Sweet Balsamic Glazed Pork {Slow Cooker + Instant Pot}
Tender and so delicious, this simple recipe for sweet balsamic glazed pork contains easy directions for the slow cooker OR Instant Pot!
Gosh, we’re full of good things today.
Exclusive recipe coming your way + this amazing sweet balsamic glazed pork I’ve lovingly pulled from the deep, dark recesses of my archives (posted way back in 2011) in order to make many of you who haven’t noticed it very, very happy.
It was sorely in need of a facelift and a huge shoutout.
This is one of our family’s favorite meals ever. Ever, ever.
If you’ve made it, you’ll probably understand why.
It’s crazy simple. Get yourself a pork roast, season it with sage + salt + pepper + garlic. Throw it in the slow cooker with a bit of water and let it cook.
How’s that for a hands-off, easy dinner night?
The sweet and savory balsamic glaze simmers on the stove for, oh, five-ish minutes, so when that tender, delectable pork comes out of the slow cooker, you’re good to go.
Drizzle away…and then devour.
Because the world is going crazy with everything Instant Pot (including myself, I heart my Instant Pot big time), I’ve updated this recipe with easy instructions for the Instant Pot.
I haven’t done a side-by-side, same day comparison between this balsamic pork in the slow cooker and this balsamic pork in the Instant Pot, but my taste buds tell me that it’s a little more tender and a little more delicious made in the lean, mean Instant Pot machine.
Pressure cooking will do that, you know.
And since I get asked a lot, this is the slow cooker I have: Hamilton Beach 8-quart. Endearing due to it’s lack of bells and whistles, it cooks a lot more evenly than other slow cookers I’ve tried.
I will sometimes use the slow cooker function in my Instant Pot, but it seems to cook at a lower temperature than I’m used to in a slow cooker, and I haven’t found the magic adjustment to make it all-the-time reliable instead of trial-and-error yet.
Either way you make it, this sweet balsamic glazed pork is a keeper.
It is often one of my go-to selections when serving company. You honestly can’t beat the seemingly unfair tradeoff:
how can something this delicious be so dang simple?
A quick note about pork roasts, I have the best luck using a pork sirloin roast (I usually get them in a 4-pack at Costco but have seen them in other grocery stores); it cooks up so tender and juicy.
Many people have commented below over the years with their experience about this recipe – some have used pork chops, others pork tenderloin, and many have made it per the recipe (so feel free to read through the comments for additional feedback and ideas).
Some of you have even served it on buns, like pulled pork, and if I remember right, I believe you’ve reported the end result was so tasty, you cried. Or died. Or took a bath in the glaze. The details are a bit fuzzy.
So, if you haven’t made this sweet balsamic glazed pork loin, what are you waiting for?
FAQs for Sweet Balsamic Glazed Pork
Refrigerate it, and make sure to keep some of the cooking liquid with the pork as it is stored. Also, store the pork and balsamic sauce separately until reheating.
No, I cook the meat without the trivet.
You can add or subtract a few minutes from the cooking time to adjust for your size, but it shouldn’t be that different from the 55-60 minutes on high pressure.
Yes, it freezes great!
What To Serve With This:
Cheesy Bacon and Garlic Smashed Red Potatoes
Buttermilk Drop Biscuits
Skillet Green Beans
Sweet Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin {Slow Cooker + Instant Pot}
Ingredients
Pork:
- 2 to 3 pounds boneless pork loin or pork sirloin roast, trimmed of large fat pockets
- 1 teaspoon ground sage or poultry seasoning
- ½ teaspoon coarse, kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced or crushed
- ½ cup water or chicken broth
Glaze:
- ½ cup brown sugar, light or dark
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the sage, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub the spices all over the roast.
- For the slow cooker: place the pork roast in the slow cooker and add the 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- For the Instant Pot/Pressure cooker: place the pork roast in the insert of the Instant Pot or other pressure cooker. Increase the water or broth to 1 cup and add to the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and cook on high pressure for 60 minutes (hit manual –> dial up or down to 60 minutes –> Instant Pot will start automatically and count down the time). Let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes before quickly releasing the rest of the pressure.
- Near the end of cooking time (for either slow cooker or pressure cooker), whisk together all the ingredients for the glaze in a small saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the glaze thickens, 2-3 minutes. Season to taste with a pinch of salt and pepper, if needed/desired. Keep warm until ready to use.
- Remove the pork from the slow cooker or Instant Pot. Shred the meat into pieces and place on a platter or plate. Drizzle the glaze over the pork and serve immediately.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from C&C Marriage Factory (bookmarked via Pinterest)
Recipe originally posted September 23, 2011; updated with new pictures + recipe notes.
346 Comments on “Sweet Balsamic Glazed Pork {Slow Cooker + Instant Pot}”
This was a huge hit at our house yesterday for Sunday Dinner! I used a pork butt from Costco and cut as much fat off as I could. Cooked in IP for 1 hr and served with Mel’s “no knead sourdough bread” and baked potatoes. So easy, tender, and DELICIOUS!
I made this with two pork tenderloins (about three total pounds from Costco) in one crockpot on low for 8 hours and it tasted amazing! I am feeding a large crowd in a few weeks and I wondered how many pounds I could safely put in each crockpot and how long to cook it for?
Also, my crockpot is the large size!
You should be able to fill the slow cooker up about halfway with meat and still have it work out – maybe add another 30 minutes to an hour of cooking time.
I made this twice this week. Both times I made it with pork loin and both times it was super dry. The first time I was able to shred it but it was so dry it reminded my family of the turkey in the movie Christmas Vacation. The second time I cooked it for 4 hours and it was still so dry. I was hoping to serve this for a big party next week but it was terrible. When I put a thermometer in the temperature of the pork the second time I cooked it the meat was 195 degrees, well over the 145 that’s recommended for pork. Any suggestions why it would be so dry?
Hi Andrea, I think it’s due to the pork loin. Pork loin varies quite a bit in tenderness. If you can find a sirloin pork roast, that will likely work out better (or even try using a pork shoulder).
We love this recipe! I have extra sauce that I’m not sure what to do with, though. Any suggestions on how you repurpose its scrumptiousness?
You can try freezing it. Or you can drizzle it over roasted veggies, potatoes, or pasta!
This is honestly amazing. One of the best recipes I have ever tried and my kids agree. If my picky kids like it then everyone will.
I love this (cook the IP version). Seriously the easiest dinner but company thinks you spent a great deal of time making it! Used close to 3lb pork tenderloins (2 pack), cut each in half so they nestle in without over lapping. Found the time perfect and it was falling apart before I could even pull it apart.
Thank you for another great dinner!
I’m back here to rate again because I tried it in my IP and it definitely didn’t work. I read others’ comments saying the same but thought I’d try anyway. It was so undercooked I had to put it in the oven and bake for another hour. Maybe this recipe needs some amending for the IP Mel? It’s one of my favorite recipes on your site for sure – but I’ve only had success in my slow cooker. Thank you!
Hi Jessica, sorry the instant pot didn’t work well for this recipe! What type of pork roast did you use? How thick was it? I’ve had really good success cooking chunks of pork sirloin roast in the instant pot for 60 minutes like the recipe suggests, but it’s very likely that depending on the cut of pork or the thickness that the time might need to be amended.
This is one of my favorite recipes on the site. The glaze is so dang good. Only ever tried in the slow cooker. We love it!
One hour for 2-3 lb pork loin is WAY too long – my roast was actually 3.5 lbs and I set the instantpot (name brand about 1 yr old used about 1-2 X’s month) to 60 min.
This came out so dry it was inedible – the sauce was good but it can only do so much for cardboard –
If we try this again it will be via crockpot
The first time I made this I made cheesy smashed potatoes with it, the second time with sticky rice (the glaze was awesome over rice) and steamed broc/cauli – both ways were fantastic!
I made this tonight in the slow cooker for my husband and kids. It was a huge hit. The pork came out so tender, the sauce is amazing. Will definitely be making this again and again.
What did you mean by “place the pork in the insert in the instapot” Are you saying to use the rack?
No, I just mean to put the pork in the pot part of the Instant Pot (it sounds crazy but believe it or not, some people have put the food directly in the Instant Pot right on the burner without using the pot).
One of my fave recipes from your site! Always a hit, even with picky eaters!
This recipe is a keeper – the sauce is AMAZING! Pork was very tender <3
Just made this and oh my gosh! Delicious! Cooked in slow cooker for 6 hours and it fell off the bone it was so tender. The glaze was amazing!
I made this and it turned out very dry…My husband hated it. .I will do a pork shoulder in the instant pot, but I will never do a pork loin again.
Can I do this with a frozen pork loin?
I think others have commented they’ve used a frozen pork roast in the comment thread.
Excellent – Will definitely put on my make again recipe list..
Has anyone tried subbing the brown sugar for another sweetener such as honey or maple syrup? Maybe that’s a really unpalatable flavor idea, but I was curious about other options.
I made it as described and it was quite popular with my guests.
