Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin

Pulled honey garlic pork tenderloin on plate with serving utensils.

No ratings yet

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin

This simple slow cooker honey garlic pork tenderloin is a delicious dinner that comes together with minimal effort. Less than 10-minutes to prep, this pork tenderloin is as easy as tossing everything in the crockpot and then coming back to juicy, tender meat that easily pulls apart. A budget friendly meal that costs under $10 which is hard to do these days!

Prep Time10

Cook Time6

Total Time6 30

Course: Main Course, slow cooker

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Lorie Yarro

Ingredients

2 lb pork tenderloin approx.
½ cup chicken broth
⅓ cup honey
¼ cup soy sauce
3 tbsp ketchup
1½ tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
5-6 garlic cloves
½ tsp onion powder
½- 1 tsp pepper
¼ tsp red pepper optional
2 tbsp cornstarch plus 3 Tbsp cold water

Instructions

Pat the pork tenderloin dry with a paper towel and remove the silver skin. Place it in the bottom of crock pot.
Whisk together the honey garlic sauce ingredients except the cornstarch. Pour mixture over top of the pork tenderloin. Spoon as much garlic over top of the pork as you can. We like to add lots of pepper on top as well, but that is optional.
Set slow cooker to LOW heat and cook for 4-6 hours, or until the pork reaches around 195°F-205°F and can be pretty easily pulled apart. (it will not fall apart like a pork shoulder, but still should be easy to pull appart.)
Remove the meat and set aside to shred. Before shredding, whisk the corn starch and cold water together until smooth. Add this mixture to the honey garlic sauce/juices in the crockpot and whisk to combine.
Pull the meat apart and add it back to the crock pot, stirring to combine. Heat another 20-30 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken a bit before serving.

Notes

Storage: Store leftover pork in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days in an airtight container. You can also easily freeze it by first allowing it to cool completely. Freeze for up to 3 months and allow it to thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.

The internal temperature of pork tenderloin ideally is between 195°F-205°F to easily pull apart. Making sure the meat cooks long enough to reach this temperature breaks down the connective tissues in the meat and that's what allows it to more easily pull apart and shred. So wait until you get to that point, unless you are wanting sliced pork.

Make sure to remove the silver skin from the pork tenderloin. Honestly, if it's your first time making pork tenderloin, this may be the hardest part of the recipe. Use this guide to help! If you leave it on, it becomes very tough, can cause uneven cooking of the pork and keep the meat from absorbing more flavor. Bottom line, remove it!

It is not necessary to sear the pork before slow cooking, but you are welcome to do so. To keep this recipe as quick and easy when it comes to prep, I did not start with searing the meat, but you are welcome to do so if preferred.

Nutrition