Slow-Cooker Herbed Balsamic Pork Roast

As I'm typing this, the snow is very lightly falling outside.  So lightly, I can barely see it.  It's too cold for those giant, lacy snowflakes I like to catch on my tongue.  They are tiny icy snowflakes that just barely dust the ground in a fine powder.  The kind you can blow like confetti.

This winter has been much colder than others I remember.  And I give myself permission to complain about it for at least 2 more months.  I'll stop near the end of March when it is my birthday and the first day of spring.  It will probably keep snowing through the spring if the plentiful snow we've already had is any indication.  I'll wish and hope for a spring as warm, lovely and vibrant as last year's. 

In the meantime, I will stay inside all bundled up, eating soup and vegetable stews to stay warm inside and out.  My family, however, has found the soups and stews a little tedious.  They cheered when they came home from school, the smell of pork roast bathed in sweet balsamic vinegar wafting through the house.  Another cheer came for the bowl of warm mashed potatoes served alongside.  I threw together another batch of my new favorite veggie recipe, Green Beans with Olives, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts that I shared on 4 Men 1 Lady a few days ago.  Oh, mama!  I could eat the whole pan of those beans in one sitting if my tummy would stretch that far.  They are really that good.

Here's to staying warm, if you live somewhere cold, and surviving until the sun is warm on our faces again.  And for those of you who live somewhere warm, can I come visit for a few weeks?

Slow-Cooker Herbed Balsamic Pork Roast

original recipe

Ingredients:

One pork roast, 3-5 lbs.
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp. dried rosemary
a few sprigs fresh thyme (I used a few sprigs I dried, about 1/2 tsp.)
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Instructions:

Place pork roast in the slow cooker and top with the other ingredients.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 4-6, depending on the size of the roast.  (I put mine in frozen and it was done in 4 hours, but I left it for longer so it was more fall-apart tender*.)

Remove the cooked roast from the slow-cooker.  Cover and keep warm.  Pour the accumulated juices and vinegar into a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Let it reduce by about half.  Slice the roast and pour the sauce over the top.

Serve.

*If you let the roast cook even longer, it will shred easily with a fork and makes delicious sandwiches.  Don't reduce the liquid, it will be absorbed into the shredded meat.  We've done both ways and like them equally.  It's a great thing to make when you're having company for dinner.




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