Ginger Cranberry Pork Loin

The great crock pot debate.  Can meat be cooked for ten to twelve hours and not taste vinegary and acidic and be all dry?

I had found this recipe for the cranberry pork loin on an old blog called A Year of Slow Cooking.  I figured it had to be good!

My friend said she uses the casserole dish inside the crock pot method.  I decided to try it out for a 8 to 10 hour time period but was afraid if some of the juce overflowed it would burn inside the crockpot and I would come home to fire trucks.  My remedy was to pour water all around the outside of the casserole dish so if any juce leaked over it would just go into the heated water. 

The verdict?

The water worked!

BUT....

My crock pot is fairly new and must have a heat level of high on the low setting. (My friend's is about eight years old).  The pork loin roast came out dry.  I shredded it and mixed it in with the juices and it was okay but I was not blown away.  I have now come to the realization that I can't just set it and forget it.  It will have to be a weekend thing where I can watch it.  Bummer!!!

Ginger Cranberry Pork Loin

Ingredients

1 (1.5 lb) pork loin roast or rib roast
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon dried mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tsp minced garlic
6 ounces of fresh cranberries (this is about 1/2 a bag)
1/2 cup agave
1/4 cup local honey
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup apple juice
1 Tbsp minced crystallized ginger
3 fresh lemon slices

Directions
 1. Use a small casserole dish that will fit into a larger crockpot or use a 4 Qt crockpot.

2. Mix the corn starch and the dry spices and rub over the pork loin.  Place that in the casserole dish or crock pot.

3. Mix the garlic through the apple juice and pour over pork loin.  Top with lemon slices.

4. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for about 4. 


5. Serve over brown rice and veggies.