cocoa rubbed pork roast

I adapted this for the slow cooker from an oven roast recipe for Bon Apetite. The original recipe required a slow cooked oven roast, with the onions sauteed separately on the stovetop. The slow cooker method allows you to cook the onions and the roast together, with less moisture for a more concentrated flavor, and the onions help keep the pork roast extremely tender.

Cocoa Rubbed Pork
1 3-4lb center cut pork roast
1 1/2 tbsp unsweetened dark cocoa powder
3-4 cardamom pods, toasted and crushed
1 tsp cloves, ground
1 tsp peppercorns, coarsely ground
1 tsp nutmeg, ground
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp sea salt

Smothered Onions
2 medium yellow onions
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sage leaves, chopped
1 cup chicken broth

First, prepare your rub. Toast cardamom pods in an ungreased pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, tossing frequently. Using a mortal and pestle  (or a spice grinder), crush cardamom pods, peppercorns and cloves.

crushed spices

In a small bowl, mix the cardamom, peppercorns and cloves with the cocoa, nutmeg, cinnamon and sea salt.  Wash and pat dry pork. Rub all sides with the spice mixture.  Set aside.

Peal onions and slice thinly with a knife or mandolin. Roughly chop sage leaves. Heat oil and butter in a wide saute pan over medium heat. Add onions and saute until tender and translucent, 5-7 minutes.  Add chopped sage and broth, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.

Pour onions and broth into slow cooker. Place roast on top of onions, and cook until roast reaches an internal temp of 160F (approximately 3-4 hours on high, or 5-6 hours on low). Remove roast from slow cooker to plate and let meat rest 10 minutes.

smothered onions on roast pork

Cover the pork roast with onions and slice onto plates.

slice of cocoa roast pork

braised beef rib with rosemary chips

I don’t cook beef often. I grew up eating a lot of grizzly, burnt steak that has turned me (unfairly) against red meat. I do appreciate a nice piece of rare meat on occasion, though it’s something I like to order at a restaurant more often than cook myself. So, I wanted to create a simple beef meal that even a steak-phobic cook like me couldn’t mess up.

tender beef, success!

Cider Braised Short Ribs

4 beef short ribs
1/2 cup apple cider
1 star anise
1/2 tsp peppercorns
1/2 tsp whole cloves
2 tbsp butter, divided
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sifted flour

beef short ribs

Wash ribs, pat dry, season with salt and pepper. In a large saute pan, melt 1 tbsp butter and oil over medium high heat, until bubbles start to dissolve. Brown the ribs on all four sides – searing quickly for 1- 2 mins per side, using tongs to turn over.

Deglaze the pan with the cider. Place the ribs into the slow cooker, and scrape the brown bits with the cider and pour over ribs. Toss in your seasonings (peppercorns, cloves, star anise) and cook to internal temp of 145, or about 1  to 1 1/2 hour on high.

Once the meat is cooked, place on a cutting board or plate to rest. In a small saucepan, make a quick roux of 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp flour over medium-low heat. Once the roux is well combined but not too dry, pour the cider mix from the slow cooker through a sieve (to catch the cloves and star anise) into the pan. Stir until the gravy is an even consistency. If your gravy is too thick, you can thin it with a dash of cider.

Spread 2 tbsp gravy onto each plate, and place rib over the gravy. Serve with potatoes of your choice.

cider braised ribs with gravy

I was fidgeting a bit with an existing recipe for brown sugar glazed pork so it would work in the slow cooker.  Also, I was trying to use up some leftover apples and cider. I decided to caramelize the apples and use them as a stuffing. A savory fruit stuffing adds a nice contract to the roast, and it’s a really beautiful presentation when you’re slicing these to the plate.

apple stuffing

I used a sirloin cut roast, but this will work with a tenderloin or other cut, so long as it’s 4-6lbs and a few inches deep. Larger roasts will take a bit longer, but since we’re working with a slow cooker, you don’t need to worry about the exact time.

1 4-6lb pork roast (center cut, tenderloin, etc)

Glaze:
1 cup dark brown sugar, plus 2 tbsp
1 tbsp dijon-style mustard
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

Stuffing:
2 medium apples
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup apple cider
2 tsp fresh chopped rosemary

Peel and chop to apples into 1/2 inch cubes. Add butter into a sauce pan over medium heat. When butter has melted, add apples and stir for a few minutes, until apples have barely softened.  Add cider and cook until reduced a bit, then mix in chopped rosemary . Remove from heat; allow to cool to room temp.

Wash roast and pat try. Rub with salt and pepper.  Using a long knife, slit the roast in the center. Cut on each end, and then carefully press through the center until both cuts meet.

Take apple mixture and spoon into the hole you’ve slit in the roast. Mix brown sugar, mustard, balsamic vinegar, and nutmeg in a small bowl. The texture will be grainy but moist. Rub all over pork.

brown sugar glaze

Place roast in slow cooker. Take any remaining apples and cider, and pour over roast.

ready for the slow cooker

Depending on your slow cooker settings and how much time you have, you can cook on high (around 3-4 hours for a 4lb roast) or low (around 6-8 hours for a 4lb roast) until you reach an internal temp of 160F. Your slow cooker should switch to “warm” mode after the internal temp has been reached.

Remove from slow cooker and allow meat to rest for 5 minutes.  While the meat is resting, take remaining 2 tbsp of brown sugar and rub over top of pork. This should melt on its own.  Cut into 1″ thick serving slices.

all done, with potatoes and spinach gratin