January 8, 2019 By Sara 176 Comments

Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin

Name: Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 240 min
Total time: 250 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil (divided use); 2 pork tenderloins (approximately 2 1/4 lbs total); salt and pepper to taste; 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning; 1 cup chicken broth; 1/4 cup soy sauce; 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar; 2 tablespoons brown sugar; 2 teaspoons minced garlic; 2 tablespoons cornstarch; 1 tablespoon butter; 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

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This slow cooker pork tenderloin is simmered in a garlic and herb gravy and produces perfect results every time. An easy crock pot dinner that the whole family will love.

Pork tenderloin in an inexpensive cut of meat that’s tender and full of flavor. It gets even better when you slow cook it with plenty of seasonings. Slice and serve for an amazing meal! I serve my pork tenderloin with a side of homemade Rice-A-Roni and roasted carrots for a complete dinner.

I know that pork tenderloin can be a little intimidating if you’ve never made it before. However, this slow cooker pork tenderloin recipe will make it seem like it’s any other classic dish you’ve made a thousand times. It’s much easier than it first appears.

HOW DO YOU MAKE SLOW COOKER PORK TENDERLOIN?

The first step is to season your meat and give it a good sear before placing it in the crock pot. If you’re short on time and don’t want to brown your pork first, you can place directly in the slow cooker and skip this step. I think it’s really worth the extra effort though because it adds so much more flavor.

The pork goes into the slow cooker with a whole bunch of flavorings like garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce, chicken broth and herbs. This forms the base of the gravy. The gravy is thickened at the end of the cooking time and fortified with a little butter to give it some richness. I serve my slow cooker pork tenderloin over rice or mashed potatoes to make the most out of all that delicious gravy.

Tips for Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin

This crock pot pork tenderloin recipe calls for 2 tenderloins, but can easily be halved to feed a smaller group. You can cut the pork in half to fit into the crock pot as needed, or you can use an oval shaped slow cooker.
Make sure that you’re using pork tenderloin, not pork loin. They are two different cuts of meat.
You can add some vegetables like carrots and potatoes to the crock pot. Just be sure to cut them in large pieces so that they don’t get overly soft after the long cooking time.

HOW LONG DO YOU COOK A PORK TENDERLOIN?

The amount of time you cook a pork loin depends on the weight of the meat. Most often, it averages about two hours of slow cooker time per 1 pound of pork tenderloin.

WHY SEAR THE PORK TENDERLOIN BEFORE SLOW COOKING?

It’s definitely not a must that the pork tenderloin needs to be seared before it is slow cooked. However, when the meat is seared, it allows for more complex flavors to be released when the slow cooking process is in progress. If a portion of meat is sear with a coating of flour before slow cooking, this helps thicken the sauce in the crock pot dish.

Back in the day, I had no idea how to cook a pork tenderloin and didn’t even know where to start. Now, it’s one of the easiest dishes I make and the entire family loves it. I have no doubt you will thoroughly enjoy it as much as we did.

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