Slow Cooker Pork Roast with Sweet & Sour Cabbage and Sweet Potatoes

I love this meal not just because it’s purple and orange and pork-colored, not just because it’s delicious and fairly healthy, but because it takes exactly one dish to make: one slow cooker, to be exact. Yes, I’m still going on with the slow cooker love. Get used to it.

The Acme near our house had a two-for-the-price-of-one deal on pork roasts, so obviously Nick came home with two this past weekend. They were simply labeled “pork roast,” with no indication of whether they might be loin, shoulder, butt, or some other part of the beast entirely. I decided not to worry about it.

I’ve been on this huge cabbage kick lately, having realized that cabbage stays good in the fridge all week and makes great salads if you just leave out the mayo (mayonnaise-based slaw being one of the few foods I’m not particularly fond of). Anyway, I had a huge purple cabbage that I bought on a whim, and it seemed like an obvious match for pork roast. Also, there were two sweet potatoes banging around the crisper that looked as if they ought to be used soon.

The internet soon yielded some fruitful suggestions, and I based my cabbage a Chowhound thread “Pork loin in a slow cooker--need your delicious recipes!”, specifically a suggestion from Sydney1124. Thanks, Sydney1124!

Slow Cooker Pork Roast with Sweet & Sour Cabbage and Sweet Potatoes

3 lb pork roast
1 T veg or olive oil
½ large purple cabbage, shredded (feel free to replace with green cabbage, but red looks cooler)
1 large onion, halved and sliced thin
¾ c brown sugar
¼ t nutmeg (freshly grated if possible)
¼ t cinnamon
¾ c apple cider vinegar
2-4 sweet potatoes, of approximately the same size
Salt and pepper

1. If it didn’t come that way, tie the pork roast into a cylinder, and salt and pepper on all sides. Heat oil in a large pan and sear the roast, again on all sides, on medium heat. This will take a total of about 8-10 minutes.
2. While the roast sears, shred cabbage. The easiest way to do this is to quarter the cabbage, cut out the core, and then lay the cabbage flat, with the space where the core used to be against the cutting board. Then cut thin slices of cabbage. Put shredded cabbage into the slow cooker, breaking up the layered cabbage leaves as you go. There will be quite a lot of cabbage; don’t worry, it will cook down. Plus you’ll want a lot, because it tastes so good. Add the onion, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, vinegar, and salt and pepper in proportions that you will enjoy. Stir to combine.
3. Place seared pork roast on top of the cabbage mixture.
4. Wrap each sweet potato in aluminum foil. Nestle these around the pork roast. I put in two, but I bet I could have fit another couple in there, and I wished afterwards that I had more. Yes, that’s a full slow cooker.
5. Cook on high for 4-5 hours. At this point the pork should be tender but still juicy, the sweet potatoes much the same, and the cabbage cooked down to about half its original volume, deep purple in color and very flavorful.