Have you cooked the roast from frozen in your insta-pot? How long did it take?
I haven’t, but someone mentioned you can use the same cook time; it’ll just take longer for the IP to come to pressure which compensates for the frozen roast. Worth a try?
Do you think a boneless center cut pork roast would work well in this recipe?
It might…I’ve used a roast that sounds similar to that a time or two and it didn’t have a lot of dark meat so it was pretty lean and on the dry side.
I made this in my slow cooker and cooked it for a good 8 hours. It was fall off the bone delicious and shredded itself. The glaze was amazing! My family ate it up.
I tried it in the insta pot and it was horrible!!! Cooked on high for 60 minutes, then warm for 10 minutes. Opened it up and it was not done!!! Tried cooking it for 20 more minutes, still not shredding and did not look appetizing. We ended up running to In n Out for our dinner guests, because it just wasn’t working. So disappointed!!! Still love the recipe, but I’ll stick to the slow cooker!!
I love this recipe. I want to make it again using 2 three pound sirloin roasts from Costco. Do I need to add extra time or cook it the same as just 1 roast?
You should be able to cook it about the same – the only reason you’d need to add time is if the roast is packed into the Instant Pot or Slow Cooker without much room between and around the meat.
The smallest pork loin that I could get was a 6 lb. How should I adjust the cooking time for the instant pot? Thanks.
Sorry I forgot to add that I have a pork boneless loin roast that is 6.5 lbs. You mentioned changing the broth to 1 cup for the IP. Should I double that to 2 cups as well as doubling the other ingredients? Thanks!
No, you don’t need to add more than the 1 cup of broth.
Thank you so much for your help! I’ve made it several times for my family with a smaller loin and it’s to die for! With this 6 qt loin, I doubled all ingredients including doing 2 cups of broth (Sorry, I didn’t see your message in time) and cooked it for 66 min. The pork fell apart with a fork but seemed a little dry. Not sure if it was because of doing too much broth or the cook time.
Maybe you could have gotten away with more like 55 minutes? Sometimes it’s because of the meat, too…I’ve found pork loin is sometimes less tender than pork sirloin or pork tenderloin and sometimes it just depends on that particular roast I buy.
Ok, thanks. I’m not going to let it bother me. This recipe is too good to give up after one failed attempt. When I’ve used smaller ones I’ve never had problems.
I think adding 5-7 minutes should be a good starting place.
Okay, thanks. Should I double all ingredients and double the broth to 2 cups for the instant pot?
Made this tonight in my 8 quart instant pot. My pork sirloin roast was 2.5 lbs and mostly frozen. I added 20 minutes (so 80 minutes total) to the cooking time (and then it did sit on the warm setting for a little over an hour before we ate). It was perfect. Just fell apart. Very moist and tender. I followed your notes to use 1/2 tsp sage and did use broth not water as the liquid. We served the meat and it’s delicios sauce with roasted broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. We will make this again! Thank you!
I am the only omnivore in a family of vegetarians. I do not make meat very frequently because of aforementioned fact. I decided to try this recipe for the first time when we had guests over last month. Like many of you, I was a little perplexed over the Instant Pot cook time, but I trusted Mel and went for it. I think my particular cut of pork would have done better for a slightly shorter time (half of it was perfectly cooked and the other half was just a little overcooked for my liking).
That glaze. I could write odes to that glaze.
I have since made the glaze to top chicken.
We had a tenderloin roast that was supposed to feed guests last week who had to cancel. I was too impatient to wait for their reschedule date to remake this amazing recipe. I popped everything in my Instant Pot (except for the sage–I subbed Italian seasoning) and waited impatiently for it to cook.
This time, I turned it into a salad. Kale and lettuce, sliced apples, pork, croutons, and the glaze as a dressing. I feel like I ordered it at a nice restaurant with my wallet $20 lighter.
I have trusted Mel’s recipes for several years now, ever since my sister introduced me to your creations with your tortellini sausage soup. I need to thank her for that more frequently
This is one of our favorite Sunday meals! I’ve been making it for years in the crock pot. Today I tried it in the Instant Pot, and I was disappointed! It wasn’t as tender, and “fall-apart” as it is when I make it in the crock pot. This was my first time making a roast in my Instant Pot. I think that we’ll stick with the crock pot. Also, we always use the leftovers warmed up on top of home made mac n’ cheese, and it’s to-die-for!
I think I like anything with balsamic and this recipe was no exception! I made the cheesy bacon and garlic smashed potatoes and they were awesome with the pork. Definitely making both again!
Made this recipe tonight in my instant pot and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The only substitution I made was using red wine vinegar for the balsamic, as I didn’t have any.
Will definitely make this again.
We just had this tonight 12/9/2018, and it was AMAZING! My whole family loved it so much; we didn’t even have leftovers.
I first made this about a month and a half ago and couldn’t believe how delicious it was! A few weeks later, I helped my friend who has a pressure cooker, but isn’t very comfortable with it yet, make it and she and her son wanted to bathe in the glaze! I’m making it again tonight and my stomach is already growling for it!
Any time a newbie in the ip group I’m in asks about a good recipe, I always give them this one! I also agree it would be equally fantastic on chicken!
Thinking of doing this for a Christmas party for many people. If I use a 5 lb roast do I need to change the cook time, etc?
No probably not.
I know this may probably sound ridiculus to many (or all) of you, buut i was wondering whether anybody had tried to substitute pork for a different Kind of meat (preferably Chicken) with this recipe. It Sounds so good, but i just can’t stand the taste of pork.
I’ve used chicken before and it was great! It cooks a lot faster so some nights I do that instead.
This was delicious! I used sirloin pork roast, and followed the recipe exactly. It was a hit with my family. I will definitely recommend.
If only this glaze counted towards my water intake for the day! It’s incredible. Sweet but not too sweet with just a little savory from the soy sauce. Yum!
I used a 2lb sirloin that was tied together, so I should have added a little more time since it was thicker in the middle. It was cooked but not as tender in the middle. Still delicious and I will definitely make it again!
We loved this meal! Easy to make and delicious – I made it in the instant using pork tenderloin – the only thing I changed was that I browned the outside of the loin using the saute function prior to pouring in the liquid and pressure cooking.
Hi Mel. This is one of my very favorite recipes!! I have made it a bunch of times in the slow cooker and it is perfect.
I’ve tried it twice in my instant pot and it was pretty tough / dry. Still delicious with the sauce though!
Do you have any guesses what I could be doing wrong? I think I’m following the recipe exactly (sort of new to instant pot). I usually use a smaller roast – closer to 2lbs.
Thanks so much.
Hey Caroline – what type of roast are you using? Sirloin pork roast? Pork shoulder? Pork loin? Pork loin is definitely much leaner and will need more cooking time (and may not every cook up quite as tender as a sirloin or shoulder cut). If the pork is still really dry, increase the time (try 10 minutes to start) and see if that helps!
Just finished making this recipe, I’m shocked by how good it is. I followed everything as written, except I doubled the garlic just because of personal preference. It practically shredded itself as I pulled it out of the Instant Pot. Absolutely delicious pulled pork sandwiches, I’ve already downed two in a sitting and am looking forward to leftovers later.
Absolutely will be making this again. And for everyone who was as unsure as me, 60min is the amount of time for real and it came out juicy and tender for me. The glaze really seals the deal.
Yay! Glad you loved it.
This was incredible! I cooked it for 55 minutes in the instant pot and it was perfect.
Loved this!!
If you want to serve this as shredded pork go with a darker pork loin. I used just a regular pork loin so it had a bit of dark meat and that shredded nicely but the lighter meat did not shred so great. I doubled the glaze for my 2 lb roast but ended up not using it all so I won’t double next time. I did mine in my Instant Pot for 35 min. (because it was a smaller roast) and I think it could have gone for more time as I needed to put it in the microwave for a couple minutes to make it easier to shred, so maybe 45-50 minutes would have been better? Hope this helps the next person that wants to try this!
You definitely needed more cooking time if it was that hard to shred. That’s how you can tell your meat is undercooked in an instant pot. Make sure you also let it naturally release pressure for at least 10 minutes prettier it’ll make the meat seize and become tough.
I am cooking a pork sirloin tomorrow and cannot wait. This does look sooo yummy. I am surprised by the amount of people who do not realize that pork loin in your recipe is not the same as pork tenderloin . They are two different cuts and loin is best cooked longer. Same as sirloin. Tenderloin is lean and needs to be cooked High to get a good brown and shorter time. This recipes looks to me like a hit.
Great recipie!! I used a 5+lb pork loin in my IP. A little nervous on cooking time bc it was a very lean roast. Cut it into 3-4inch sections. Lightly seared with salt, pepper, heavy on garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Added some smoked paprika and chili flakes. Rough sliced large onion and 1 1/2 ish cup water with some beef Better than Bouillon. High pressure for 60 min and did quick release. Incredibly tender and great flavor!! I’ve got the sauce on the stove now. Can’t wait for hubby to get home to try it! Thanks for reposting this!
