Slow Cooker Sweet Apple Pork Tenderloin & Potatoes (TWELVE ITEMS)

TWELVE ITEMS:

WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE:

(sweet potato, water, and crock pot not pictured)

THE DETAILS:

I'm only feeding two so I cut the loin in half and froze the second half. I'm sure these same amounts could be used with a whole loin since I was just fine with having leftover veggies and apples. I don't do precise measurements (for the most part) so feel free to tweak this recipe to fit your needs!

1/2 Hormel brand Apple Bourbon Pork Tenderloin
1/3 bag of Butternut Squash Cubes
3 Russet Potatoes
1 Sweet Potato
4 Small Apples
1/4 Large Onion
1 Tbsp honey  (approximately, I just drizzled from the bottle!)
2 tsp cinnamon (again, a light shake is all it took)
1 Cup Water (I suggest using cider or juice instead)

DIRECTIONS:

• Prepare veggies and 1/2 of the apples by cutting into bite size pieces. I prefer a variety of shapes so I sliced my apples and diced my potatoes :)
• Pour water, cider, or juice over veggies and apples. NOTE: You may want to wait to add the butternut squash later, as I found that it did not stay together after hours of cooking. If you're hoping for hearty chunks of squash, it is best to add this in later. Some slow cookers hold in more moisture than other. I lost my favorite crock pot in a flood so I added 1 cup of water just in case this cheaper model did not hold in as much moisture as the loin deserved. Likely, you could use less water and still have a juicy loin!

• Drizzle half of the honey and cinnamon over mixture.
• Slice the other half of the apples which will rest atop the Pork Tenderloin.
• If desired, cut slits into the loin vertically and place apple slices between these cuts. Surround the loin with apple slices!
• Drizzle the other half of the honey and cinnamon on top of the pork.

• Cook on low for  4 - 6 hours (Six turned out to be too long for us! The loin lost some of the tenderness from being cooked too long!)

Thankfully I only used a single knife and cutting board, so clean up took just a few minutes! Which is always nice!

Every few hours I took a wooden spoon and mixed the ingredients up a bit, but I wish I hadn't checked it so often. The moisture escapes when the lid is opened, so leave it shut as much as possible. (I'm not very good at just letting things simmer! I'm always checking on my work... especially with a new recipe!)

 

 

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS:

1. To ensure a more flavorful stew, use a cider or juice, rather than water. 
2. If you aren't keen on a sweet stew, use less apples and add some spices!
3. Consider caramelizing the onions a bit first! I love caramelized onions, but I didn't think to do this before hand. 

Let me know what you think if you give this one a try! I'd love to hear how it works out for others!