Slow-Cooker Apple Pork Roast

We LOVE this recipe and have been making it often lately because it's so easy! There are only 5 ingredients and it doesn't get much easier than throwing it all in the crockpot. It works well for burritos, salads or sandwiches and because it serves 12, we use it for 2 different meals. I hope you enjoy this one as much as my family does:) Recipe adapted from 30 Meals in One Day.

1 (4-pound) boneless pork roast
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups apple juice
½ teaspoon salt

Place pork roast in a large slow-cooker (lined with a Reynold's Slow-Cooker liner for easy cleanup). Mix Worcestershire, brown sugar, apple juice and salt and pour over pork. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours. Remove pork and place it in a large bowl and shred with 2 forks. Spoon remaining juice over the shredded pork and mix well. Can use for pork sandwiches, salad or burritos. Serves 12.

Herb-and-Garlic-Crusted Pork Roast

I came across this recipe in the November, 2011 issue of Better Homes and Gardens. I admit, it was a little bit involved, but after serving this to my family, I think it is, without question, the very best pork roast I've ever tasted! Brining the meat before roasting makes it moist and juicy. It would make a perfect meal to serve for company or for a special occasion. Seriously delicious!!!

Makes: 6 servings, plus leftovers

Prep: 25 minutes

Marinate: overnight

Roast: 1 hour

Stand: 15 minutes

BRINE:
8 cups cold water
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 center cut, boneless pork loin, approximately 3 to 3 1/12 pounds

3 Tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil
4 slices Black Forest bacon or other thick-sliced bacon, cut in 1-inch pieces (uncooked)
1 Tbsp. apricot preserves
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh garlic
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs***
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3 Tbsp. butter, melted

1. For brine, in a very large bowl dissolve salt and sugar in 8 cups cold water. Transfer pork to brine, making sure to submerge it fully. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or up to 2 days.

2. Remove loin from brine and blot dry with paper towels. In a nonstick skillet heat oil, then brown roast on all sides, about 10 minutes. Set aside for 5 to 30 minutes to cool slightly.

3. In a food processor, puree uncooked bacon to a smooth paste. (This amount of bacon is necessary for blades to process. Use the remaining puree to make appetizers: spread on baguette slices then broil until golden.) Transfer half the bacon to a bowl. Stir in apricot preserves, chopped garlic, and 2 tsp. of the chopped rosemary.

4. Position oven rack in lowest position. Preheat oven to 425°F. Place cooled pork loin on waxed paper. Spread with bacon mixture. In a separate bowl combine the bread crumbs, parsley, remaining rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, a few grinds of black pepper, and the melted butter. Toss well to mix. Press an even layer of the crumb mixture on the roast (except the ends), applying enough pressure for the crumbs to adhere to the bacon layer.

5. Carefully transfer roast to a foil-lined baking pan or roasting pan and place pan on the lowest rack in the oven. Roast for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Roast for 45 minutes more or until an instant read thermometer registers 145°F. (If crust begins to brown too deeply, tent roast with foil.) Remove roast from oven, tent with foil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes in a warm place. Temperature of roast will rise approximately 10°F as it stands.

** If you don't let the crumbs stale overnight, spread them in a 15x10x1-inch baking pan and bake, uncovered, in a 300°F oven 10 minutes or until dry, stirring once or twice. Crumbs will continue to dry as they cool.

"A Man's Barbecue Ham Sandwich"

I'd made this several years ago and had forgotten about it until looking through a favorite cookbook recently. I write the date I first make a recipe and some notes in my cookbooks. This one said it was "a keeper that my whole family enjoyed." I made this again last night and it was even better than I remembered. It's perfect for a busy afternoon and will make your home smell delicious!

Recipe adapted from family friend Melanie Bills...

Mix well:

     1 cup ketchup

     1 cup V-8 juice (Spicy or Regular)

     1/2 cup brown sugar

     Onion & garlic salt, to taste

     1 tsp. Dijon mustard

     1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

     1 tsp. soy sauce

Add:

     2 pounds good-quality ham, slivered and finely chopped

Place in a slow cooker and cook on low for 2-3 hours. Scoop ham with a slotted spoon and pile high on toasted hoagie rolls.  Serves 6-8. 

Pork Chops with Honey Yams

This is a meal all in one dish: Meat, 2 vegetables and a fruit. My family really likes this one! Recipe adapted from family friend Dorothy Brubaker...

