Brown Sugar Pork Loin in the Crockpot

I have been trying to expand my meat repertoire and for me that means adding pork to the menu. I never had much pork growing up, other than the occasional piece of bacon or breakfast sausage as well as the Honey Baked Ham on Christmas eve. I don't think I ever had a pork chop, a pork tenderloin or a pork roast until this year. I guess I just love crave the cow and the chicken more than the pig.

But as I have now learned, pork roasts cook very nicely in the crock pot so we have been experimenting. Our first go was the highly recommended Rootbeer Pulled Pork. I mean, how can you go wrong with BBQ sauce and pulled meat, right? We really liked this so have made it several times.

But one cannot make a meat the same way over and over and over again, right? Well, I probably could but Mr. Gooch would go nuts. (He thought is was weird that I brought the same thing for lunch for almost a year.) So my husband's desire for recipe variety meant I was on the hunt for some new recipes for making pork in the crock pot. I found several on http://southernfood.about.com/od/crockpotporkroasts/.

The one that Mr. Gooch said sounded the best was the recipe for Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Pork Loin.

Now, I have to say, I was not a huge fan of this recipe, but Mr. Gooch really liked it. My complaint is that I am not a fan of sweet main dishes. I guess I like my sweetness in the dessert course. My main complaint was that the amount of brown sugar was a bit too much for me. However, it was so easy to make. I may still keep it in the rotation for nights when I won't be home for dinner but Mr. Gooch still wants something other than sandwiches or take out.

Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Pork Loin
Source: http://southernfood.about.com
Ingredients
1 boneless pork loin roast, 4 to 6 pounds
1 clove garlic, halved
salt and pepper
1 1/3 cups brown sugar, divided
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (omitted since I am not a cinnamon fan)

Directions
Wash and dry the pork roast, trimming any excess fat.
Rub trimmed roast with garlic halves then season with salt and pepper.
Poke the roast all over with a fork or skewer.

Combine mustard, vinegar and 1 cup of the brown sugar in a small bowl. Once completely mixed, rub all over the roast.

Place roast in crock pot, cover and cook on Low for 7 to 9 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees. At this point pour off the excess juices.

combine the remaining 1/3 cup brown sugar with cinnamon (if you would like to include it); Spread the mixture over the top of the roast. Cover and continue cooking on LOW for 1 hour longer.

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