I’m hear to tell you to try it. This recipe combines soy sauce and oregano and you will be glad you did it so whatever you do, don’t cut out the oregano.
About the Ingredients
Pork loin – Not to be confused with pork tenderloin. Pork loin is a roast.
Onion and garlic – the aromatics.
Apples – granny smith apples hold up great in cooking but really any apple variety will work.
Beef broth – you could use chicken broth here but the beef broth just gives it a richer flavor.
Soy sauce – the recipe calls for low sodium soy sauce. If you use regular be sure to taste for salt before seasoning your sauce.
Maple syrup – 100% pure, not the sugary fake stuff.
Seasonings – oregano, salt and pepper.
How to Make Braised Pork in Sweet Soy Sauce
Brown the Pork
Begin by browning the browning the pork. If you have a stove safe crockpot, place the insert of your crockpot on the stove top over medium heat. (*See the notes in the recipe below about figuring out if your insert is safe for this and what to do if it isn’t.) If your insert can’t go on the stove, use a separate frying pan. Brown the pork on all sides.
Once the pork is browned on all sides, remove the pot from the heat and return it to your slow cooker with the roast still in the pot.
Add EVERYTHING to the Crockpot
Your pork should have a fat cap on it. A fat cap is the fatty white side of the roast. Position the pork so the fat cap is facing up.
Add the sliced onions, garlic and apples on top of the pork. Pour over the soy sauce, maple syrup, beef broth and season with oregano, salt and pepper.
Cook on Low
Set the crockpot to cook on low for 7 hours.
How to serve Slow Cooker Pork in Soy Sauce
To serve your pork in soy sauce with apples, remove the roast from the slow cooker to a cutting board. Slice into thick chops and move them to a platter. Spoon the apples and onions onto the chops.
In a small cup or bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons each of water and corn starch. Return the crock pot insert to the stove over medium high heat and bring it to a simmer. Pour the starch mixture into the sauce and whisk while simmering until the sauce thickens.
Pour some of the sauce over the chops and serve the remaining sauce on the side.
Recipe Substitutions & Variations
Add Veggies
Try adding some carrots to the slow cooker. The sweetness of the carrots will compliment the other ingredients and add more nutrients to the meal.
Don’t want to make a separate starch? Trying adding some potato pieces to slow cooker when there is 3 hours left to cook. The potatoes will absorb some of the sauce but there should be plenty still left for serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does soy sauce dry out meat?
NO. Soy sauce is high in salt content but the liquid helps keep the meat moist while the salty soy simply seasons and tenderizes the meat. Soy sauce alone may be overwhelmingly salty so try adding some sweetener such as maple syrup or honey and combine it with broth to mellow it out.
What sauces are good with pork?
Salty/sweet sauces are great with pork. Try different combinations of brown sugar, honey or maple syrup combined with beef stock and/or soy sauce.
The Recipe for Slow Cooker Maple Soy Pork Loin
The recipe is attached below for easy downloading and printing. If you test it out be sure to leave a note in the comments below. I’d love to hear what you thought. Enjoy!
Slow Cooker Maple Soy Pork
Equipment
- 1 slow cooker
Ingredients
- 3 Lbs Pork loin
- 1 Onion
- 4 Granny smith apples
- 2 Tsp Minced garlic
- 3 C Beef broth
- 1 C Soy sauce
- 1/2 C Maple syrup
- 1 Tsp Oregano
- 2 Tbsp Corn starch
- 2 Tsp Salt
- 1 Tsp Pepper
Instructions
- Season the 3 Lbs Pork loin on all sides with half of the 2 Tsp Salt and 1 Tsp Pepper.
- Place the crockpot insert on the stovetop over high heat. (**See notes below about whether this is safe for your crockpot insert.) Add a swirl of olive oil and then the pork to the pot. Sear the meat on all sides until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.
- While the pork cooks, peel and slice 1 Onion and 4 Granny smith apples.
- Once the pork is browned on all sides, return the insert to the slow cooker. Add the onion, apples and 2 Tsp Minced garlic to the pot.
- Combine 3 C Beef broth, 1 C Soy sauce, 1/2 C Maple syrup, 1 Tsp Oregano, and remaining salt and pepper. Pour over the pork. Set the slow cooker to cook on low of 7 hours.
- After 7 hours, remove the pork loin, onion and apples to a serving plater. Return the insert to the stove set over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
- Whisk 2 Tbsp Corn starch with 2 tbsp of water in a small bowl. Whisk the corn starch slurry into the simmering liquid and continue to simmer and whisk until the sauce thickens slightly. Pour the cooking liquid over the meat and serve any additional sauce on the side.
Notes
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