1/4 cup flour

salt & pepper, to taste

6 boneless pork chops

1 Tbs. prepared mustard

2 Tbs. brown sugar

6 pineapple rings

6 green pepper rings

2 Tbs. butter, melted

1/3 cup honey

1-2 large yams, peeled and sliced into 1/4" slices

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the flour, salt and pepper in a bag with the pork chops and shake to coat. Spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray and lightly brown pork chops on each side. Place pork chops in a 9 x 13" pan. Mix mustard and brown sugar and spread on pork chops. Place a green pepper ring and pineapple on top of each pork chop. 

Mix the butter and honey in a medium bowl and add yams to coat. Place yams in the dish around the pork chops. Cover with tin foil and bake in preheated oven for 45-60 minutes, or until meat is cooked through and yams are tender. Serves 6.

Skinny pork burritos

We love barbacoa-style pork burritos and make them often around here. Recently, I tried this recipe and  loved it! The chipotle chiles give this pork such a good flavor. Recipe from skinnytaste.com (I just added a bit more cumin:)

Step #1- MARINADE:

2.5 lbs. pork loin roast, all fat trimmed

Salt & pepper

Garlic powder

6 oz. Coke Zero (could sub Diet Coke or Diet Dr. Pepper)

1/4 cup brown sugar

Season pork with salt, pepper and garlic powder and place in crock pot. Add Coke and brown sugar. Marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight, turning meat at least once while marinating.

Step #2- COOK:

1/4 cup water

8 oz. Coke Zero

8 oz. tomato sauce

1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, seeds discarded and finely chopped*

7 oz. can diced green chilies, drained

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/8 tsp. chipotle chile powder (to taste)

salt and pepper, to taste

1/3 cup brown sugar

Remove crock from refrigerator, add water and cook on high for 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily). Remove pork from crock and discard any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork with 2 forks and place it back into the crock pot. 

Mix the remaining ingredients (Coke Zero, tomato sauce, diced chipotle chile and adobo sauce, green chiles, garlic powder, cumin, chipotle chile powder, salt and pepper and brown sugar) and pour on top of the shredded pork in the crock pot. Cover and cook on high for another hour. Makes about 10 servings.

*NOTE: I'm loving chipotle chiles lately, but most recipes only call for 1 or 2. There's a great little tutorial on these chile peppers over at Ourbestbites.com, if you're interested!

Split Pea and Ham Soup

My kids call this "UGLY SOUP," but we all like it:) It's a great way to finish a ham roast.

1 1/2 pounds ham bone with meat

2 quarts (8 cups) water

2 cups dried split peas

1 large onion, diced

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1 pinch dried marjoram

3 stalks celery, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

1 potato, peeled and diced (optional)

In a large stockpot, add ham bone to 2 quarts water, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Pour resulting broth through a strainer and return the liquid to the stockpot. Place ham bone on a cutting board, dice ham and return meat to the broth. Discard the bone.

Add the dried split peas to the broth and heat to a gentle boil for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat, cover and soak for 1 hour.

After an hour, add remaining ingredients (onion, salt, pepper, marjoram, celery, carrots and potatoes). Cook slowly, uncovered for 30-40 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Serves 8-10.

I love this soup with Quick Yeast Rolls...

Grandma Whitmores Country Pork Ribs

These sweet and tangy ribs are one of my mother-in-laws specialties and are probably my husbands very favorite childhood meal. The sauce is divine and the long cooking time leads to "fall-off-the-bone" tender meat. I like using country style ribs because there is more meat and they are a little easier for the kids to eat. I also used this same sauce and put it over a pork roast in the crock-pot and then shredded the meat for pulled pork sandwiches...YUM! Either way, I am sure that these will be a crowd pleaser.

3-4 lbs. country style pork ribs

flour

1 1/2 cups ketchup

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 cups sugar

Dredge ribs in flour and place in a large roasting pan. Combine remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan and heat just until boiling. Pour sauce over the ribs and cover with a lid or foil. Bake at 325 degrees for 2 1/2 hours. Uncover and cook for another 20-30 minutes.

"Cafe Rio" Pork

**This is my version of one of our SLC favorites! I have experimented and combined many different recipes, and this seems as close to Cafe Rio's as I could get!

**This is the party-sized recipe... it will serve a crowd! Halve it for a family-sized serving, or make the whole recipe, eat what you need and freeze the rest for another day! My kids are always begging for more!!

5-6 pound boneless pork roast
2 liter bottle of Dr. Pepper- Not DIET!!
1/2 cup brown sugar
1-2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 cup water
1 large (7 oz) can diced green chilies
1 large (28 oz) can red enchilada sauce
1 1/2-2 cups brown sugar

After trimming excess fat, put the pork roast in a tupperware or heavy duty ziploc bag to marinate. Add 2-3 cups of Dr Pepper and about 1/2 c. of brown sugar. Marinate in fridge overnight.

