Slow Cooker Fall-Apart Braised Pork with Cabbage and Apples
on Feb 03, 2020, Updated Mar 17, 2023
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This is delicious and itโs cheap and thatโs just the facts.
I hate to start of singing a dish’s praises by mentioning how inexpensive it is….and I hate using the word cheap to talk about any food. But you know what? This is delicious and it’s cheap and that’s just the facts.
And it also feels super seasonal for fall and winter, what with the cabbage and the pork and the apples and the slow cooker. It also smells amazing.
And did I mention that it is cheap?
Searing Before Slow Cooking
Like many slow cooker recipes, you’ll want to start this in a skillet. Slow cookers are amazing, but of course where they shine is in the set it and forget it department. Making dinner in the morning, and having it ready to dig into at night is a very sexy promise. But in order to get a bit more texture and a bit more flavor, you’ll want to kick things off in a pan, most cases. This is one of those cases.
What Kind of Apples Go with Pork?
You can use any apples you like, from Golden Delicious to Empire to Fuji. You add the apples towards the end of the cooking process so they get nicely softened, and both lend flavor to and absorb flavor from the rest of the dish, but don’t become mushy.
Letting the Pork Sit After Cooking
When you remove the pork from the slow cooker you want to allow it to sit on a cutting board for at 10 to 15 minutes. This allows the meat to reclaim its juices – but don’t expect the slices to slice perfectly. The gorgeousness of low and slow cooking is that the meat will become fall apart tender. Even a leaner cut like a pork loin.
This Slow Cooker Braised Pork with Cabbage and Apples is delicious and it’s cheap and that’s just the facts.
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Serve Up All the Good Stuff From the Slow Cooker
You can use a slotted spoon to transfer the apples, cabbage, and onion mixture into a shallow serving bowl, and lay the sliced pork over the top. In my case I served up some of the cabbage and apples on the side of the pork, and the rest in a different side dish to be passed around.
What to Serve with Slow Cooker Fall-Apart Braised Pork with Cabbage and Apples:
- Millet and Greens Salad
- Chopped Winter Salad
- Light Green Crunchy Salad
- Mashed Yukon and Sweet Potatoes with Sauteed Leeks
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Roasted Garlic
Other Slow Cooker Recipes:
- Barbacoa Beef in the Slow Cooker
- Red Lentil, Fennel, and Chicken Slow Cooker Soup
- Easy Slow Cooker Hot Pimento Cheese Dip
- How to Make Shredded Chicken in the Slow Cooker
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Slow Cooker Fall-Apart Braised Pork with Cabbage and Apples
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 3-pound boneless pork loin
- 2 onions halved and thinly sliced
- ½ head cabbage red or green, cored and sliced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 cup apple cider
- 2 apples any kind, peeled, cored and cut into wedges
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive over medium high heat in a large heavy skillet. Season the pork with salt and pepper and brown the pork on all sides, about 8 minutes in all. Remove the pork to a plate.
- Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining tablespoon olive oil. Sauté the onions for 5 minutes, until they start to become tender, then add the cabbage, cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the ginger and garlic, and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes. Add the vinegar and the white wine, bring to a simmer, and stir for a couple of minutes to release any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
- Transfer the vegetable mixture with the liquid to a slow cooker. Add the cider and tuck the pork into the mixture; in the pork; the liquid and vegetables should come up about 2/3 quarters of the way around the meat. Set the slow cooker on High for 4 hours (until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 140 F if you are using a meat thermometer). After 3 hours, tuck the apples into the cabbage mixture and continue cooking in the slow cooker for the remaining hour.
- Remove the pork from the pot and allow it to sit on a cutting board for about 10 minutes. Slice the pork. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the apples, cabbage, and onion mixture into a shallow serving bowl, lay the sliced pork over the top, and drizzle over some of the liquid from the slow cooker.
would like to try recipe, but cannot use wine. can I replace the wine with additional 1/2 cup of apple vinegar?
you can use water or vegetable or chicken broth instead of the wine!
thank you for response to my question. thank you, thank you!