Slow Cooker Pear and Raisin Pork Loin Roast

Once in a blue moon, I’ll come up with a dish that will have me proclaim LOUD AND CLEAR to whoever is around and cares to listen (which is usually just my dogs, and I don’t think it bothers them all that much when I talk to myself) that I’m a true, profound, culinary genius.

As soon as I got my first taste of this Slow Cooker Pork Loin Roast, that is precisely what happened. These exact words came right out of my mouth, in spite of me.

To say that I LOVED this dish would be an understatement. I think I want to have this as my final meal… or at the very least, I need to add it to my list of serious contenders. Or maybe I should serve it at my wedding, instead. That’s IF I ever meet Mr. Perfect-Match-For-Moi and get married, that is…  The way things are going, it’s looking like the two events might very well coincide!

The best part about this Slow Cooked Pork Roast is that it’s not only super delicious, but it’s also stupid crazy easy to make. It doesn’t require that you attend to it, or so very little. Seriously. I could probably even be the one whipping it up it at my own wedding… Again… Mr. Right… you know, yadi-yadi-ya… 

Why am I posting so many pictures then, you ask? I think I just got trigger happy. It certainly is not because there are lots of complicated steps to follow. In fact, I think you could simply look at the pictures and make the recipe without reading a single word I wrote.

Or well, perhaps you can take this opportunity to practice your diagonal reading skills…

First long and complicated step to follow: remove the netting from the pork loin if present and pat the roast dry.

As you can see, my own pork roast had netting on it, which I removed.

Now, was that picture really necessary? Did I really HAVE to show you that? Not at all, but I thought this was a pretty piece of meat and felt like immortalizing it and sharing its beauty with the world.

Yeah, I know, you can say it. There’s something wrong with me!

Diagonal reading, remember?

Cut the pears into ½” chunks and lay them, along with the raisins, at the bottom of the ceramic bowl of your slow cooker.

Set aside.

Next, mix some mustard, date paste, balsamic vinegar, sage, thyme, salt, pepper, ginger and cardamom until well combined.

Pour that over the roast and spread evenly across the top.

Place the roast over the bed of pears and raisins and, if time permits, put this in the refrigerator to marinate overnight.

I’ll be honest, I really hope that time permits. Marinating the meat will make a tremendous difference in the final flavor and texture of your roast. All we did so far took at most 10 minutes, so you can do that right before you hit the sack and let the meat get all happy while you sleep.  

When you get up in the morning, start the roast on high and cook it for 5 hours, or until the meat is cooked through and really fork tender.

Or, well, if you don’t want to have dinner so early in the day, you can wait a little bit before to start the slow cooker. Maybe turn it on at around lunch time? That should do the trick.

When your roast is done cooking, it won’t look all that great. The top will be kind of mushy and not all that appetizing, as you can see in the above picture. Yeah, slow cookers tend to do that… We need to fix this! Carefully lift the roast and remove it to an oven safe baking dish; then fish out half the fruits with a slotted spoon and place them on either side of the roast.

Put the roast under the broiler for 5 to 7 minutes, until the top gets nice and golden brown and the fruits start to caramelize a little bit.

This is what it should look like when it comes out of the oven… well, minus the parsley. I sprinkled that afterwards!

Looking much better now, wouldn’t you say?

Now here’s the part that will require the most attention from you: we need to make the sauce. Oh, you could probably save yourself the trouble and serve the cooking liquid as is. But trust me, that little bit of effort is so totally worth it.

While your roast is getting comfortable under the broiler, transfer the cooking juice along with the rest of the fruits to a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 5 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by half.

Transfer that into a blender and process on high speed until completely smooth. You could also use a food processor or stick blender if you don’t have a blender.

Return the sauce to the saucepan and bring back to the boil. Dilute the tapioca starch in one tablespoon of water and pour that right into the boiling liquid.

Stir well with a whisk for about one minute, until the sauce is thickened and silky smooth.

Did I say silky smooth? Oh yeah… gorgeous!

You didn’t forget to take the roast out of the oven, did you?

Phew. Thank goodness!

Time to slice this puppy up. No need to take out the heavy artillery, here. This roast is so moist and tender and juicy, a butter knife would probably do the trick.

Serve the roast with a little bit of those delicious fruits on the side…

And then bring forth… DA GRAVY!

Now this stuff is seriously yummmmmmy. Be generous with it.

Don’t tell anyone it’s healthy, they don’t need to know. Don’t even tell your brains, or your taste buds.

Just pour it on thick, and enjoy!

This dish… it’s simply perfect, me says. The pears and raisins go so perfectly well with the pork, that sauce is so silky and smooth and tangy and sweet, and that meat, it literally melts in your mouth, I swear.

It’s like all the flavors and textures, they just seem to come together and holds hands in beautiful harmony. *cue wedding bells*

Sooooo, who’s coming to my wedding?

Print Recipe Rate this Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Slow Cooker Pear and Raisin Pork Loin Roast

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1- 2 kg 4½lb pork loin
• 1/4 cup Old Fashioned Dijon Mustard
• 2 tbsp date paste
• 2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped
• 1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
• 1 tsp Himalayan salt
• 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 2 firm pears, cored and chopped
• 1/4 cup organic raisins
• 1 tbsp tapioca starch
• 1 tbsp water

Instructions

• Remove netting from pork loin if present, pat dry.
• Lay the pears and raisins at the bottom of the ceramic bowl of your slow cooker. Set aside.
• Mix mustard, date paste, balsamic vinegar, sage, thyme, salt, pepper, ginger and cardamom until well combined. Pour that over the roast and spread evenly across the top.
• Place the roast over the bed of pears and raisins and, if time permits, put this in the refrigerator to marinate overnight.
• Cook on high for 5 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; fish out half the fruits with a slotted spoon and place them on either side of the roast.
• Put the roast under the broiler for 5 to 7 minutes, until the top gets nice and golden brown and the fruits start to caramelize a little bit.
• Transfer the cooking juice along with the rest of the fruits to a medium saucepan.
• Bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 5 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by half.
• Pour into a blender and process on high speed until completely smooth. You could also use a food processor or stick blender if you didn’t have a blender.
• Return the sauce to the saucepan and bring back to the boil. Dilute the tapioca starch in one tablespoon of water and pour that right into the boiling liquid. Stir well with a whisk for about one minute, until the sauce is thickened and silky smooth.
• Slice the roast and serve with the fruits and gravy.
  

Author: Sonia! The Healthy Foodie

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