Cider Braised Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin

Get your crock pots ready, because this is a recipe you are going to want to try! Cider Braised Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin is an easy healthy recipe made by braising lean pork tenderloin in a sweet and savory apple cider based liquid. The sauce is reduced after cooking and served over tender slices of pork for a delicious meal your whole family will enjoy! I've partnered with my friends at OhioPork.org to create this delicious recipe and blog post for you. All opinions are my own.  With summer winding down, I'm looking forward to more Fall-ish type meals like this Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin! I can't think of any flavors more representative of Fall than pork and apples. The combination is irresistible! This Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin recipe is the perfect meal for those busy end of summer, beginning of Fall evenings. It can even be made during the day, and simply reheated for dinner. What is pork tenderloin? Pork tenderloin comes from the primal loin cut of the pig. This is the area between the shoulders and the legs. Pork from this area tends to be leaner than other cuts of pork. The pork tenderloin is cut from the bottom portion of the loin, the area closest to the inside of the pig. Pork tenderloin is the leanest and most tender part of the loin.  When shopping for pork tenderloin, you will most likely find it packaged in two long, skinny pieces in your fresh meat case. Both pieces together will add up to anywhere from 2 to 3 pounds per package.  Pork Tenderloin in the Crock Pot You might be surprised that I'm saying this but, generally speaking, cooking pork tenderloin in the Crock Pot is not something I would recommend. Pork tenderloin is considered one of the leanest, most tender part of the pig. Slow cooking can tend to dry this lean piece of pork out. Therefore, it's best suited for cooking methods that cook using high heat quickly, like in this recipe for Easy Pork Tenderloin Marsala or Grilled Orange Pork Tenderloin.  But, I'm here to tell you, you CAN cook delicious pork tenderloin in your crock pot...it just takes a bit of care and know how to do it successfully. That means, you won't be cooking this recipe for 6 to 8 hours on LOW like most Crock Pot recipes. After trial and error, I found that cooking the pork tenderloins in the Crock Pot on LOW for about 3 hours was just about right. You might find you will need to adjust the time a bit in either direction, because like ovens, some Crock Pots cook faster than others. But, if you follow the directions below, you should end up with a delicious, moist and tender pork meal! Cider Braised Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin Like salt and pepper, or peanut butter and jelly, pork and apples were just made to be together! In this recipe for Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin, apple cider is used as a base for the braising liquid. Combined with onions, chicken stock, seasonings, and just a bit of apple cider vinegar this sauce gives the pork tenderloin a wonderful sweet and savory flavor. If you can't find apple cider (it can be a seasonal product in some areas) you can substitute unfiltered apple juice. Once the pork is cooked to an internal temperature around 145 degrees F and removed to rest, the braising liquid is turned into a luscious sauce by reducing it and adding butter. The sauce is delicious served over the pork tenderloin slices and over side dishes like Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes. How to make the best Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin Remove the pork tenderloins from packaging. Pat dry with a paper towel. Season and sear in a pan over medium high heat. Brown on all sides. Browning adds so much flavor, and everyone loves flavor! Remove to crock pot. Add onion to skillet and cook until translucent, then add garlic.  Add in apple cider vinegar and stir, scraping up brown bits. Bring to boil. Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated.  Add to skillet, apple cider, chicken stock, and bay leaf.  Take off heat and pour over pork tenderloins. Cover Crock Pot and cook as directed in recipe card below.  Pork is leaner today! Did you know that according to the National Pork Board, today’s pork is 16% leaner and 27% lower in saturated fats compared to 26 years ago! Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin, Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin, Pork Tenderloin in Crock Pot main dish, pork American Yield: 6 servings Author: Renee Paj Print With ImageWithout Image Cider Braised Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin prep time: 15 Mcook time: 3 hourtotal time: 3 H & 15 M Pork Tenderloin is seasoned, pan seared, and then slow cooked in a sweet and savory apple cider sauce for a tender and flavorful pork dinner! ingredients: 1 package of pork tenderloins (2 to 3 lbs. total) 1 tsp. kosher salt 1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper  1 tsp. dried thyme 1 tsp. garlic powder 1 TBSP olive oil 1 cup chopped red onion 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 1 cup apple cider 1/2 cup chicken stock 1 dried bay leaf 2 TBSP unsalted butter, room temperature fresh thyme for garnish (optional)  instructions: How to cook Cider Braised Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin Remove pork tenderloins from package and pat dry with paper towels.  Season all sides with salt, pepper, thyme, and garlic powder.  Heat large skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil. When oil begins to shimmer, add pork tenderloins and brown on all sides.  When pork is browned, remove to crock of slow cooker. Set aside.  In same skillet you browned pork, add onion. (you can add a little more oil if needed). Saute over medium heat, scraping up browned bits from bottom of the pan as the onion cooks. Cook onion for about 5 to 6 minutes, or until it becomes translucent. Add minced garlic, and cook for one more minute. Add apple cider vinegar. Turn heat up to medium high and cook until most of the vinegar has absorbed.  Add apple cider, chicken stock, and bay leaf. Bring to boil then take off heat.  Pour mixture over browned pork tenderloins in Crock Pot.  Put lid on and set Crock Pot to LOW. Cook for about 3 hours, or until internal temperature is about 145 degrees F and pork is fork tender.  When pork is done, remove tenderloins to cutting board and tent with foil to keep warm.  Remove bay leaf from braising liquid.  Carefully pour braising liquid into a medium saucepan. Bring to boiling over medium high heat and then turn down to simmer. Cook until the liquid has reduced by half.  Take off heat and whisk in butter.  Slice tenderloins and serve with sauce.  Calories 123.99 Fat (grams) 7.05 Sat. Fat (grams) 2.99 Carbs (grams) 10.31 Fiber (grams) 0.83 Net carbs 9.48 Sugar (grams) 6.14 Protein (grams) 4.98 Sodium (milligrams) 428.75 Cholesterol (grams) 21.12 Nutritional Information is an estimate. Copyright © 2019 Renee's Kitchen Adventures Created using The Recipes Generator What to serve with Cider Braised Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin You might want something to spoon all that yummy cider sauce over and Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes are just the thing! I also really love green beans with pork and this recipe for Country Style Green Beans is always a hit! This Red Cabbage Slaw with Cashews would also pair nicely with this pork meal!  More delicious pork recipes you'll love! Grilled Pork Loin with Pineapple Salsa Breaded Oven Baked Pork Chops Pork and Sauerkraut Perfect Pork Tenderloin (oven baked) You can also search OhioPork.org or follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest. and Instagram for all kinds of delicious pork recipes and inspiration!  Don't forget to pin Cider Braised Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin to your pork Pinterest boards and share on social media if you love this recipe!  Like what you see? Follow RKA on all these social networks!! Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube