Pineapple Pork Tenderloin CrockPot Recipe


Oh this is good. I made 3 pounds, and packed it up to give away to 2 different families last week.
I followed Shirley's recipe that she posted on the original pork post----this is a winner. My friend Georgia has 4 children, and she said they all loved it.

The Ingredients.

3 pound pork tenderloin
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 orange bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
2 tablespoons gluten free soy sauce
1/2 cup apple juice
16 ounces frozen pineapple

The Directions.

I used a 4 quart crockpot. Combine meat, sugar, spices, and cornstarch in a plastic zipper bag. Seal and shake well to coat. Pour contents of bag into crockpot. Add garlic and peppers. Pour in soy sauce, apple juice, and an entire bag of frozen pineapple.
Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours, or on high for 4-6. I cooked ours on high for 2 hours, then on low for another 6. When I took it out of the pot it was slimy, but still held much of it's shape.
Serve with rice or pasta. Georgia served it with pasta.

The Verdict.

Boy this smelled amazing while it was cooking. The original recipe called for canned pineapple, but I already had frozen in the freezer. I think using the frozen worked well, and didn't provide too much extra moisture, which would have caused the pineapple to disappear. The peppers retained their color and shape---the key with softer veggies like peppers are to put them on top of the meat so they aren't simmering in liquid all day.

This was a huge hit. Thank you to Shirley!

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Posted by: Stephanie O'Dea | A Year of Slow Cooking at February 18, 2009

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What they say about this article

  1. Mmmm. You can'y go wrong with pork and pineapple.

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  2. Anonymous2/18/2009

    Thanks for the good tip about the softer veggies. I never would have thought of that, but it makes obvious sense, doesn't it?

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  3. sounds amazing! i love your blog! i am a crockpot fanatic too!

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  4. Anonymous2/18/2009

    Stephanie, tell them on GMA that real butter & cream is good for them!!!

    Kelly
    www.kellythekitchenkop.com

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  5. I am going to try this with chicken! I am already drooling!

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  6. This is similar to a pork dish I make quite frequently in my crock, though I tend more toward an Asian flavor than Italian. Since hubby and I don't like mushy vegies, I wait until about an hour before serving before adding the vegies and pineapple and make sure the temp is set to low. It's enough time for the flavor to get into the meat but still keep the vegies on the firm side instead of soft and mushy. Of course, this only works if you are home an hour before mealtime to add the stuff.

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  7. Anonymous2/18/2009

    Oh my gosh this looks so yummy! You can almost smell it from the picture lol
    My husband does not like pork, weird I know, BUT he will eat pork tenderloin - don't ask :) I am going to make this for sure on the weekend.

    I want to use canned pineapple since I have 4 cans of it ...not sure why lol. Do you think it will be as good with the canned?

    Thank you for yet another great recipe.

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  8. Anonymous2/18/2009

    i'm hearing a plane overhead and thinking of u on your way to gma in new york. it's very exciting to anticipate your appearance tomorrow. and to think, i knew u when!! really lookng forward to seeing on the telly. have fun.

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  9. I just love using my crock pot and I posted about the use / need of my crock pot. So, hope you don't mind, but I linked your website so others can get so many more ideas from your site! You have done such an awesome job with this!!

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  10. "When I took it out of the pot it was slimy, but still held much of it's shape."

    HMMM.... Interesting choice of words, not what one usually finds in a recipe. LOL

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  11. Hi, just saw you on Good Morning America. You look younger on tv than on your blog. I guess that's a good thing. :)
    I've tried some of your recipes and I'll be trying more, for sure.
    Sorry the guy got your name wrong. Oh, well, all in a day's work.
    Good job!

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  12. Anonymous2/19/2009

    Where do you find frozen pineapple? We don't have it here in Hawaii that I can find. :(

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  13. Hi anon,

    Hawaii! Wow, that's because you probably have the real deal! I'd use fresh rather than canned, if you don't mind cutting it up. The canned will work just fine (drain first), but will most likely disappear after being slow cooked for so long. If you'd like to have chunks, add another drained can 30 min before serving.

    xoxo
    steph

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  14. Anonymous2/20/2009

    Wow! This looks awesome!!