So you didn’t really try the recipe?
I make this meal 3-4 times a month! My family loves it sometimes I use loin chops if that’s all I have and reduce the time to 30 mins. Also if I am using a smaller roast I reduce the time. Our favorite way to have this is with a rice side. When the roast is finished in the pressure cooker I take the roast out and make rice with the juices in the pressure cooker. Fantastic and only take 6 mins or so and dinner is ready. I have also experimented with flavored balsamic I like using pineapple balsamic found at my local olive oil store, sometimes I do half a flavored balsamic half regular. I have used cherry but that was less of a hit. If I ever find cranberry balsamic I want to try that. Maybe next Thanksgiving they will stock that.
60 minutes in the instant pot is an insane amount of time. Did you actually do this? Shoe leather…. this is one of the most popular recipes for an instant pot. Most of those recipes recommend 6 minutes. Something in between would be about right without searing.
I totally agree-60 minutes is too long. I don’t cook pork tenderloin in a conventional oven that long.
Pork LOIN is a different cut than TENDERLOIN. A pork loin is bigger and needs the extra time.
This was so amazing!!! I fed it to my extended family and everyone wanted the recipe. 🙂 I bought tenderloin before reading everything, so I thought I’d share for those who might want to know… I used the Instant Pot and only did 40 min (instead of 60), and it turned out perfectly!
I also didn’t cut it into chunks, just 2 of the 4 pack from Costco straight in.
Oh my goodness….made this for dinner last night and the hubs and I couldn’t stop raving. So quick and easy and incredibly delicious. It made enough for multiple meals and sandwiches. Thanks for sharing this incredible recipe that will now have a place in our dinner rotation.
This recipe is so very delicious. My eighteen year old daughter asks for it all the time. Its her favorite thing to take for a sandwich in her lunches. I’m so glad I finally took the plunge and got the Instant Pot. It’s amazing – you were so right! I was just wondering if you have a bread machine and ever considered putting up recipes for one? I have a Zojirushi I often use when I just can’t squeeze in time for handmade sandwich rolls or bread!
Hey Laurie! I don’t have a bread machine – sorry! I’ve heard the zojirushi machines are amazing!
This was even better than I hoped. I served it on rolls and we devoured it. Next time I’ll add some slaw on top to add some crunch. Amazing-this is going in our regular rotation- Thanks!
Mel!
Let me start off by saying that this was super delicious! I made it on the IP. The roast was cooked to perfection! It was so tender and divine! Let’s talk about that Amazing sauce! Holy cow!! It was hands down the best Balsamic glaze I have ever had.
We shredded the meat and put it on buns! It was the best pork sandwich!
This one is going in our family recipe book!!
This is a favourite in our house! Absolutely perfect meal. My kids beg me for this all the time. The meat is so flavourful and the glaze is to die for. I have very few recipes that I make over and over but this one makes the cut for sure.
This was so good! Believe it. My two year old asked for the sauce in a cup to drink.
I just made this, using a pork tenderloin, for dinner tonight. My 2-year old ate three pieces. I cooked it sous vide so that the meat wouldn’t dry out. I then sliced the roast and poured the sauce over it. I put it in the slow cooker on warm to keep warm until dinner. It was perfect. My family loved it. I’ll be serving the leftovers tomorrow over rice.
This was so delicious! I used two pork tenderloins because that’s all I had. Cooked them on low in the crock pot for 6 hours and the internal temperature was 205 so I probably could have done them for 4-5 hours instead. In any case, it was so good. The balsamic glaze was divine! Another super-easy meal for the win!
If I put two pork roasts in a crock pot at the same time, would the cook time be the same? I don’t know the crock pot rules….
If the slow cooker is stuffed really full, you’ll definitely want to add time.
I followed your instructions almost to the letter. Except I used a pork loin, a very large one from Costco. I cut it into smaller chunks like you mentioned to another person and also increased the time just a little. Much to my dismay, and my families, the meat was very chewy. I served it anyways, and then cooked some of the meat longer, it didn’t make a difference. It simply was tough to chew. Can anyone tell me what I did wrong. I am forever drying my meat out or it’s too chewy, so I thought if I carefully followed your recipe that it would be ok.
Hey Mary – if the roast was mostly light colored/white meat, it will tend to be chewier and dry. So much depends on the type/cut of pork loin roast. I try to look for roasts that have quite a bit of darker meat, too. Sorry this didn’t quite work out for you!
60 minutes for the instant pot?? Is that a typo and you meant 6 minutes? I’ve never seen a recipe say to put anything in the IP for that long on high pressure, but I’m new to the game. Just wanted to clarify before I make this tonight. Thanks!
No, it isn’t a typo. 🙂
If you wanted to make this for a really large crowd (150) could you make it up in advance and reheat it successfully
As long as you keep some of the cooking liquid with the pork as it refrigerates, I think it would be fine (I’d store the pork and balsamic sauce separately until reheating).
I tried this recipe with a prepackaged pork loin in a pressure cooker. Followed the directions with the exception of fresh garlic, I used powder instead. The whole family loved the pork. I have some picky eaters so they didn’t like the glaze for one reason or another, but the adults found it all so very delectable. Thank you for sharing, it was so easy with just a few simple ingredients and yet so flavorful.
Is the cooking time for the Instant Pot for a thawed or frozen roast? Mine is from Costco, but frozen. I’d like to throw it in frozen if possible. Thank you so much for your help, and all your super yummy recipes!
The cooking time is for a thawed roast. You’d have to add a significant amount of time if frozen (not exactly sure because I haven’t made it that way).
You would cook frozen meat in the IP for the same amount of time as thawed meat – frozen meat just takes longer to come to pressure in the IP. I have, however, read it is not recommended to cook large pieces of FROZEN meat in the IP as the center may not get cooked well enough.
Dinner tonight was your Hearty Beef Stew. Without a doubt the very best recipe EVER for beef stew. Loved the foil pack for vegetables. I am now a fan of your site. Have tried to subscribe but Im not getting the confirming link. Will be trying many other recipes for both Instant Pot and slow cooker. Love your sense of humor!
Hi Linda – I just checked my email database and your email address wasn’t in there so I went ahead and added it. 🙂
This was crazy delicious! I also bought the roast from Costco’s 4-pack. This will become a regular Sunday meal. Thank you!
I have a 4lb pork shoulder blade roast. How long should I cook it in the instant pot?
About the same – 55-65 minutes high pressure (cut the pork roast into large chunks).
This is a family favorite recipe for the crockpot using either a roast or chops. I got an instant pot for christmas and the first thing out of my children’s mouths was ” see if you can find the directions to make the balsamic pork in that thing. “. We serve it with rice and the combo of the glaze with the rice is wonderfully delicious. Thank you for adapting this recipe!!
Haha, that’s adorable. 🙂
I grabbed the wrong cut of meat. So if a I am using a 3 lb tenderloin, how long do I cook it in my IP? Thanks.
Probably about the same amount of time…a lot depends on how thick the tenderloin is. You might be able to cut it down to 45 mins.
It turned out really good. My youngest son made 3 sandwiches with the meat!! He is a picky eater so that was a good sign. Hubby is also a picky eater and he ate 2 plates of meat with rice; I had mashed potatoes. I would make this again. I cooked the roast whole. I cut it in half to see if it was done and it wouldn’t shred easily. I put it back in and cooked it for an extra 25 minutes. Lesson learned–next time I will cut the roast in half to cook. Thanks for a easy to make recipe.
I have an 8.5 lb pork loin I want to cook for dinner tonight. I am going to triple the recipe, but how long should I cook it in the IP? This is my first time using the IP
I’d probably increase the IP cooking time to 75 minutes.
Made the instant pot version of this. It was so easy and turned out perfectly. I used a tenderloin that was about 9 lbs for Christmas dinner. Everyone loved it.
How long did you cook it? I have a 3 lb and was wondering if I would cook it for 60 minutes. I bragged a tenderloin instead of a loin roast. Thank you.
Made this for dinner last night in my instant pot and it was a hit! And it was ridiculously easy. I have to say Mel, your website has pretty much changed my life. I used to spend so much time searching for recipes and making grocery lists, and I never felt like I had a good enough pool of decent recipes to pull from for my dinners. Recently I started pretty much using your website (and the weekly dinner menu) to exclusively menu plan. It has made it SO. MUCH. EASIER. Seriously, thank you. My only advice for this recipe is if you’re using 3lbs of pork instead of 2 to double the sauce because you’ll pretty much want to lick it off the spoon.
Thank you, Alex!
Would a pork tenderloin work? It’s about 1.10 lbs, so how long would you think in the IP? Thanks!
Tenderloin may not be quite as tender, but I know others have used it with great success. 🙂 For that size, I’d probably cut the time down to about 40 minutes.
I’ve made this for several years and we love it! It’s a great crowd pleaser!
This is one of the first times using our IP and my husband said it is “ridiculously amazing.”
We loved it!!!
