Cooking Pork in a Crock Pot
Pork provides many different cuts of meats. These can include bacon, ground sausage, ham, pork butt steaks, ribs, loin and chops. Each has its own characteristics and provides different options for how it can be cooked. In a crock pot any of these cuts will work. The leaner cuts will give you the least fat if you are watching your diet.
Boneless pork chops and pork tenderloin will not take as long to cook. Your crock pot should be set on four hours instead of eight. Pork can be bought seasoned from the store. If it is not preseason try adding a packet of onion soup mix or the equivalent to the meat.
Once you have added your pork cut sprinkle it with the soup mix. Pour about one cup of water and any other flavorful sauces, such as soy or teriyaki sauce into the crock pot. Vegetables can be tossed in if they are to be included in the dish. Fresh or frozen vegetables both work well.
Another favorite cut of pork for the slow cooker is pork ribs. They can be country style or spareribs. You may choose to season and marinate the ribs with your favorite store bought or homemade marinade. For best results, marinade overnight before cooking them in the slow cooker. They will be in there for six to eight hours so there is no need to parboil on the stove for tenderness.
Once again don’t forget to add water before cooking. An hour or two before cooking is complete barbecue sauce may be added. The spicy sauce will find its way through the meat and add flavoring. By the time they finish cooking, the ribs will be so tender it will fall away from the bone.
Sausage balls can be made by rolling out ground pork sausage. If you don’t have fresh pork, frozen sausage balls will do. Be sure to add a favorite sauce and a bit of water to the cooker. Depending on how many sausage balls you are preparing and whether they are fresh or frozen, cooking time is approximately two to four hours. Remember that frozen pork sausage and higher quantities will require a higher amount of cooking time. With pork you can never be too careful when it comes to making sure it’s cooked through. After two hours of cooking, check to see if is done.
A ham can even be cooked in a crock pot for a special Sunday dinner. Glaze it with honey or brown sugar and pineapples an hour or so before it is done. The meat will be juicy, flavorful and tender when sliced.
Pork is a great meat for cooking in a crock pot. Be aware of the cooking times for boneless meat as opposed to bone-in varieties. The last thing you want is a dried out piece of meat that no one enjoys. With a good eye you can serve a tender mouthwatering pork meal that will be begged for over and over again.
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