Ginger Garlic Slow Cooker Pork Loin
The days are getting longer, the sun stays up much later at night and the snow is slowly starting to melt… That feels soooooo good! Plus, I finally get to share pictures of the food that goes on my plate for dinner, so you guys get a chance to see that I’m not some kind of freak that only feeds off eggs and avocados…
But somehow, this kind of makes me a little sad.
Why sad, you ask? Well, while I LOVE the fact that spring is just around the corner and that warmer days are soon to be a part of my daily reality, this also means that I’ll soon have to put away my beloved crock-pot and that hearty, comforting dishes like this Ginger Garlic Slow Cooker Pork Loin will be a thing of the past for a wee while.
The good news is, when that piece of equipment goes into storage, I’ll get to take the grill out of the garage! Now THAT makes me happy. And it’s almost enough to make me kind of forget that I’ll soon have to part with moist and juicy roasts that got to cook ever so slowly in their own juices.
But hey, let us enjoy our crock-pots while we still can… I get the feeling I’ll be abusing mine over the next couple of weeks.
If time allows, start working on this Pork Loin recipe two days before you plan on eating it. Don’t worry, though; You’re not going to be actively working for 2 days…
You only need to plan ahead, as in:
- Brine the meat on day 1 – requires 5 – 10 minutes of your time
- Marinate on day 2 – requires 10 -15 minutes of your time
- Slow cook on day 3 – requires 15 – 20 minutes of your time
While brining isn’t absolutely necessary, I strongly recommend it. Since this is a very lean cut of meat, it will result in a much juicier, tastier and tender meat. Plus, brining is so easy: simply soak the roast overnight in a solution of 2 tablespoons of salt diluted in 4 cups of water.
The next day, remove the roast from the brine, pat it real dry and, with the help of a sharp knife, score the top in a diamond pattern. This will allow the meat to absorb more flavors, and make it even more juicier. Then, place the roast in the ceramic bowl of your slow cooker and set it aside.
Mix some garlic, ginger, date paste, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, sesame oil, fish sauce, chili pepper, onion powder and salt together in a mixing bowl and pour that mixture over the roast
Then, spread it evenly across the top, taking care to massage it into every little cut with your fingers. Or, if like me you’re not a fan of having your hands dirty, feel free to use a large spoon!
If time permits, place the roast in the refrigerator to marinate overnight. Again, that step is not absolutely mandatory, but I strongly recommend it. It’ll give your meat an opportunity to absorb so much more of those beautiful flavors!
If marinating overnight isn’t an option, try and give it at least a couple of hours.
It’s now time to cook the meat. Set the slow cooker to high and let your meat cook for 6 hours, or until the roast is cooked through and really fork tender.
Now carefully lift the roast and remove it to an oven safe baking dish; place it under the broiler for 5 to 10 minutes, until the top gets nice and golden brown.
While that’s happening, strain the cooking liquid through a fine mesh sieve, then slice the roast and serve with the cooking juices.
Now sit yourself (and your family) down and enjoy the fruit of all that hard labor.
What? No one needs to know that you had to work so very little to create such a delicious meal.
I certainly won’t tell if you wont…
Ginger & Garlic Slow Cooker Pork Loin
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 2 tbsp Himalayan salt
- 1- 2 kg 4½lb pork loin
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1/4 cup date paste
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp chili pepper flakes
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp Himalayan salt
Instructions
- The previous night, place the roast to brine in a solution of 2 tablespoons of salt diluted in 4 cups of water.
- Remove the roast from the brine, pat it real dry and, with the help of a sharp knife, score the top in a diamond pattern. This will allow the meat to absorb more flavors, and make it even juicier.
- Place the roast in the ceramic bowl of your slow cooker. Set aside.
- Mix the garlic, ginger, date paste, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, sesame oil, fish sauce, chili pepper, onion powder and salt together in a mixing bowl. Pour that mixture over the roast and spread it evenly across the top, taking care to massage it into every cut with your fingers (or with a spoon, if you’d rather not get your fingers dirty).
- If time permits, place the roast in the refrigerator to marinate for a few hours or even overnight.
- Cook on high for 6 hours, or until the roast is cooked through and really fork tender.
- Carefully lift the roast and remove it to an oven safe baking dish; place it under the broiler for 5 to 10 minutes, until the top gets nice and golden brown.
- Meanwhile, strain the cooking liquid through a fine mesh sieve and set aside.
- Slice the roast and serve with the cooking juices.
If you’ve tried this recipe, please take a minute to rate the recipe and let me know how things went for you in the comments below. It’s always such a pleasure to hear from you!
You can also FOLLOW ME on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and TWITTER for more delicious, healthy recipes!
17 Comments on “Ginger Garlic Slow Cooker Pork Loin”
But you KNOW that I’ve been loving your egg and avocado pictures! 😉 I am sure your dinner pictures will make me want to move in with you just as much.
I mean, this pork loin? I am jumping on a flight RIGHT NOW. Pinned!
Hahaha! Thanks Taylor! Shall I pick you up at the airport? 😉
Wow, this looks amazing!! Some of my favourite flavours are ginger and garlic – and I am curious about these coconut aminos! I will be trying this recipe for sure! 🙂
Thank you so much for discussing the way to cook a pork loin! Mine ALWAYS turn out tough, tough, tough. I will be using your method from now on and I LOVE your collection of crock pots!
Yummy… This looks very delicious. I really really like it. I want to try this recipe. Thanks
Hi Sonia,
This looks amazing!
Have you found a source for sugar-free fish sauce in the Montreal area? I’ve looked pretty much all over my little part of it without luck. Any ideas for a substitute?
Thanks!
Not locally, I haven’t… I have, however, been able to get my hands on some Red Boat fish sauce through Vitacost.com. They carry it and ship to Canada for a decent flat rate. While I’ve had many issues with them and their poor customer service, it’s still worth ordering some hard to source stuff such as this!
I’m trying this pork loin roast today. Your presentation is beautiful! Tell me, what did you serve the roast on, and what is the purple side dish in the photo?
Thank you Kathy! I simply laid the roast on a bed of spiralized celery root and served it with a side of (red cabbage) coleslaw.
I used only your method of brining and slow cooker, as I didn’t have sauce ingredients and it came out wonderful! We browned in skillet and seasoned well with Mrs Dash garlic herb and a packet of onion soup mix, and a cup of water to deglaze skillet, which was added to crockpot. When checking meat temp after only 5 hours on high, it registered at 180*, and thought oh no! But the meat was not dried out and was soooo tender! Thickened juices and had wonderful gravy. I would like to do this again after I acquire your sauce ingredients.
Real happy to hear, Kathy, and thanks much for taking the time to leave this awesome feedback! I sincerely appreciate it! 🙂
My pork is marinating in the fridge! Just curious if this can be cooked in the slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours? Thanks!
I really don’t see a problem with that! Should work like a charm!
The only pork loin I could find was on the small side and had bones. I forgot about it so it actually brined for two days and then only got to marinate for an hour. Turned out really yummy. thanks for the recipe.
I am making this wonderful recipe now:) Usually, I sear meat prior to slow cooking. Is there a reason that you don’t suggest searing the pork?
Thank you!
You can most definitely sear it if you prefer, Mata! There’s absolutely no reason not to.
Cooked on high for about 3hours and it was over cooked and too dry. The flavor were good so next time I’ll try cooking on low for 6hours or high for 2 hours. Giving 4 stars because it needs some adjustment.