I just bought a pressure cooker and want to try this recipe, but my pork loin roast is huge: 6 1/2 pounds. I have an 8 qt pressure cooker. Should I double all the ingredients? How long should I cook it? I will probably have to cut it in half lengthwise also. Thanks
I would cut the roast into several 3-4 inch big pieces. And yes, I’d probably double the other ingredients and suggest cooking for 65 minutes high pressure.
It was awesome! I didn’t have soy sauce so I substituted a pinch of salt. My husband loves it. I will make it again.
I have a child who hates sauce and he LOVES this recipe.
This was delicious (and my 10-year old agrees)! At first, the soy flavor was a little overpowering, but it toned down as it cooled. This would be very tasty with the salad you described or some mashed potatoes and green beans. I’m also tempted to try it with fried rice (as described by another commenter). Next time, I’ll cut back on the sugar a bit and, if I’m making the fried rice, I’ll add some freshly grated ginger.
Hi Mel. This recipe sounds delicious. I am planning to cook it for dinner tonight and I have a few questions. My pork loin roast is 1.43 lbs – should I still cook it for 60 minutes on high pressure? (That seems like a long time). I am also planning to sear it in the Instant Pot before pressure cooking it– will searing it decrease the amount of time I pressure cook it? Thanks so much – I will let you know how it turns out!
Hey Liz, I’d say you could probably get away with 35-45 minutes!
Would it not be better to sear the roast using the saute button before cooking in the insta pot?
You could certainly do that!
I like cebyiur instantbpot recipes. Any advice on home to get the lid seal to stop smelling like liquid smoke?
Unfortunately, that is a plaguing problem with the Instant Pot. There are a lot of solutions online – soaking in vinegar and baking soda, bringing the IP to pressure with a “cleaning” solution inside. But ultimately, I haven’t found a method that really works without leaving a lingering smell, so I bought a 2nd ring to use for non-savory recipes (like breakfast oatmeal, etc)
Spectacular dish.. The balsamic sauce really puts it over the top and it makes wonderful leftovers. Follow the recipe exactly.. You won’t be sorry
So so so good!!! Thank you!!!
Wow, this was amazing and so dang easy. We had this meat with roasted sweet potatoes and steamed cabbage and the kids gobbled it all up. I think tomorrow I’ll make your homemade whole wheat French bread rolls to put the leftover meat on. I did find a sirloin roast like you recommend, but the only size available was between 5 and 6 lbs, so I simply doubled the recipe. I cooked the meat in the crockpot and it was crazy tender and delicious. I’ll definitely make this again!
This is so easy and soooo good! My whole family loved it! Then, last night I made a batch of mac n’ cheese in my instant pot, and we heated up the leftover pork, and put it on top of the mac. It took the mac to a whole new level! Loved it! Thanks for all of the great recipes!
Oh, yum!
Hi Mel,
The recipe calls for a 2-3 lb boneless pork loin, but the smallest pork loin my grocery store had was 3.8 lbs. I’m planning to make this in the Instant Pot and am wondering if I need to adjust the cooking time and if so, by how much? This is only my second time using my Instant Pot (first time was last night with spaghetti squash). Thanks for your help!
No, you should be ok with the same cooking time!
Yum!
I have a 4-5 lb boneless pork loin, will probably have to cut it in half to fit it into my 8 qt Instant Pot. Should I just double everything, or make it twice, using half each time?
I would double!
How long did you cook this for? I have a 4.5lb loin and not sure if cooking time in the IP remains the same as original recipe….
I’ve tried many of your recipes over the last several months and although none have disappointed, this is one of my absolute favorites! It’s so simple, but delicious and seems so fancy for a weeknight dinner. I serve it with mashed potatoes. Apparently the cut you mention is “seasonal” at our Costco, but I’ve used tenderloin and cut it in 2-3 inch chunks. It cooks beautifully.
First time using my Instant Pot. Found this recipe and decided to try it. Wasn’t disappointed! Used a pork loin and it was out of this world! Simple to make, moist and tender. Thanks for the recipe.
Very excited to try this! For the instant pot, so you put the pork straight into the pot or do you put it on top of the trivet? Thanks!
I put it in the pot without the trivet.
Hi, this recipe looks amazing. I have a silly question. I scoured my Costco tonight for a 4 pack of Pork Sirloin Roast and all I could find there are the 4pks of Pork Tenderloin. Is that the same thing? I feel like it can’t be because I cooked a 2pk of pork tenderloin in my IP last week and it only cooked for 7 minutes and was slightly overcooked. Just want to make sure I’m looking for the right cut of meat since I REALLY want to get this recipe in my IP stat!
Thanks!
Hi Heather – yeah, the sirloin roasts are different. Usually they are RIGHT next to the pork tenderloin (at least at my Costco). Many people have used pork tenderloin for this recipe, but I haven’t, so I’m not sure of the exact time. Here’s a picture of the sirloin roasts, in case it helps: https://smalltownfoodsnobs.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/img_0088.jpg
Thank you!! The picture helps a ton!
Solved my own problem! Found a pork loin roast at Trader Joes. Wonder why my Costco doesn’t carry this but I’ll keep an eye out. Gonna try this tomorrow, so excited!
I just got an 8qu Instant Pot for Prime Day and I found this recipe when I typed in Instant Pot Costco pork roast. This is the first dinner I have made in the pot and it is wonderful! Thank you so much.
Glad to hear it, Rachel! Congrats on your new InstantPot!
This was wonderful!! With or without glaze it is just so yummy! The whole family loved it! I saved the left over pork ( without any glaze ) and put it on a multi grain wrap for lunch the next day! It’s all delish
Your note about people eating this on buns like pulled pork got me thinking. We ate hardly any pork or beef growing up, so I’ve always been really unclear what exactly you’re supposed to do with a dish like this, besides put it on a bun. Do you just eat the meat plain with a side of veggies?
It looks fantastic!
Yep, we often eat it with a couple different side dishes – a vegetable and a lot of times a starch, like potatoes or biscuits.
I apologize…I have become one of “those people” who didn’t fully read your blog before writing a question. I now see you answered my question that I just posted about pressure vs. slow cooker. Looking forward to making it this week, in the pressure cooker!
If you had to choose between making this in the slow cooker or the pressure cooker, which would you do? Is one better than the other, in terms of tenderness and overall quality/taste? Many thanks. I’m new to both.
Hey Mel! My pork tenderloin is slightly frozen. Will I need to increase the time?
Yes, you would need to add time. I don’t know the exact amount without knowing how big and how frozen the pork is, so keep an eye on it.
Hi Mel,
I am taking a stab at my first-ever Instant Pot meal! I do have the Costco pork sirloin, but it is completely frozen. Any suggestion on how much time to add?
For a completely frozen roast, you might need to add as much as an hour but I’ve never cooked it that way myself, so that’s just a guess.
How did it go? Mine is completely frozen and not sure if I will try this until it’s thawed or to go for it.
This recipe is BOSS! So so good! We all love it and especailly my husband now I can rate recipes on here I had to come on here and tell everyone how yummy and easy this recipe is! Try it! You’ll love it!
Thanks for a great recipe. I tried this a few weeks ago and it was wonderful. I’m making it again today. My question is: Do you think it would be a bad idea to cook the glaze when you are putting it in the pot and let it cook in the crock pot with the glaze? Or maybe just to pour the glaze over the pork the last half hour or so of cooking in the crock pot? I’d love to figure out a way to let it hit the table as soon as we get home from church instead of having to wait while we cook the glaze.
That’s a good question, Emily! I tried it once a long time ago and the texture of the glaze was way off (much thinner and not as smooth). But what about making the glaze and refrigerating and then just slightly warming before serving?
Mel – Thank you so much for answering my question of March 30 so quickly. I finally made this absolutely wonderful recipe. No wonder there are so many ten star reviews. It is beyond yummy and the sauce/glaze we could eat by the spoonful.
Just read your recipe today for Easy French Rolls and read that you use a Bosch Universal and will re writing about it next week. I bought mine second hand 2 weeks ago and try to find something to make everyday because it is such fun to use. So looking forward to next weeks post.
Thanks, Midge! I’m excited to share that post. 🙂
I threw in half a bag of carrots in the crockpot with the pork and it turned out really well! 🙂
I made this for dinner tonight, we all loved it!! I will definitely make this again. Your recipes have so much flavor! It is so fun to cook for my family when they love the food! Thanks for another great recipe!
I have a question: 60 minutes seems so much longer than the times I see for a comparable cut of pork in the IP on other sites. Many say as low as 20 minutes. My pork loin roast is about 2 lbs – are we really sure it needs to cook that long? Thanks!
Feel free to experiment with cooking times; 55-60 minutes on high pressure in the IP seems to work the best for me. You could probably cut that time down a little if your roast is smaller.
I love this recipe!! We served it over rice and then as pulled pork on buns and it was even better!! My question is I want to serve this for my sons baptism as pulled pork. Probably for 30 people. What size roast would I need etc. And would I need to triple recipe etc. Also could I make this ahead of time and freeze and then just heat up that day. Thoughts??? And thsnkyou I love your recipes!!!
