Slow Cooker Fall-Apart Braised Pork with Cabbage and Apples
on Feb 03, 2020, Updated Dec 20, 2024
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This crockpot pork loin recipe is delicious, and it’s cheap, and that’s just the facts.
This slow cooker pork dish feels super seasonal for fall and winter and smells amazing while it’s cooking away. I hate to start singing a dish’s praises by mentioning how inexpensive it is…but you know what? This is a delicious and economical dinner that will feed a small crowd, and that’s always a bonus. Pork loins are usually quite well priced, and for this dish, you should look for one with the fat cap on and don’t trim it; that bit of fat will keep the pork tender and juicy in the crock pot.
It’s a great way to introduce apples into your savory cooking and not just save them for pies and crisps. If you’re into the apple and pork combo, you’ll also want to try Pork Chops with Applesauce and Pork Chops with Sautéed Apples.
Serve this pork and cabbage dish with Millet and Greens Salad, Chopped Winter Salad, or Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Roasted Garlic.
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Ingredients
- Olive oil – For searing the pork loin.
- Pork loin – Leave the fat cap on during cooking to keep the meat juicy and moist.
- Onions halved and thinly sliced – For sweetness and texture.
- Cabbage – You can use red or green cabbage, cored and sliced. I prefer green as the color won’t affect the other ingredients.
- Fresh ginger – Adds a bit of warm heat. You could use 1 teaspoon ground ginger in a pinch, but I prefer fresh in savory cooking.
- Garlic
- Apple cider vinegar – For a pop of acidity.
- White wine – To tenderize the meat and flavor the braise.
- Apple cider – For a bit of sweetness. Use apple juice if you don’t have cider.
- Apples – Any apples will work.
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.
How to Make Braised Pork with Cabbage and Apples
- Sear the pork: Season the pork with salt and pepper and sear in olive oil on medium-high heat. Remove from skillet and put on a plate.
- Cook the vegetables: Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the onions until they start to become tender, then add the cabbage, followed by the ginger and garlic, and cook. Add the vinegar and the white wine, bring to a simmer, and stir for a couple of minutes.
- Cook in slow cooker: Transfer the vegetable mixture with the liquid to a slow cooker. Add the cider and the pork. Set the slow cooker on High for 4 hours.
- Add the apples: After 3 hours, tuck the apples into the cabbage mixture and continue cooking in the slow cooker for the remaining hour.
- Finish and enjoy: Remove the pork and slice after it has rested for 10 minutes. 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.
Tips
- As you do with many slow cooker recipes, you’ll want to start by browning the meat, in this case pork, in a skillet. This will ensure a nice variety of textures in the finished dish and add a layer of flavor from the browning. Sauteeing the vegetables with seasonings before adding them to the crock pot provides additional flavor.
- When you remove the pork from the slow cooker, you want to allow it to sit on a cutting board for 10 to 15 minutes. This allows the meat to reclaim its juices.
- 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.
Leftovers and Storage
Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can reheat them in a pot over low heat, covered in the oven, or in the crock pot. Leftover sliced pork is great in sandwiches, and you can also try it in a pork banh mi!
What to Serve With Pork Loin, Cabbage, and Apples
More 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 of 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.
Notes
- As you do with many slow cooker recipes, you’ll want to start by browning the meat, in this case pork, in a skillet. This will ensure a nice variety of textures in the finished dish and add a layer of flavor from the browning.
- When you remove the pork from the slow cooker, you want to allow it to sit on a cutting board for 10 to 15 minutes. This allows the meat to reclaim its juices.
- 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.
- Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can reheat leftovers in a pot over low heat, covered in the oven, or in the crock pot. The leftover sliced pork is great in sandwiches! Try it in a pork banh mi!
Pork was tender and flavorful. Recommend seasoning it the night before and letting it sit uncovered in the fridge. Take out about 1 hour before browning. Also, I didn’t see in the recipe that was posted where to use the 1 cup of apple cider. I added with the wine and vinegar. Finally I had some carrots to use up, sliced them and added to onions and cabbage. This will be a recipe I make again though I may try on low setting for 8 hours so it can be a weeknight meal after working all day.
Glad you liked the recipe! The apple cider is added to the slow cooker along with the pork.
Is it just me who don’t see when/how to tie the pork with a string? It looks like the food has it in the pictures but I don’t see it in the instructions. Sorry I’m advance if it’s a common knowledge that isn’t common to me.
sometimes the pork comes tied, sometimes not, and either way is fine! If you want to tie it you can, but it’s not necessary.
Do you think I could do this same recipe but with corned beef? We LOVED it with pork but the husband wants to try it with beef.
well, you are in luck! here is a recipe for that! https://themom100.com/recipe/slow-cooker-corned-beef-and-cabbage/
Awesome, thank you!
I made this tonight and it was delicious. I agree, browning the meat and vegetables made all the difference in the flavor. Thanks for a keeper recipe.
We believe that we will use more cabbage next time. Also, we didn’t add the apple cider. And we used prunes instead of apples. It was delicious.
How well would this freeze do you think?
It would freeze well, though the apples would lose some of their texture.
I will add a whole cabbage next time. The cabbage was so good everyone wanted more. I also threw in some carrots for color. It was fantastic. Definitely going to fix it again!!!!
my my question is a pork loin is lean doesn’t it get dry and mealy cooked in a crock pot or slower cooked?
it turns out surprisingly well! the slow cooker works its magic.
The recipe calls for apple cider vinegar & apple cider as part of the ingredients. In the directions are you supposed to put the apple cider when you add the vinegar & white wine? Thank you.
it’s added in the next step, when you add the liquid to the vegetables in the slow cooker, but you can add it to the pan after you deglaze with the vinegar….super forgiving and flexible.
Do you have an instant pot version of this
I don’t sorry!