I posted recently some culinary ramblings about experimenting with new recipes when cooking for one. The experiment under discussion turned out to be a great success. Here is the outcome of my efforts.
This one is a keeper.
Boneless Pork Loin and Peaches
in the Slow Cooker
6 to 8 firm fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced
2 to 4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed or thick sliced
2 to 3 lbs. boneless pork loin
Salt & pepper to taste / Olive oil for browning
Garam Masala to taste (a savory Indian spice mix, readily available under various brands; optional—cinnamon can be substituted or leave it out entirely)
¾ cup pecan pieces
SAUCE—whisk together in a glass bowl*:
1 15.5 oz. bottle Kroger Private Selection Kentucky Bourbon Craft BBQ Sauce
1 12.4 oz. jar Robert Rothschild Hot Pepper Peach Preserves
2 Tbsp. Bourbon (optional – I had it, so I used it to wash out the BBQ sauce bottle)
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
*This BBQ sauce left a scrub-resistant stain on my white plastic mixing bowl. Beware.
ASSEMBLY:
Salt & pepper pork loin. Heat oil in a large skillet and brown loin on all sides. (I used to skip this step, but I’ve concluded it’s worth the effort and extra dish-washing.)
Cover bottom of crock pot with sweet potatoes. Sprinkle liberally with garam masala. Place pork loin on top of sweet potatoes. Cover all with peaches and sprinkle again with garam masala. Pour sauce mix over everything and sprinkle with pecans.
Cover with lid and cook: 4–5 hours on high; 8-10 hours on low.
NOTES:
I used only one large sweet potato and 8 peaches in this first effort. Next time I’ll increase the sweet potato portion and use fewer peaches. I wasn’t sure how the sauce would complement the sweet potato and was using it primarily to keep the meat off the crockery, so I was willing to trash it if need be. Turned out to be a delicious pairing, though, so next time there will definitely be more sweet potatoes included.
I don’t usually tout brands or stores, but the BBQ sauce used here is a Kroger house brand, so that’s the only place this particular sauce is sold. The preserves label is independent and may well be available elsewhere, but I found this one at Kroger also.