Hey Rachelle – yes, I think you could definitely make ahead of time, freeze, and then reheat (even do that in the slow cooker for a couple hours). For 30 people, I would plan on about 1/4 pound of meat per person, especially if you are serving children, too. I think an 8-9 pound roast would work great (and increase the other ingredients accordingly).
This was amazing!!! My family gave it 2 thumbs up! Also made the drop biscuits and green beans….a great dinner tonight! Thank you!!
Mel – very silly question but I am confused. Do I place the pork on the bottom of Instant Pot and add the water so the pork is lying directly in the water OR do I put the pork on a steamer basket above the water? Told you it was silly. With thanks – Midge
Not silly! No steamer basket needed for this recipe. Just put it all right into the bottom of the IP.
This recipe is incredible! I usually skip buying pork roasts since mine never come out tender, but this was amazing. (Although I doubled the sauce portion to make it perfect!) And the taste is really versatile– it can pass for Hawaiian bbq, makes terrific pulled pork sandwiches with your make-ahead buttermilk dinner rolls or be sweet barbacoa pork. You. Are. A. Genius 🙂
Mel, Thank you for sharing the wonderful menu in the news letter. Does the pork need to sit with the dry rub before cooking? The recipe says 8 hours inactive, total time 16 hours 30 minutes but the instructions only reflect 6-8 hours cooking. I read it a couple of times and might have missed it. Could you please clarify? Looking forward to this entire weeks menu. Thank you!!!
Hi Julia! That’s a good point; I need to edit the recipe (I’ll do that now). I think the inactive time was counting the fact that the 8 hours cooking time is inactive, but the recipe function added the two amounts together. It’s just 8 hours cooking (the pork doesn’t need to marinade or rest before cooking).
SO INSANELY GOOD. The pork alone was fabulous but the sauce took it over the top. I literally want to put this sauce on chocolate ice cream. But I’m odd like that. SO glad you reposted!
Not odd at all! I put balsamic on everything! Vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberries, grilled peaches! Yum O!
Your ice cream ideas sound wonderful. I think I’ll just triple the sauce recipie then experiment Sweet Baslamic Glazed pork loin, carrots. mashed potatoes and the glaze drizzled on brownies for desert. My mouth is watering.
I made this last night for my family and we all loved loved the pork, I used two tenderloins. I put the sauce on the side because I have two kids that are not fans of sauces (must come from the hubby’s side). I drenched mine in sauce and hubby just lightly sauced, kids just ate meat with rice. Glorious dish! Loved it and will make again soon. Thanks so much!
My family has loved this meal for many years. I often make for company or when bringing a meal to someone, and they always demand the recipe. Especially for that delicious glaze.
This pork went really well with salad and rolls. And I also put on the balsamic glaze. I don’t like everything my mom cooks, but this was really good (I am a 13 year old). Thanks for a great recipe!
Well, thank you! Your comment made my day. 🙂
Mel, this is so delicious! And now I have to live in torment wondering how this recipe went unnoticed by me since 2011. I can never get those years back! Seriously though, it’s as easy as it is delicious. You rock!
Haha, seriously! That’s a lot of lost time. I’m so happy you made it, though! I’m not sure we would have been able to stay friends if you had waited another six years…
So good!!! I made this in the instant pot and it shredded perfectly and we served it with rice. Then the next day I used the leftovers to serve as pulled pork sandwiches, added a little water and sweet baby rays and it was even better!!! Thanks so much!!
Mel, this is a total winner! I used a small pork shoulder and my slow cooker (8 hours to ensure shredability). I judiciously cut out as much fat as possible from the roast. I followed the recipe to the letter (which I don’t always do!) and hubby and I were blown away. That sauce is amazing, I will be using it in many other dishes in the future! I turned some of the leftover roast and sauce and a few other ingredients into a different take on pulled pork sandwiches – also awesome.
Do you think this would freeze well? If so, before or after cooking. I’m just wondering if the sauce would stand a chance.
Yep, it freezes great!
We loved this recipe!!! I was doubting the balsamic glaze a bit, but it tasted much more complex than I was expecting it to. We’ll be making this one regularly now!!!
Quick question: can you think of any other ways to serve this, maybe in a wrap or on a salad? I’d love to reuse the remaining meat in a different kind of meal, but I’m drawing a blank what flavors might go with the pork (because of the sweetness and the balsamic). Any suggestions?
I’ve served this on a salad (romaine lettuce) with chopped tomatoes, charred corn, black beans, and avocados. Topped with just a drizzle of cilantro lime dressing (my fam used ranch). The flavors were awesome! It helped to balance out the sweetness of the pork with savory flavors.
Bless you for responding! Made this pork again tonight with leftovers, so that salad will be on the menu for tomorrow evening!!! Thank you!
Been looking for a good pork recipe for my new “Instant Pot”. Bingo, here it is!
Thanks
My family loved this! I used a pastured pork shoulder in my Instant Pot and it was perfectly tender and juicy. I served it with mashed potatoes and roasted brussel sprouts. The glaze tasted awesome on the sprouts.
Soooooo good and soooo easy! I LOVE it when you “InstaPotize” a recipe. Thank you!
Made this in the crock pot this weekend and it turned out beautifully. I used the leftover shredded pork with rice and stir fry veggies. So good!
This recipe was a hit! My husband commented “keep reading that blog.” Thanks for all your great work!! I made it in my Instantpot.
Haha. Glad you loved it!
Do you cut up the roast before putting it in the IP? I just bought these same roasts at Costco and am excited to make this!!
Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t…but I do think if you want the pork super tender after the 55-60 minutes, it might not hurt to cut them into 4ths (large chunks).
Ohhh does this look succulant.
Hi Mel,
Do you recommend any particular brand of crock pot? Mine always tends to cook really hot so I’m in the market for a new one.
thanks!
I have this one and love it: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BG0SPM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Hi Mel, Thank you for posting the Instant Pot version! I just made it and followed the recipe exactly – even used the pork sirloin roast, and after the 60 minutes with 10 minutes of natural release, the pork was not tender enough to shred. Only the very outside would shred. Most of the meat was a solid chunk. Any ideas on what went wrong? I just put it back in the Instant Pot for 7 minutes to see if that would help. Thanks!
Hmmm, you are sure you are using high pressure and not low? How thick was your sirloin roast? I’ve never had to cook it longer, but I’ll definitely add a note to the recipe that more time may be needed. Let me know if the extra 7 minutes did the trick.
After the additional 7 minutes I was able to shred itbut the meat was extremely dry. I did confirm it was on High. The roast was maybe 4 inches thick. I have another one as it came 2 per pack. Maybe I should try it again and cut it up before cooking?
Darn, Sarah. Sorry it was dry. If you try it again, cut it into thick chunks before cooking. And consider adding more liquid…that can help it from drying out.
I know this is too late now, but my power pressure cooker xl suggests cutting any roast into chunks for even cooking.
Do you have a favorite balsamic vinegar brand? I’m going to make it this weekend….looks delicious. What sides do you recommend? Thanks.
The Roland brand works well in this recipe.
By the way, this glaze recipe is also delicious on oven roasted
brussel sprouts. (Toss sprouts with olive oil,salt, & pepper and roast at 425 degrees in a single layer on a cookie sheet for
25-30 minutes. Then toss the sprouts with some of this
balsamic glaze)
Thanks!
I’ve tried a lot of different brands – usually use the one Costco carries or the Bari brand.
Thanks! I made it this weekend and it was delicious!! Thanks for such a great recipe.
I LOVE this recipe! Thanks for updating it for the Instant Pot, I’m going to have to try it!
This recipe was what brought me to your site years ago. It’s one of our favorites!
That pork looks amazing!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
We make this for company all.the.time. I get some serious praise and you get credit and a referral to the best food blog ever. It’s a keeper for sure.
Happy to hear that, Susan!
Can you tell me if you heat up the pot first before adding the pork and setting for 60 minutes? I received one for Christmas and have decided this is the inaugural recipe! My kids love pork and I love that the sauce is on the side…just in case
No, I don’t heat the pot up first. I just pop it all in and when the buttons are pushed (and lid secured), it will heat up and come to pressure. 🙂
Kind of sounds like me, when you push my buttons, I heat up and come to pressure…
This is definitely one of my all time favorites of your recipes and I make it all the time also!!!
I don’t use the slow cook feature, but I just saw a video on how to adjust temp and just this minute tested on my I-Pot: Slow cook, plus/minus for time adjustment, use “adjust” button to cycle through less-normal-more which usually refers to pressure but when slow cooking adjusts the temperature.
Now, I think you have the new 8-quart and I believe controls work slightly different so your results may vary…
Thanks for the feedback, Liz!
I am assuming I could make this in my instant pot. I’m still a beginner with it but wondering if you have made it in your instant pot and if you could share the instructions. It is one of our favorites.
