Cranberry Roast Pork with Sweet Potatoes
This recipe calls for a slow cooker, but if you prefer, you can braise the dish, covered, in the oven at 325°F for 3 hours, or until the internal temperature of the meat registers 175°F. Either way, the meat will be pull-apart tender.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 6–8
- 3-pound pork butt roast
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 16-ounce can sweetened whole cranberries
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- ¾ cup orange juice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and quartered
- OPTIONAL: 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- OPTIONAL: 2 tablespoons cold water
Place the pork, fat-side up, in a 4-quart slow cooker. Salt and pepper to taste.
Combine the cranberries, onion, orange juice, cinnamon, and cloves in a bowl or large measuring cup; stir to mix and then pour over the pork roast.
Arrange the sweet potatoes around the meat. Cover and cook on low for 5 ½ to 6 hours.
To serve with a thickened sauce, transfer the meat and sweet potatoes to a serving platter. Cover and keep warm.
Skim the fat off of the pan juices, leaving about 2 cups of juice in the cooker. Bring to a boil on the high setting.
Combine the cornstarch with the water. Whisk into the boiling juices. Reduce the temperature setting to low and continue to cook and stir for an additional 2 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened and bubbly.
Pamper the Pork
Many slow cooker recipes can be changed from cooking on low to cooking on high simply by dividing the cooking time in half. It's trickier with pork, especially when cooking with a sugar-based or fruit sauce. If the dish scorches, the whole taste will change; if you cook on high, monitor it carefully during the last hour of cooking.
