Mahogany-Glazed Pork

I got a comment last week from Debbie at Dining With Debbie about joining in on Crock Pot Wednesdays. What a great idea!

I love my crockpots, a.k.a. slow cookers. (I'm Midwestern. I call tissues Kleenex. Lip balm is Chapstick. Bandages are Band-aids. I'm a sucker for branding.) Anyway, I believe I've discussed my love for my three slow cookers in the past, and although I didn't use them as much over the summer, that love remains strong.

And I suspect that I will use them even more this fall when the little bundle of joy arrives and usurps all my free time. (Note: We are now accepting recipe suggestions.) I will definitely be checking out Debbie's blog each for new ideas, and contributing when possible.

This recipe is an adaptation of a Beth Hensperger recipe from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook. I used the spicy adaptation of her sauce, but threw in zucchini instead of snap peas (the hubby DOES NOT EAT PEAS), and I used boneless country-style pork ribs instead of spareribs or pork shoulder. Because while I was digging in the freezer for a pork shoulder, I accidentally poked open the package of ribs. Oops. I also thickened up the sauce a bit (I wanted it more like a stir-fry).

Speaking of Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook, I was actually reading the cookbook at my mother-in-law's one weekend. And I'm hard on my cookbooks -- I flag pages, I fold them, I scribble in changes and notes, etc. So I was sitting on the couch beating up this lovely cookbook when the hubby walked in, looked at what I was doing, and said, "Is that my mom's cookbook?" Oh, the irony. I held up the cover for him and had a good chuckle.

Yes, I'm easily amused.

Mahogany-Glazed Pork
Serves 6

1/3 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. orange marmalade
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp. ketchup
3 lbs. pork shoulder, pork spareribs, or boneless country-style pork ribs
1/2 red pepper, chopped
8 oz. sugar snap peas or 1/2 zucchini, chopped
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
4 Tbsp. water
Rice, for serving

1. Combine soy sauce, marmalade, garlic, red pepper flakes, and ketchup in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. (It should have a consistency like a thinner barbecue sauce.)


2. If using pork shoulder, cut in large chunks. Brush meat on both sides with sauce, and place in slow cooker.

3. Pour remaining sauce over meat in slow cooker.

4. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours, or until pork is cooked and tender.

5. In the last half-hour of cooking time, combine cornstarch and water and add to sauce. Add vegetables, cover, and continue cooking for about 30 minutes or until sauce is thickened and vegetables are crisp-tender.

6. Serve with rice.