I actually haven’t made this one in the IP but I definitely think you could. For pork roasts like this, I cut the roast into large (3-inch or so) cubes and then add it to the IP. In the case of this recipe, I’d add the sage, salt, and pepper and garlic with the roast, along with 1 to 1 1/2 cups chicken broth. Cook on high pressure for 55 minutes, natural release for at least 10 minutes and then quick release. Then follow the rest of the recipe (make glaze, shred pork, etc). Good luck!
You convinced me to try this again. As you mentioned it has been pinned a kazillion times from so many websites. I didn’t realize it was on yours, too. I love the minor changes you made to it! I made it the first time a few months ago and studied two other versions – – both identical except different glazing suggestions like yours. One was to add it in the last hour of cooking and one was to add at the end but then broil in the oven to caramelize. The pictures won me just so I chose broiling. We didn’t like it! My meat was already dried out and this dried it even more and wasn’t saucy. My whole family wrote the recipe off!
Why I decided to try again I do not know! I guess cuz I trust you so much! It was amazing! 5-stars! I love just pouring the glaze on at the end. It was the perfect amount. Also, I shortened my cooking time substantially. Last time I did 6 hours on low. This time I did 4 and it was gorgeous and moist. Even my kids raved.
I’m so glad this time around was a winner, Tara! I like the note of the decreased cooking time, too. Thanks for always including helpful details!
We love this recipe! Does anyone know if the glaze portion can be frozen? I am wanting to make this at a family reunion, but I want to simplify the actual day-of cooking time as much as possible. Could I make the glaze before hand, freeze it, and then reheat it when I need it? On that note, does anyone have any tips on freezing the entire meal? Has anyone tried this?
Do you think you could use the Trader Joe’s balsamic glaze straight from the bottle and have it taste similar to your recipe? (I’m sure your recipe would be better! Just looking to simplify my life)
Could certainly try! I’ve never used it so I don’t know if it has the same flavor as the glaze in the recipe.
Oh… myyyyy… Seriously. Oh yum. I just don’t think there are words. Except maybe favorite meal ever!! This might even just top cheesecake in the my favorite food category. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted something this incredible!
THIS recipe is now a top favorite. Wow. That glaze alone could have had me dancing in the streets. THANK YOU!!!!
I am not a big fan of sage, so I used thyme in its place, and it was fantastic! Thanks, Mel!
Thank you very much for this Amazing recipe,is lovely like the recipes of this blog http://www.bakedchickenbreastsrecipes.com
Thank you so much for this fabulous recipe. It turned out so moist and incredibly delicious – everyone loved it! I was out of sage, so I used a spice mix I had for grilling chicken, which is very similar to poultry seasoning. I am making the pork again tonight, using the sage this time. Can’t wait till dinnertime! Thanks again!
I really want to love this recipe. Well, I do love it, but the pork is so dry every time. Once it was inedible:( I think it’s my crockpot. Do you mind sharing what size you use? And do you have a particular brand you like? Thanks! (Oh and we have it with the baked mashed potatoes every time… AMAZING!)
Rachel – I have a regular Rival Crock-Pot brand – I usually use the round 5-quart one for this recipe unless I’m doubling and then I use my larger 7/8-quart. Sometimes pork loins can turn out dry especially if they are super lean. You might have better luck with a pork roast (shoulder or butt) instead.
Oh my goodness! I made this about a week ago and it was AMAZING! I love a good crock pot recipe and this one is definitely a keeper. I did double the glaze, as I like a good, moist pork loin and it ended up being the perfect amount. Thank you for another great, healthy meal!
I have this in the slow cooker right now with foil wrapped potatoes.
I’m out of balsamic vinegar…I have either red or white wine vinegar and balsamic vinaigrette….would either of this work as a substitute?
Stephanie – the balsamic flavor is really unique to this pork recipe so I wouldn’t substitute another type of vinegar if it were me. You could try using the premade vinaigrette but will have to experiment with it since it has added ingredients. Good luck!
I’ve made this quite a few times now, and it’s never failed me yet!! I made it again last night for company, and instead of eating the leftovers the same way tonight, I decided to make fried rice out of it. SO delicious!!
I added peas, onions, and natto (cause then it wouldn’t be fried rice! 😉 ), and then added a bit more balsamic vinegar to each individual serving since I didn’t have quite enough glaze and I’m a balsamic lover anyway 😉
I will always make fried rice out of these leftover from now on! Thank you!
Do you think a pork shoulder roast would work for this recipe or is that too fatty? Thanks for your advice, I really appreciate your site and all your recipes. You are well known in my house and with my friends:)
Hi Nicole – this recipe is pretty forgiving so the pork shoulder roast will most likely work but you might want to try and trim the large pockets of fat before using. Good luck!
Has anyone found a good use for the broth left behid in the crock pot? Could it be a sup base? ( I used a really lean 5# loin, so have a decent amount left over)
I used the leftover broth for gravy and it was great. We used it for the rest of the pulled pork once the balsamic glaze ran out. Perfect for hot pork sandwiches 🙂
This turned out fantastic! My kids loved it. I didn’t have loin so I used 6 pork chops instead. Served over rice. Thank you!!
P.S. Pork was not dry at all, so moist and tender!!! (If ony i wasn’t 3 months pregnant and not loving food right now…we’ll try it again when I can enjoy it as much as my hubby!)
A-MAZ-ING!!! Huge hit at our house tonight! My husband was excited about the pork then he tasted the sauce and could not stop making “yummmmm” sounds while he ate 🙂 I don’t think he has ever done that before. He said the sauce was “spot on” and the meat/sauce better than his tri-tip at Claim Jumper yesterday!!! Way to go Mel! I doubled the sauce per some reviewers suggestions but that was too much for our 3lb roast. Maybe if we ate it with rice, but we had scalloped potatoes instead. I think I will make rice for the leftovers though. My husband is EXCITED for lunch tomorrow- LEFTOVERS!
I have pork tenderloin….will that work? Cooking times different?
Natalie – I’ve never used pork tenderloin but it’s worth a try. You’ll have to experiment with cooking times – shouldn’t have to make a huge adjustment if you are using the same amount of pork (weight).
The pork tenderloin worked BEAUTIFULLY Natalie!
I didn’t even realize that I used the wrong cut of meat until just now – whoops! It worked great and was delicious. I used a package with two tenderloins equaling the weight Mel recommended, and cooked the whole 60 min in the Instant Pot. Just fyi. Perfection.
Thanks for adding your feedback, Marsali!
This was terrible. It was so dry. While the glaze is very nice (if you like a sweet glaze), once the glaze leaves your mouth, you’re left with a super dry piece of pork. It’s so dry (and I had liquid in my crock pot), it’s awful. Time and again I use the crock pot and find very dry, tasteless food. I think we’re done with the crock pot.
Sounds like you’re over cooking your food. When it comes to a crock pot most meats only need to cook for 4 hours. No that’s not a mistake. The shorter the time at the high temp is enough and will yield very moist meat. I love cooking pork tenderloin in the crock – always comes out moist, and falls apart. Key is do not cook over 4 hrs. Same works with Chicken and Turkey will come out amazing. The liquid in your crock is normal (you want the liquid) if you don’t use it for a gravy or sauce just discard. When it comes to beef and other pork roasts it’s all about the cuts – some work better then others. Do some research on the web to see what cuts work better than others in the crock. You want to give up the crock your choice – but don’t blow it off based on bad recipes or cooking times. Give it a try with the lower cooking time and I bet you would be surprised and delighted with the results. Plus cooking in a crock is such a time saver!
Crock pots are FABULOUS look up cooking temperatures for your specific meat and if you want tender cook on low till meat reaches about 5 degrees over minimum cooking temperature (you can get $1 meat thermometers at walmart or opt for fancier ones) if you just want jucier high temp is fine. the lower the temp typically the more tender the meat 🙂
Marinate as suggested, then steam it till cooked through, finish in the sauce in a fry pan! If you really need the grill marks, panini it before the pan.
I was wondering if I could use a cranberry pear balsamic In place of regular balsamic?
Hi Kim – sure, especially if you already love the flavor of that particular balsamic. I haven’t tried the recipe with other flavors of balsamic vinegar but I think it is probably pretty adaptable.
This recipe is AMAZING! I used 2 pork tenderloins, which I was nervous about over cooking, so I checked it after it had been in the crockpot on low for 4 hours, and it was done. The pork tasted awesome at that point, but the sauce pushed it over top! I’ve finally found a perfect recipe for pork tenderloin – thank you!
This certainly lived up to the big to-do! It was probably the best pork I’ve ever had (and definitely made!) and all my family, kids 1-11, loved it.
I have made this recipe several times. It is absolutely delicious!! Have made it for parties and everyone wants the recipe. Such a nice change from the standard pulled pork bbq. As a matter of fact I like this better than bbq. The sauce is amazing!!
I made this today. It was AMAZING! My husband wants to bathe in that glaze. 🙂 Not really but he is taking the leftover to work tomorrow to have everyone taste it.
