Crock Pot Asian Peanut Butter Pork

My entire family really likes savory sauces made with peanut butter, so as soon as I saw this recipe I knew I’d be trying it. Any time I can tell my boys “It has peanut butter in it,” I know they’ll gobble up their dinner, and that always makes for a good evening in our house.

We all really enjoyed the flavors of this meal, and the part we didn’t like was completely and totally my fault, not the recipe’s. I cooked the pork too long (as you can probably tell from the photo) and the sauce got way too thick and heavy-tasting. I usually find Crock pot recipes very forgiving regarding the length of time to cook them, but that wasn’t the case this time. And I’d say it’s really important to give the pork a stir every once in a while, if you can. I didn’t (because I worked the day I made this), and the sauce on top was very brown.

That said, though, this was really flavorful. Joe actually wished there was more peanut butter, but I thought it was the perfect amount. And the boys asked for seconds, which is a sure-fire way to get a meal back on the menu in our house.

I served this with a frozen blend of Asian-style vegetables and white rice. Taking a hint from this recipe, I stirred peanuts into the rice to provide some texture, and we thought that was delicious.

Crock Pot Asian Peanut Butter Pork
seen on The Picky Apple and originally from A Year of Slow Cooking

1.5-2 pound pork tenderloin
1 onion, sliced in rings
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons water
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts

1. Add onion slices to the bottom of the Crock pot and top with pork. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, water, garlic, and peanut butter.

2. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4 to 6. One hour before serving, flip the meat over in the Crock pot to allow the other side to soak up the sauce. Garnish with chopped peanuts, if desired.

One year ago: Roasted broccoli or cauliflower