Slow Cooker Pork Roast With Apples and Pears Recipe

The winter months are perfect for making anything and everything in your crock pot – and there’s no reason you can’t expand beyond beef stew or good old New England pot roast. Here’s a recipe I created based on one I read in Cook’s Illustrated for Braised Pork Chops. Because the flavor profiles of pork and fruit go so well together, it was a natural to combine them in a slow cooker. An added bonus? This is the perfect recipe for cheap, tough cuts of pork such as the blade or arm roasts.

Slow Cooker Pork Roast With Apples and Pears

(1) 1 pound bone-in pork roast

3 T. kosher salt

Water

1 T. olive oil

1 medium-sized white onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 bay leaf

1 medium-sized apple (variety of your choice), peeled, cored and sliced into twelfths

1 medium-sized pear (variety of your choice), cored and sliced into twelfths

½ t. whole allspice

½ t. minced fresh ginger

½ cup pomegranate juice

2 T. balsamic vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper

Dissolve kosher salt in about one quart of water. Add the pork roast and allow to brine for at least an hour.

Meanwhile, heat your crock pot to high. Add oil, onion, garlic and bay leaf. Cook until slightly softened. Add apple and pear slices, bay leaf, allspice and ginger.

Remove pork roast from brine and pat dry. Sprinkle with black pepper. Place on top of veggies and fruits. Pour pomegranate juice and balsamic vinegar over all. Cook on high for one hour, turning roast over halfway through. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, covered, for 4 – 6 hours.

Serves 4

November 21, 2011: The Secret to the Best, Juiciest Turkey Recipe

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post with my mother’s stuffing recipe, I’ve been in charge of making the Thanksgiving dinner for quite some time. It was back in 1986 that I was first pressed into service and I’ve been doing it alone ever since (which I love, by the way – cooking is the best part of Thanksgiving as far as I’m concerned!). Over the years I’ve experimented with different ways of roasting the turkey so it would come out both flavorful and moist. By far, the secret I’m about to share with you is the best way I have ever roasted a turkey.

The secret? Brining.

Just as brining chicken makes it melt-in-your-mouth moist, so does it work for turkey. The only difference is that you’re working with a bigger bird so you have to start the day before to ensure that all those wonderful flavors in the brine are incorporated in your turkey.

There are no exact measurements to this recipe; just try throwing in a handful of herbs and spices at a time, adding a bit more for a large (16 lbs. or more) turkey or less for a small (12 lbs. or under) one.

Roasted Brined Turkey

The day before roasting, clean the turkey and remove giblets. Cook and save for dressing (see stuffing recipe) or as a treat for your dogs.

Brine

Enough water to cover your turkey in brining container (at least 2 gallons)

1 ½ cups kosher salt

1/3 cup sugar

Juniper berries

Black peppercorns

Allspice berries

Whole cloves

Fresh thyme and rosemary leaves

Garlic cloves

Bay leaves

Mix together the brining solution in a large container, big enough to hold your turkey. If you can, store it in your refrigerator overnight; otherwise, if it’s cold enough (38 degrees or less), you can store the covered container outside. An ice chest works really well for this because it’s insulated and won’t allow the turkey to refreeze if left outdoors overnight.

Roasting the Turkey

The next day, remove the turkey from the brining solution (discard - I usually dump it in the yard) and pat dry. Stuff the inside cavity with slices of orange and lemon, along with smashed garlic cloves and fresh sage leaves. Place the turkey, breast side up, in a roasting pan. Take softened butter and rub it all over the skin. Sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning and cover loosely with foil. Place in low oven, about 275 degrees. Roast one half hour for every pound, removing each hour and basting with pan juices.

When drumsticks move freely and meat begins to pull away from the bone, the turkey is done. Remove it from the oven and let sit on a platter, tented with foil, for up to half an hour.