Made this tonight…the glaze is amazing! Wonderful on the pork as well as the roasted asparagus I made. Could have eated it by the spoonful! Trying to think of all the other applications for it. Thanks as always!
Made this for dinner last night. WINNER!!! The pork actually was a bit dry but that sauce on top made it alll better! Yum! DH, who has a somewhat snobby palate said it was awesome! haha He asked me to put it in my “favorites” recipe box so we definitely don’t forget it. I think next time I will pour the glaze over the shredded pork, mix it up, and heat it through on “warm” to make it like a bbq pulled pork. Most definitely will make again! 🙂
Holy Yumm! This was an amazing recipe. I followed the recipe to a T except added one extra garlic clove. I made an apple cole slaw that accompanied it very well. It went like this: chop 1/2 a small head of cabbage (I used red), grate an apple and a carrot. Mix it all together with a bit of apple cider vinegar, (brown) sugar, whole grain mustard and some mayo. Sorry, I’m a pinch chef, so I don’t have exact measurements for this. Just a pinch of this and a pinch of that. 😉 thank you for posting this tasty recipe.
This was sooooo delicious! I used a pork tenderloin and threw everything in the crockpot except for a 1/2 cup of water and cornstarch (didn’t need them).
Great recipe! Have a 1.5QT crock pot, so halved the recipe and used with half of a pork loin roast from Trader Joe’s, and it turned out great. Perfect for two.
I made this a couple weeks ago with a package of two pork tenderloins, and it came out wonderfully, the meat fell apart and I just poured some of the liquid over the meat to allow it to soak up the juices and make it that much moister. I am making it tonight and I added a little extra garlic and some frozen carrots to cook in the liquid and i am planning on making extra sauce it was so yummy!!!
So I don’t think I have ever commented on a blog before – but this recipe is definitely comment worthy! I made this last night and it was delicious! My husband said it is the best meal he has ever had out of a crock pot! It was super easy and tasty! 🙂 I have already shared it with my mom and told her to make it! Thanks for a great-keeper recipe!
Made this tonight for dinner, it was so good. I used two 1lb pork loins (it’s what I had in the freezer) only other change I made was spraying with olive oil, then rubbing spices, then seared. I cooked on low for 10 hours (it’s how long I’m gone during the day). So tender it fell apart. This is going into the rotation!
Started a recipe club in which we all find different recipes each week to cook and review, this was my first one, glad it was a hit.
Thanks Mel!
Got a crock pot for Christmas and made this as my first meal. It. Is. AMAZING. The sauce is delicious! I’m planning on using the leftovers and some Hawaiian sweet rolls to make pulled pork sandwiches.
Hi,
I have a frozen pork loin, can I put in crock pot, following your recipe? How long should
I cook, high or low. It’s about a 5 lb loin.
Thanks
Kandy – I’ve never made this with a frozen piece of meat. I would suggest adding a few hours onto the current time on low heat.
Shelly – I’ve never tried searing beforehand but it would probably add great flavor!
Stephanie – sure, that sounds delicious!
Would this be good on top of kale, do you think?
Thanks Mel! I’m wondering… have you tried searing the tenderloin prior to slow-cooking it? I know searing makes a huge difference in moisture and gives great flavor, but I worry about cooking times and drying out the meat. My oven is broken and I’m new to the crockpot realm… any tips are much appreciated!
Hi Shelly – I haven’t made that particular side dish but I think this would be delicious combined with the butter and sage. I’d say go for it!
Hi! I’m so excited to make this recipe! I’m cooking it for company… and I’m wondering if it would pair well with browned butter & sage mashed potatoes? One of the comments mentioned the flavor was more Asian inspired… want to make sure I nail all the sides on my first try. Thanks!
I made this for the first time exactly as written for company (the ultimate gamble) and the results were awesome! I served it with your baked brown rice and apples and the veggie was sugar snap peas and pearl onions in a sesame glazed sauce. Fabulous.
Loved this recipe… I tweaked it a bit and used balsamic vinaigrette dressing and added rosemary….it turned out awesome! It gave it a orange flavoring…the family loved it
I have made this sauce twice now and it keeps getting better and better. Awesome sauce for turkey as well.
recipe
OMG!! This is a fabulous recipe. I only had about a half tsp of sage so added some montreal chicken seasoning. Also a bit of crushed garlic (because we love it and I add it to almost everything) and a bit of white rice wine vinegar in with the glaze. It was very tender and the glaze was yummy. I’m making it again tonight.
We made this and it was so good and easy. Thanks!
Wish I could bring some of this to your hotel!
Our sauce was much more watery (I’m really bad at making sauce, so that is all me) but it was DELICIOUS! Can’t wait to dig into all of the leftovers!
I wanted to try this immediately. When I got out my ingredients, I did not have any dried sage. I used Poultry Seasoning instead. Fabulous!
We love this recipe at our house and I can’t help but wonder why it isn’t on your “The Best” list?
Loved this recipe! Made the most perfectly moist crockpot pork tenderloin – a difficult thing to do! Unfortunately, my kids were not big fans but my husband and I were and will definitely make again! Thank you for posting!
This pork is gorgeous! My latest obsessions is the Hawaiian kalua pork, and now I am looking for all slow pork recipes. This one looks fantastic! I don’t have a slow cooker, but I can try an oven variation, I guess. Pinned :-).
Also, now that I’m here, I would like to invite you to check out a new recipe sharing website, http://RecipeNewZ.com (with Z). You submit a photo of your dish, it’s published within minutes and links back to your blog. Try it! In less than 2 months we already have hundreds of bloggers on board, and it would be a pleasure to see your recipes too 🙂
I’ve been meaning to leave you a comment because I LOVE your site. I came across it when looking for recipes at Easter and the Twice Baked potatoes were a huge hit! Just put the pork in the slow cooker for this recipe because it was such a success the first time. My family and I LOVE your recipes!
I frequently use a Boston Butt for the cut of meat in this recipe. I find it cooks up a lot more tender than a regular pork loin roast. It will fall apart and shred very easily.
I love this site! I have followed for a while and need to comment. I have made this recipe many times and making it by request for a family party tonight. You are my go to gal for a great recipe that always turn out awesome. Thanks for your time and wonderful recipies!
YUM! I’ve made this two times, and it’s a wonderful recipe! Thanks so much, Mel. Definitely a family favorite now.
I had family in town for Easter and I tried this for the first time. It was so tender and amazing. We all loved it. My baby couldn’t get enough and he was licking the plate after his meat and potatoes and sauce were all gone! Best way to eat pork tenderloin yet. The rest of our meal were other recipes also from your site. Thank you!
Another stupendous success! Our Easter dinner was made very special and when asked how many of the dishes came from Mel’s kitchen, I had to say all but the carrots! Loved this pork and the sauce was great. Was very tender and not dry, despite being on low for about 10 hours. Thought I needed to make 1.5 x for the extra guests but in the end should’ve made just the recipe because it would have been plenty. Fine by me as I’ll be having pork sandwiches on rosemary bread (yes-yours!) for the next couple of days. 😀
Hi Janis – if you can fit them both in the same crockpot and the crockpot seems overly full then you might need to increase the cooking time by an hour but overall, it shouldn’t change drastically.
I want to make this for Easter dinner tomorrow. If I am making 2 roasts, Do you think I will need to cook it longer? Thanks!
Loved this recipe! I follow a lot of food blogs and yours is easily the most reliable. I am never disappointed with your recipes!!
Donna – yes, the glaze is fairly sweet. I pack the brown sugar but you could definitely measure it loosely to get less sweetness. My sauce is the consistency of maple syrup, give or take a little thickness. Hope that helps a little – sorry you didn’t love it.
I wanted to love this, but it didn’t turn out quite as fabulous as everyone else’s. The sauce didn’t go far enough, and was sweeter than I expected, with the balsamic. (Packed brown sugar, not loose, right?) Maybe it would be helpful to identify how “thick” the sauce should be when it’s done? (As in, when you scrape a spoon across the bottom, how quickly does it fill back in, or what is a similar consistency…)
It was good, but not superb. :\
Thanks for the ideas anyway, Mel. 🙂 Keep ’em coming. 🙂
My five year old said, “that was basically like candy” and my three year old said, “can we have this for dinner again?” My one year old is eating it too! And it was really, really easy! Served it with steamed broccoli and jasmine rice. A lovely dinner!
Jess – I’ve only ever used the type of roast listed in the recipe ingredients on my particular post – I use a pork loin roast not a pork tenderloin.
My husband’s new favorite! Thank you.
I’ve got a quick question…I’ve been seeing this all over Pinterest and was thinking about making it tomorrow….but there are conflicting answers, should I use a pork tenderloin or a pork loin? Anytime I’ve put the pork tenderloin in the slow cooker it’s been a tough mess at the end…
Wow, that glaze is fantastic, when my family chooses that over gravy, you KNOW it rocks, thanks so much for sharing!
