Pork loin with apples, honey, and thyme
3
Points®
Total time: 7 hr 20 min • Prep: 15 min • Cook: 7 hr • Serves: 8 • Difficulty: Easy
Cooking the apples and onions in butter before they hit the slow cooker gives you a super-rich, satisfying dinner; it's well worth that little added effort and only takes about 5 minutes. The apples and onions are complemented by sweet honey and woodsy thyme, but the surprise ingredient in this recipe might just be the cider vinegar. It’s necessary to brighten the flavors, help keep the pork tenderloin moist, and bring out the complex palette of those apples. While Granny Smith apples might be the most available choice, you should consider Mutsu, Northern Spy, or Stayman apples if you’ve got access to a farmers’ market this season.
Ingredients
Unsalted butter
2 Tbsp
Apple
3 medium, green, firm, tart, peeled, cored, & thinly sliced
Uncooked onion
1 medium, yellow, halved and sliced into thin half-moons
Apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp
Honey
2 Tbsp
Fresh thyme
4 sprig(s)
Uncooked lean boneless pork loin roast
2½ pound(s), boneless
Paprika
¼ tsp, mild
Table salt
¼ tsp
Black pepper
¼ tsp
Instructions
1
Melt the butter in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the apples and onion; cook, stirring often, until they soften, about 5 minutes. Scrape the contents of the skillet into a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add the vinegar, honey and thyme sprigs; toss well.
2
Set the skillet back over medium heat, add the pork, and brown on all sides, turning often, about 6 minutes. Set the pork into the vegetables in the cooker; sprinkle with the paprika, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours or until the pork is cooked through.
3
Transfer the pork to a large cutting board; cool for 5 minutes. Slice into 16 rounds. Serving size: 2 pork slices plus 1/2 cup vegetables and sauce.
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