BBQ Pork Loin Sliders

I'm from a really small town in Georgia called Hartwell. I promise you've never heard of it. If you have, it's because you're from that area or you're a friend of mine who has heard me talk about it. There were several BBQ places around our area, but there was only one that we went to consistently because it was the absolute best, Zeb's. It took about 20 minutes just to get to, but it was worth it.

Now I live in Kentucky, and where I live has one place that boasts to be the "best BBQ in Kentucky." Personally, I hate that place and I think it's only very well known because of extensive advertising, not because the food is any good. There are several other BBQ places in town, but only one place where I will eat BBQ from, and they've won a few competitions and have been on the Travel channel (or some channel) several times. Still, not as many people know about this good place.

Well, CM and I decided we were going to start working really hard on our finances to improve our situation so we can give the best life possible to our two boys. This meant we had to stop eating out... and we did that a LOT. Well, that's what led me to start cooking and creating cheap, easy recipes for our family. Being from Georgia, I love BBQ, and that meant it was one meal I just had to learn how to make if I ever wanted to eat it frequently enough... so I figured it out by doing a lot of research. I can make pulled pork and I can make sliced pork. (Yes, there's a difference because you have to use 2 different types of loins). The only thing I couldn't make was the BBQ sauce, so we were buying jars of it from the one good place in town.

But all that has changed. I was determined to make my own sauce from scratch, and have it be just as delicious as the restaurant-bought sauce. So I introduce to you, my BBQ Pork Loin Sliders (with homemade sauce!):

Here's what you need for the pork:

• 4 lb pork loin (not a tenderloin unless you want to make these shredded, not sliced)
• 1 C of beef stock
• 1/2 C of balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 C of soy sauce
• Any vegetables you want to cook it with (we used carrots -of course- and seasoned red potatoes)

Here's what you need for the BBQ sauce:

• 1/2 cup of light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 C of ketchup
• 1/4 C of distilled white vinegar

**You'll also need rolls to make them sliders. We used King's Hawaiian Rolls.

Here's what you do:

• Place everything you need for the loin into the Crock-Pot, cover, and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or high for 4-5.
• When the loin is done, place it on a pan and slice as thick as you would like. 
• I like them sliced thick, so I cut about inch-thick slices. Because I was dealing with a wide roast, I also cut those slices in half so they would fit perfectly on the Hawaiian rolls.
• Set your sliced pork into a large bowl. Make sure it is big enough for all of the pieces to fit, as well as the sauce.
• In a sauce pan, add all of the ingredients for the sauce, and cook it on high until it starts to boil. Make sure to continue stirring the whole time.
• When it starts to boil, take it off the heat and dump all of the sauce into the bowl of sliced pork. It may not coat every piece perfectly evenly, but there will be more than enough at the bottom to accommodate the BBQ sauce-lovers out there.
• Cut your rolls in half, then use tongs to place your sliced pork onto each roll.

With a 4 lb pork, and 1-inch thick slices, I was able to make 24 sliders.

Also, I tried to make a BBQ sauce that wasn't too sweet but wasn't too vinegary, so it would appeal to all tastes. If you would like it sweeter, add more brown sugar, 2 Tbs at a time until it's how you want it. If you would like it to have more of a vinegar taste, add more of the white vinegar 2 Tbs at a time until it's how you want it.

I can't wait until I get to make these for my parents and see what they think. I hope they compare to the almighty Zeb's! Oh, and a huge congratulations to my dad for getting to go home from the hospital today!

If you enjoyed this recipe, please share it with your family and friends on Facebook, Pinterest, and more!

Balsamic Glazed Crock-Pot Pork Loin

This is probably one of CM's favorite meals that I make. I've literally made it once a week for the past 3 or 4 weeks. But, that hasn't been much of a problem to me because a) it's a Crock-Pot meal, so it requires very little effort, and b) Kroger was having an amaaaaaaaaaaaaazing deal on pork loins. I'm talking, we saved more than 50% on each loin. The one I'm preparing for this post is 4.5 lb, and normally about $20. We got it for $9. Needless to say, we stocked up on them and have several in our freezer. But I digress...

This meal, unlike most others I make, doesn't have any cheese involved, unless I make a cheesy side dish. And I probably will. Again, I digress. CM helped me "prep" this meal by chopping up the vegetables. It's my least favorite part, especially since I almost chopped my hand off when making this a few weeks ago while cutting up the onion. I may be slightly exaggerating. I did slice my finger open pretty badly, though, and thought I'd have to get stitches, but I sucked it up because I'm afraid of getting stitches. My thumb eventually got better, and I moved on, except for I now slice vegetables at a snail's pace.

So who's ready for the recipe?

Here's what you need for the pork loin:

• 4 to 4 1/2 lb pork loin
• 1 C of water
• 2 Tbs of tomato paste
• 1 1/2 lb carrots
• 1/2 large sweet onion diced or in chunks (your preference)
• 2 medium russet potatoes or 5 red potatoes cut into chunks
• 1 C of beef stock
• 1/4 C of balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 C of soy sauce

Here's what you need for the balsamic glaze:

• 1/2 cup of light brown sugar
• 1 Tbs of cornstarch
• 1/4 C of balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 C of water
• 2 Tbs soy sauce

Here's what you do to make the pork loin:

• Put the loin into your Crock-Pot.
• Pour in the water.
• Add 1 Tbs of tomato paste on each side of the loin and stir it a little.
• Add your carrots, onion, and potatoes on top.

 

I love me some carrots!

• Pour the beef stock, balsamic vinegar, and soy sauce on top.
• Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 4 hours.

Here's what you do to make the balsamic glaze:

• When the loin is almost done (about 15-20 minutes before you're ready to serve), combine all ingredients for the glaze into a small sauce pan.
• Bring the mixture to a boil.
• Turn the heat down to low, allow the glaze to simmer, and stir it occasionally until it thickens. 

When you're ready, remove the loin from the Crock-Pot and slice it. Pour as much or as little glaze over it as you would like. Remove the vegetables from the Crock-Pot and put them in a bowl to serve. I prefer pouring the broth over the vegetables before serving for the delicious flavor, but you don't have to do that if you would rather not. 

If you want to use a smaller loin, such as a 2 lb loin, simply use half of the ingredients that are listed for just the loin- do not adjust the glaze recipe.

I want to give a special thank you to Julie's Eats & Treats because that is where I found the recipe for the balsamic vinegar glaze!

Leave me a message and let me know what you think about this tasty, easy, meal! Be sure to share it with your family and friends so they can enjoy it too.