I made this for company on Saturday and the house smelled heavenly all day and the balsamic glaze is to die for! When I confessed that it was the first time I had tried the recipe (I’ve done this to these friends LOTS of times–the last one was your feijada recipe) they asked how I was always successful with new recipes. I told them it was because I could always trust the recipes on your blog! It’s true. Thanks for ANOTHER winner!
Oh, I meant to add that the sauce with less balsamic was very Asian-inspired tasting— I plan to make it thinner and use it as a stir fry sauce. My husband loves that sauce so much he said he would dip ANYTHING in it (including the buffalo chicken pretzel bites he had leftovers of!). Now THAT is a good sauce!
Oooooh yeah, we lovvvved this recipe! I’m not a huge balsamic fan, but this was soooo good! I doubled the glaze recipe but didn’t have enough vinegar so I ended ip using 2/3 the amount—- I think that’s why I loved it so much since the balsamic wasn’t too overpowering. I’ve never made my pork with sage before and I lovvvved that as well!! It reminded me so much of a turkey breast! Our roast made a ton, so we enjoyed two days of leftovers served on your delicious French Bread Rolls with the sauce on top—- Sooo yummy! I’m not usually a fan of new recipes the first time, but this was an immediate add to the file recipe!!!! Thanks Mel, I’ve loved every recipe so far!!! (I made your Grammas French Bread with half whole wheat and sesame on top for a birthday dinner yesterday and it got rave reviews! They were SHOCKED it was homemade— nO one in my family has ever made homemade bread before and you made me look like a PRO! lol. )
I made this tonight in my new Wolfgang Puck Pressure Cooker. I used a 3 1/2 lb. Boston Butt roast. I followed the basic directions that are in the cookbook that came with the pressure cooker for bbq pork to know how to modify your recipe. I sliced the meat into 1/4 ” slices, browned it, first & then put in 3 cups of beef broth & set the timer for 40 min. The meat came out incredibly tender–totally falling apart. I served it with this glaze. AMAZING! I’ve made it in the slow cooker before, but it was SO MUCH MORE TENDER in the pressure cooker. I’ve found my new favorite kitchen toy. (BTW, I made your beef roast in it last week, the one w/ enchilada sauce. It also turned out perfectly in the pressure cooker.)
I was sort of prepared not to like the pork on its own because I’m not a huge sage fan, but it was really delicious before the sauce. Once you add the sauce, forget it, I was in heaven. It reduced quickly into this syrup-y glaze and I like how you could serve that on the side and use as much or as little as you want. I’m making meals for my friend who’s on bedrest for the rest of her pregnancy and want to invite myself over the night she serves this one just to have it again 🙂
This is my new favorite pork recipe. My mom made it for dinner and we loved it. She sent us home with leftovers and it was even better cold out of the fridge the next day.
Made this in a slow oven, and it turned out GREAT
I made this in a slow oven & it was great!!!
this was fabulous. i am a sucker for balsamic so i knew i’d love it. i was thrilled that although the glaze was pretty strong by the spoonful ( i had a few before i shredded the pork ;)) it completely complimented the pork without being too strong for my husband who is not such a big fan of vinegar. this will definitely be in the rotation! thanks mel 🙂
So I came to your site today to look at the hot chocolate truffle balls. I really liked your commentary, so I decided to rifle through a few of your older posts, and I came across this one, which I had happened to find on Pinterest last week and made it last night for dinner!! I didn’t even realize when I came to the site for the hot chocolate balls that you also had the recipe for the pork.
The pork was DELISH! I couldn’t believe how good the sauce was. I think our pork was way overcooked, but it’s because my husband didn’t get home from work at the time he thought he would, and the pork was in the crockpot for like…11 hours. But it was so good that we devoured the entire thing!! I love that sauce!!!
made this for dinner tonight… YUMMY!!!! Oh my it was so good! Thanks so much.
SERIOUSLY….AWESOME…EASY…SOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!! Can’t wait to make it again. You’re awesome my friend!
I made this last week and loved it. I froze extra pork and glaze. I reheated the sauce in the microwave and the pork on the stove-top. Thnx for the freezer cooking inspiration. I posted the recipe today!
My mom lives on the other side of the country. I was talking to her the other day on the phone and she started telling me about the pork she was going to make for dinner. I knew right away where she had found the recipe! I decided I needed to make it too this past weekend. My family loved it–especially my very picky and practically vegetarian 4-year-old. She made sure that I saved some leftovers for her lunch the next day. Then she woke up the next morning and asked for it for breakfast. Amazing. Thank you for all of the wonderful recipes you post! I haven’t tried anything off your website that we haven’t liked.
I made this for dinner tonight. I put it on and left the house for about 7 hours. When I came home, there was NO liquid in the slow cooker. Is this how it is supposed to turn out or should I add a little bit more water next time?
Jenifer, no, there should be liquid in the slow cooker with the pork all the way through the cooking time. Is it possible that your slow cooker releases a lot of steam/evaporation through the seal of the lid? I have an older crockpot where this is the case and I usually cover it with foil, lid and all, to prevent moisture from escaping. If you don’t think that is the case then yes, add a bit more water/broth at the start of cooking.
Made this for dinner tonight………SO WHOA YUM!!!! Thanks for posting! : )
Made this recipe tonight. Yum! It was delicious. Will double the recipe from now on, it was so good.
This was excellent and so easy! Love the sage flavor for a change and the glaze is awesome. Husband devoured it and my almost-two-year-old ate everything I gave her – even a little glaze. I didn’t make the rice, but plan to next time. I will also be doubling the glaze. It didn’t make enough for our leftovers.
Made this tonight and it was awesome! Wow… that glaze! Thanks for another great one, Mel 🙂
This is one of our family’s all time favorites! We’ve found quite a few of our favorite recipes here. We tried the Cheesy Basil Stuffed Chicken Breasts recently and those were amazing! Thanks for sharing so many delicious meals that my children will actually eat. 🙂
Wow this was so good! I loved that you put the sauce on last, so the picky eaters don’t have to have it if they don’t want.
We tried this last night and everyone loved it. My husband was excited to take the leftovers to work! Thank your for this recipe it was great! I will be making this again soon!!
Heavenly! My husband raved about this and my picky daughter even asked for the recipe. I tried the bake brown rice and it was so good, too. Plus, the clean up was slick as a whistle for both, especially if you use a crockpot liner. Can’t beat that!
three cheers for the slow cooker! and that glaze–niiice touch, mel!
That was fabulous! Even my super-picky 2 year old loved the sauce on rice. She remains an adamant vegetarian. *sigh*
I made this for our Sunday meal. It was just as good as it looks! I loved the flavor of the sauce and that the meat didn’t have to be smothered in it to have wonderful flavor. (Although it was so good I might have smothered just a little!). So easy too! My husband had some salmon from a restaurant and used some sauce on it. That was fabulous too! Thanks for the recipe.
Rachel – I’m not sure if this would work with chicken since I’ve never tried it that way but the way the flavors played out – I think it could stand a chance of doing just fine! If you try it, watch the slow cooker time and temp to make sure the chicken doesn’t dry out.
I made this yesterday. Yum! I thought the sauce might be a bit too strong for my little guys, but they actually asked for more sauce! This was so easy and so good.
Made this recipe last night – OMG….was it ever good!! Liked the glaze so much that I doubled the recipe; plan on having pulled pork sandwiches with the leftover pork and use the glaze as sauce. This will definitely be put into my monthly recipe docket – thanks for sharing the recipes.
This recipe couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. Ironically enough, I had a 2 lb pork loin sitting in the fridge and was wondering what to do with it today for our Sunday meal. The sauce was great! Thanks!
My husband doesn’t like pork, but this looks SOOO good! Do you think it would work with chicken?
Ha! I just pinned this one. Looks so easy, and perfect for a work night meal. Set it, and forget it. Great photos!
It’s beautiful, too! I cannot figure out the Pinterest thing, but glad you did cause I am definitely making this!
Mmmm I have made something similar to this before and it is wonderful. I have two venison tenderloins pulled out of the freezer right now trying to figure out what to do with them. I wonder if it would be just as wonderful with that. I think I will try it!
Not only does this look absolutely delicious, but it’s made in a slow cooker- you can’t beat that! 🙂
I have been addicted to balsamic lately – got to try this one asap!
i just printed this recipe off of baked bree to make next week. i’m glad to hear it’s good. i’m going to try the baked brown rice. that sounds good.
I have to do a little research to understand what the expression “pinned” means. On the other hand the pork roast recipe is completely captivating (although I’ll have to do it in a slow oven – no slow cooker in our house).
it’s yummy! the balsamic sauce is such a nice change from ketchup based bbq~ thanks for sharing all your recipes! i’ve made several dishes from your blog and have never been disappointed~
Oh Mel I’ve had this one Pinned for a long time too. In fact I won’t be surprised if I find I repinned it from your board.
I’ve been wanting to make it and now I have a better excuse to do so. You did a fabulous job with this.