Crockpot Brown Sugar Balsamic Glaze Pork Tenderloin

Say that 5 times fast. Really. Let me start with, I do not own a crockpot. I have a silly phobia about leaving things running in my house when I am not there. I prefer to use a Dutch oven to braise my foods. It takes less time, about 3-4 hours, and I use the stovetop and not the oven. This is great for summer meals, as the house doesn’t heat up. Okay, so you have to actually stay at home, but that’s not really a problem for me. If you prefer to use a crockpot, I will post the link for the actual crockpot recipe that I have loving adapted, at the end.

For the love spice, do not skip the sage. If you don’t have ground sage on your spice shelf, run to the grocery store. RUN! This is what heaven smells like. Oh, too dramatic? Okay, it smells fantastic! Whenever I lifted the lid, heads popped up and asked what I was cooking. The original recipe called for 2 pounds of pork tenderloin. I used a 4 pound Swift premium boneless petite pork roast that is marketed for crockpots. Dear marketers, you got me! This was perfect for my hungry family of four, with a few bites left over.

So let’s start cooking!

2 tsp. ground sage

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

2 garlic cloves, crushed (or for tender tummies, garlic powder)

1 cup of water

4 pounds of boneless petite pork roast

Glaze/sauce:

1 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp. cornstarch

½ cup balsamic vinegar

1 cup water

4 tbsp. soy sauce

1. Mix together the sage, salt, pepper and garlic, and rub over the pork.
2. Place 1 cup of water in Dutch oven, followed by the pork roast, and cook on your stove top, on a medium low heat for one hour. You want the liquids to simmer, not boil.
3. While the pork is braising, prepare the glaze/sauce. Mix together the brown sugar, cornstarch, balsamic vinegar, water, and soy sauce in a saucepan.
4. Heat over medium and stir until mixture thickens, about 4 minutes.
5. Pour half the glaze over the pork and continue to cook for a half hour. You want to keep the lid on when you braise. The liquids will evaporate and the meat will be tough if you don’t keep the lid on when braising. Pour the rest of the glaze over the pork and cook for another 1.5 hours. I turned the pork over several times to coat it with the glaze. The total cooking time should be about 3-4 hours. When you braise, you want the liquids to slowly simmer. Small bubbles, not big. Once the meat is pull-apart soft, let it rest on a plate, or a cookie sheet. I raised the heat under the Dutch oven and reduced the sauce by about one half.

Once the sauce is reduced to your likening, either cut or pull the pork apart onto a platter. Pour the glaze/sauce over the meat. It’s a wonderful site!

I served this with mashed potatoes and steamed green beans with lemon juice. I hope you enjoy this as much as my family did!

Here is the original crockpot recipe.