Slow Cooker Honey Apple Pork Loin is a beautiful and tender pork dinner. Apples are tucked into the pork loin and cooked with onions, butter, honey and a touch of cinnamon.
Have you seen pork done with the apples stuffed in the top? I’ve wanted to try this for a while now. I’m glad I finally got around to trying it, and I want to share my results with you. I really love the way the pork turned out. It came out tender and juicy, and with cooking it for only 6 hours I was able to slice the pork instead of having shredded meat.
How to make Honey Apple Pork Loin:
First I start by cutting slits into the pork and stuffing sliced Granny Smith apples into those slits. I do this on a cutting board, it would be very difficult to do this in the slow cooker, you will see in my photos and video how tight of a fit the pork is.
I lay onion and more apple slices down in the slow cooker. I also add a few pats of butter. I do this for a bit of cooking liquid for the pork, and to add more flavor.
After adding the pork to the slow cooker I season with salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Then I drizzle over honey and lay over thyme sprigs. I cook this honey apple pork loin for 6 hours on low.
Here is the pork after being cooked for 6 hours.
All ready to serve! I made rice pilaf to go with this, it was a great side for the pork.
See how moist and tender the pork is? AND it was sliceable. If I let this go any longer it would be shredded meat.
Slow Cooker Honey Apple Pork Loin
Equipment Needed:
- Slow Cooker – 5 quart or larger
Ingredients:
- 4 lb. pork loin I use a center cut
- 2 granny smith apples sliced and divided
- 1 white onion sliced
- ½ cup butter sliced
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
- ¼ cup honey
- ½ tsp. dried thyme or a few sprigs of fresh
Instructions:
- Cut slits on the top of the pork loin, I cut about an inch down. Plug in apple slices into the slits. Set aside.
- Add the onions and remaining apple slices down in the slow cooker. Lay over the slices of butter.
- Add the pork loin.
- Sprinkle the pork with the salt, pepper and cinnamon. Add the thyme.
- Drizzle over the honey.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.
- When the cooking time is done. Remove the pork onto a platter and let rest for at least 5 minutes. Slice and serve.
I had this for New Year Day dinner with friends. I was very disappointed. I followed directions adding some spices that others suggested I crockpot on low for 5 hrs and removed the 4 1/2 lbs loin. It had very little taste and meat was dry. 🙁
After reading the comments, I added apple cider and several slices of bacon laid across the top of the meat. I also doubled the salt and pepper with just a little more cinnamon than what the recipe called for. We liked it a lot and I would make again this way.
This was really bland and dry. The apples were a soggy mushy mess and the pork only had a hint of flavor on the outside, very tasteless and dry inside. I think this recipe would benefit a lot from more seasonings, a liquid base (maybe apple juice or chicken stock depending on how you wanted to flavor it), adding the apples closer to the end, and a longer cook time. Like a previous commenter I ended up dousing the entire mess in BBQ sauce and letting it sit on low for a couple more hours to salvage it into pulled pork.
This recipe looks delicious! I’m not a fan of dry pork and wondering if it comes out dry as other reviewers have said. I am considering adding Apple cider vinegar to it for a little extra moisture. Do you thunk this could work?
Did that work for you? Thinking of doing the same thing…
This was delicious! I added potatoes, Italian herbs and parsley.
Plus the apples must help to moisten the pork. I was surprised that there was no liquid added though.
Added some Rose wine. Just put in the crockpot. Hope it works out! Looks delicious.
Can you use the juice as a gravy?
Not enough seasoning. The loin came out very tender. I eat my pork loin with applesauce. Next time I will add more seasoning.
What do u do with the rest of the drippings and apples and onions ?
I drizzled it over the pork and rice. You could make a gravy from it.
I think I may try this tomorrow. Do you think it would work well to add veggies in the crock pot too (potatoes, carrots)?
I don’t see why not!
Is this a boneless center cut or with the bone?
Boneless 🙂
I am so glad this recipe came back up. My computer crashed and I lost everything. This was awesome. Rice is a definite.
Glad you were able to find it again Kathy!
Silly question but what is the point of the apples? What do they add to it? Thanks =) (Yes, I am new to this more than basic cooking thing although I have done alot with my slow cooker =) )
Apples and pork go great together, it’s a wonderful flavor combination 🙂