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  15. Any suggestions on how to avoild the "slimy" part - that has me worried!

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  16. lol, don't worry about the slimy comment----most food that comes out of a slow cooker is pretty wet; but what was cool with this is that it didn't fall apart completely even though it was cooked so long.
    and it tasted fantastic!
    xoxo
    steph

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  17. Just found your blog from another and can't wait to try some of the recipes. I do have a question though. Anytime I use the crock pot, my meat/chick is always very tender but seems dry. Any suggestions to avoid this?
    rln85692@gmail.com

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  18. Having this for dinner tonight--I think the "slimy" comes from the corn starch covering the pork. Next time I make it, I think I'll put the corn starch in the bottom so that it mixes w/ all the juices w/o leaving a residue on the pork... Looking forward to it!

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  19. Thank you for this recipe. I made it yesterday and it is fantastic. One difference, I did not have peppers in the morning so I started the pork as directed without the veggies. I came home at lunch and turned the pork over before adding the veggies on top. I think turning it prevented the slimyness and cooked the outer part of the pork evenly. I served it with rice and a broccoli/peppers dish. Again, thank you!

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  20. Anonymous2/25/2009

    Awesome recipe. I made this earlier in the week and the kids fought over who would get leftovers. I used canned pineapple chunks partially drained. They held their shape and were very good. Definitely a thumbs up in my house

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  21. Anonymous2/26/2009

    I'm so glad you're doing pork recipes. Just got a great buy on tenderloin and always looking for a way to cook it while keeping it moist instead of all dried out. Thank you so much!

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  22. I made this for company this week and they ATE it up! As another poster suggested, I added the peppers and pineapple to the top of the meat for the last hour of cooking. I didn't mince the garlic, just sliced it b/c we like slivers of garlic. I servied it w/ roasted sweet potatoes and fresh corn on the cob. We'll definitely be having this again.

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  23. This was AWESOME! Rave reviews from my guests and soooooo easy! It'll also make great leftovers. We dipped artisan bread in the juices and it was delicious!

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  24. I tried this recipe for dinner tonight. It was okay, but nothing special. My husband said "The pork tastes like pork," meaning it didn't really absorb the flavors of everything else. Oh well. I want to try the Peanut Butter Pork next. My husband thinks peanut butter with meat sounds weird, but it sounds delicious to me!

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  25. I made this one for dinner using half of a pork loin instead of the tenderloin. The flavor was fantastic, and my very picky 8 year old said "Best recipe you ever made!" and asked for a second helping. The meat itself was moist and had good flavor. As luck would have it, pork loin was on sale last week for 1.49 a pound, and the fresh peppers were on sale this week for 1.25 each. So that made this meal economical as well!

    I noticed that you have an onion in the picture but not listed in the recipe, so I did not include one. Do you know if you included one when you made it?

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  26. Pretty good! Everyone in my family enjoyed it over rice. I liked your tip about putting the veggies on top. I'll have to remember that because I really don't like "crockpot veggie mush." I almost think it could have used more vegetables just for a little extra texture. I'm thinking broccoli maybe, if it could retain a little crunch.

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  27. Blair, I like the idea of adding more veggies, but would stay away from broccoli as it tends to add a bitter flavor (love it steamed, though!)
    Perhaps sweet potatoes, different kinds of squash, maybe diced green beans...

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  28. OMG - I filled my 6-qt crock hoping for some leftovers. They. Ate. It. ALL. Seriously, my whiny picky babies ate the crap outta this stuff! Thanks so much for sharing this one!

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  29. I'm curious if you used the onion I see in the photo above. Seems like it might be good in there for added flavor. Just wondering.

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  30. This looks like the perfect recipe...thanks for the post! I have a fresh Pineapple that I need to use; do you think it would work as well as the frozen or canned Pineapple?

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  31. Hi Elizabeth, it would! There isn't as much liquid in the fresh as in the can or frozen, sometimes. I'd probably add another 1/4 cup of juice just in case. Enjoy!

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