In the morning drain marinade and put pork, 2 cups Dr Pepper, 1/2 cup water, and 1-2 tsp garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours or on low for 8 hours (I do mine on high until lunch-time). Remove pork from crock pot, scrape off excess fat and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork with two forks. Return pork to crock pot.

In blender combine chilies, enchilada sauce and 1 1/2 to 2 cups brown sugar (you can add a little more or less to taste) and blend until smooth. Pour over shredded pork in crockpot and then mix in 1 1/2 to 2 cups Dr Pepper (add more if sauce is too thick). Cook on low for at least 2 hours. I usually let it simmer on low until dinner-time! Serve with tortillas, black beans, cheese, cilantro-lime rice, salsa, guacamole and lettuce for a deluxe burrito, or with the same toppings over lettuce, topped with Creamy Cilantro-Lime Ranch and garnished with cilantro and crushed tortilla chips, for a fabulous salad!

Slow Cooker Ribs

Okay, I'll call these Ribs...Take 2! These were super easy and fall-off-the-bone tender. I'm pretty sure the way to my husband's heart is making him ribs for dinner :) 

3-4 lbs. pork loin back ribs (Country-style ribs would be fine too!)*

Salt and pepper

I (12 oz.) bottle Thai sweet chili sauce (such as Mae Ploy)*

1. Cut rack of ribs in half. With a knife, peel away a corner of the fatty membrane on the back of the ribs and remove (see picture below).
2. Flip ribs over and season with a little salt and pepper.
3. Place ribs in a slow cooker. (I line my with a Reynold's Slow Cooker Liner first for easy clean up).
4. Pour the entire bottle of sweet chili sauce over the ribs and cook on low for 6-7 hours. 

*I use 2 full racks of ribs for my family of 5 and we usually have a few ribs left over. This would be great with country-style ribs too, which are less expensive and have more meat. You can also substitute a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce for the sweet chili sauce. Both ways are delicious!

Sweet & Tangy Pork Ribs

My husband loves ribs, but I've never made them before, so when ribs were on sale this week, I was on the hunt for the best recipe I could find. In typical fashion, I couldn't decide on just one, so I combined a couple and ended up with a meal that my husband declared was "Mmmmmmmmmm!"  This technique and dry rub would also be delicious for pork chops, chicken or steak...

INGREDIENTS:
     Baby back ribs*
(*About 3/4 pound to 1 pound per person. Keep in mind that a lot of that weight is bone. Can also use St. Louis or country-style ribs)

CAJUN DRY RUB (Emeril Lagasse):

     2 1/2 Tbs. paprika

     2 Tbs. salt

     2 Tbs. garlic powder (I used 1 & 1/2 Tbs.)

     1 Tbs. black pepper

     1 Tbs. onion powder

     1 Tbs. cayenne pepper (I omit for my kids)

     1 Tbs. dried leaf oregano

     1 Tbs. dried thyme

     2 Tbs. white sugar

     1/2 bottle of Barbecue Sauce -or- Thai Sweet Chili Sauce

Begin by removing the white fat membrane on the underside of the ribs, if needed. Slide a butter knife under the membrane and pull off as much as you can. Place 2 layers of tin foil (shiny side out) on a baking sheet. Lay ribs on tin foil and sprinkle ribs generously on both sides with Cajun Dry Rub mixed with 2 Tbs. white sugar.

Place another layer of tin foil on top of each rack of ribs. Roll up the long sides first, then roll up the ends to form an airtight packet around the ribs. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight, if you can. These can also just be put in the oven right after seasoning, if you don't have time.

When ready to cook, preheat oven to 275° F. Place ribs, unopened, in their foil packets on a baking sheet with a 1" edge or in a 9 x 13" baking dish and bake for 4 hours.

(Above): All wrapped up and ready to bake!

(Above): Just out of the oven, after 4 hours. 

Remove from oven and cut ribs into smaller slabs. Place on a clean piece of tin foil on baking sheet and brush both sides generously with either barbecue sauce or sweet chili sauce. Move oven rack to the top 1/3 of the oven and set the oven to broil. Broil ribs for about 5 minutes, turning once, until sauce is caramelized. Do NOT walk away, check e-mail or turn on the TV... Resist! Keep an eye on them and don't let them burn! They cook fast!

Now get ready for those finger-licking, mouth-watering, fall-off-the-bone ribs! Grab some napkins, because you're going to need them!

