No doubt you’ve heard of (and probably tried) that slow cooker chuck roast thing-y with a stick of butter and ranch dressing mix and peperoncini.
To be honest, it is not one of my faves, mostly because of all the fat that gets cooked into the dish.
But then, I came across a similar kind of method, without the butter, and with pork tenderloin, red wine, and onion soup mix from the nice folk at allrecipes.com.
This one, folk, is a keeper! Tender, tasty, wicked simple to toss together, and not super fatty, so, bonus! I did add the ‘shrooms, and the step of thickening the gravy just before serving, but still, not too much of a fuss for dinner.
INGREDIENTS
Slow Cooker:
•1 (2 lb) pork tenderloin
•1 envelope dry onion soup mix
•1 cup water
•3/4 cup red wine
•2 tbsp lower sodium Tamari
•1 tbsp Sherry Peppers Sauce*
•1 tsp Cajun Power Spicy Garlic Pepper Sauce – or your fave hot sauce, to taste
•4 cloves minced garlic
•1/2 tsp black pepper
•8 oz sliced ‘shrooms
Gravy:
•1 tbsp water
•1 tbsp cornstarch
•1 tbsp sugar
*No Sherry Peppers Sauce? No Problem! Simply add a bit of decent sherry (none of that “cooking” stuff) and a dash or three of your fave hot sauce, to taste.
Stir the water, red wine, Tamari (or soy sauce) and Sherry Peppers Sauce into the onion soup mix in the slow cooker along with the black pepper, then add the pork tenderloin and the garlic.
Turn the tenderloin over to evenly coat all sides, then put the lid on the slow cooker, set it to Low, and leave it be for 3-1/2 hours.
Stir in the sliced ‘shrooms and continue to cook for another 30 minutes.
Remove the tenderloin to a carving board and keep warm while you transfer the onion soup and ‘shroom mixture to a small pot.
Stir the cornstarch into the water, then whisk into the pot and bring to a boil, stirring often.
Simmer until the gravy is nicely thickened, then give it a taste. I thought it could use a touch of sweet, so added the tablespoon of sugar and simmered for another five minutes or so.
Slice the pork and serve as you will.
Potatoes, rice, or noodles would all work a treat, but I went with Curry Waffles and a bit of blanched asparagus.
Perfection.