Oven-Roasted Pork with roasted red pepper sauce

My husband and I have been doing the 4 Hour Body diet for about a month now and this recipe was my experiment that my kids called "a keeper." It is so moist and the sauce is rich and flavorful. Enjoy!

         6 oz. tomato paste

         6 oz. roasted red peppers, chopped

         3/4 cup water + 1/2 tsp. beef bouillon granules (or 3/4 cup beef broth)

         1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed with a spoon or your fingers

         Boneless pork roast

         1/2 cup flour

         salt & pepper or Montreal Steak Seasoning

         1/2 tsp. dried basil

Preheat oven to 375°. Spray a large baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. In a small bowl mix tomato paste, chopped red peppers, beef broth and rosemary. Set aside.

Mix flour and salt & pepper (or Montreal Steak seasoning, which I love!) in a large plastic bag. Add pork roast and shake to cover. Heat 1 Tbs. olive oil in a large sauté pan and brown roast lightly on all sides. Place roast in prepared baking dish and cover with red pepper sauce. Roast at 375° for 10 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 300° and bake for 45 minutes. Cook until internal temperature reads 155°. Slice and serve topped with sauce from the baking dish.  

Café Rio Sweet Pork

          1 boneless pork loin roast
          1 (7 oz.) can diced green chilies, drained
          12 oz. salsa (1 1/2 cups or about 3/4 of a 16 oz. bottle)
          1 Tbs. dried onion
          1 1/2 cups brown sugar
          1 pkg. taco seasoning (about 3-4 Tbs.)
          1/2 cup water

          Tortillas (We love the uncooked ones from Costco)
          Sides: tomatoes, lettuce, olives, avocado and sour cream, if desired

Place pork in crockpot (I use a Reynold's Slow Cooker Liner to make clean up easier). Mix all other ingredients and pour over pork. Cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 6 hours.  Remove meat to a large serving bowl and shred with 2 forks. Add several ladles of juice to the meat until it's moist. Serve in warmed tortillas with tomatoes, lettuce, olives, avocado and sour cream, if desired. Can also serve on hamburger buns or top a salad. Serves 8-10, depending on size of pork loin.

This recipe makes enough for 2 meals for my family of 5, so I make this with the leftover pork for a different meal:

SMOTHERED BAKED PORK BURRITOS:

          Café Rio Sweet Pork
          Warmed tortillas
          1 (10 oz.) can green chile Enchilada sauce
          Shredded cheese
          Sides: tomatoes, lettuce, olives, avocado and sour cream, if desired

Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a glass baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Warm tortillas and fill with shredded pork. Place filled tortillas in baking dish and top with Enchilada sauce. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and top with shredded cheese. Return to oven to melt cheese. Serve with tomatoes, lettuce, olives, avocado and sour cream, if desired.

For a low-carb option, serve as a salad with sweet pork, lettuce, olives, tomatoes and avocado...

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

No more dried up pulled pork. This recipe guarantees pork that is tender and moist. 

   

3 lbs. boneless pork ribs or pork roast

2 c. beef broth (or 1 14 oz. can)

1 (18 oz.) bottle BBQ sauce 

(I like a tangy sauce like Kraft Sweet & Spicy Chipotle, or Famous Dave's Sweet & Zesty)

Directions: Pour beef broth into crock pot, and add pork (remove excess fat prior). Cook on high for 4 hours  or low for 6-8 hours. Remove meat and place it in a 9x13 casserole dish. Use two forks to shred meat. Stir in BBQ sauce and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serve on fresh rolls, hamburger buns, or baguettes. 

Sausage Quiche

* From Nancy Miller

12 oz. sausage browned 

1/2 c. chopped onion

1/3 c. green pepper

1 1/2 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 Tb. flour

1 Tb. parsley flakes

3/4 tsp. season salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/8 tsp. garlic salt

3 eggs beaten

1-1 1/2 c. evaporated milk

Cover edges of a 9 inch pastry crust and bake 10 minutes. Allow to cool. 

Meanwhile, brown sausage in heavy skillet. Reserve 2 Tbs cooking fat and use to sauté the onion and pepper. Combine eggs and evaporated milk. Combine all other ingredients and put into cooled crust. Poor egg mixture over other ingredients. Bake @ 350° F. for 45-55 minutes.

Baked Pork Chops

4-6 pork chops

Salt & pepper and brown on both sides. Place in baking dish and top with sauce:

Sauce:
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup (low-fat)
1/4 c. ketchup
1 Tbs. Worchestershire sauce
1 pkg. sliced fresh mushrooms (or canned)

Bake at 375° F. for 45-50 minutes. Serve with stuffing, noodles, or rice.