Slow Cooker Honey-Soy Braised Pork With Lime and Ginger Recipe (2024)

By Sarah DiGregorio

Slow Cooker Honey-Soy Braised Pork With Lime and Ginger Recipe (1)

Total Time
8 hours 20 minutes
Rating
4(3,388)
Notes
Read community notes

Here to save your weeknight life: a slow-cooker main that’s truly “set-it-and-forget-it,” with results that taste like they required significantly more effort. This rich and flavorful pork takes about 5 minutes to throw together in the morning. Before dinner, just simmer the sauce — a sweet-salty mix of soy and honey — until it’s syrupy, shred the meat, add a flurry of fresh herbs and you’re done. The meat is a wonderfully simple anchor, and you can build a meal around it: Add lettuce cups and kimchi or serve it over rice, whole grains or even tortillas.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

  • 3 to 4pounds boneless, skinless pork shoulder, trimmed of big hunks of fat and cut in half
  • 8large garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 3tablespoons minced fresh ginger (from one 3-inch piece)
  • 1teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more to taste
  • 2teaspoons finely grated lime zest and 2 tablespoons juice (from 1 lime), plus more lime wedges for serving
  • 1cup tamari or low-sodium soy sauce (see Tip)
  • 1cup honey
  • 1tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • Cooked rice, noodles or lettuce cups, for serving
  • Toasted sesame seeds, sliced scallions and chopped cilantro, for topping

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

668 calories; 38 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 17 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 45 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 35 grams sugars; 38 grams protein; 1281 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Slow Cooker Honey-Soy Braised Pork With Lime and Ginger Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Place the pork in a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker. Scatter the garlic, ginger, red-pepper flakes and lime zest over the top. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the tamari, honey and sesame oil, then pour it over the pork. Using tongs, turn to coat all sides of the pork in the sauce, and spoon some over the top so that some of the garlic and ginger is on top of the pork. Cover and cook on low until the pork is very tender and shreds easily with a fork, 8 to 9 hours; it will hold well on warm. (If you are home and able to flip the pork once during cooking, that will help the flavors distribute evenly on the meat and make the color uniform. If not, it will be fine.)

  2. Using tongs, transfer the pork from the slow cooker to a serving platter or large, shallow serving bowl. Using a ladle, skim excess fat off the surface of the cooking liquid, if desired. Carefully pour the sauce into a large pot. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat and let it simmer until reduced and slightly syrupy, 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, coarsely shred the pork using two forks.

  3. Step

    3

    Sprinkle the lime juice over the top of the meat. Drizzle about half the sauce over the top of the shredded meat, tossing to evenly combine. Serve over rice or noodles or in lettuce cups. Top with sesame seeds, scallions and cilantro. Pass the remaining sauce at the table, if desired, as well as extra lime wedges and red-pepper flakes.

Tip

  • Tamari, a gluten-free Japanese fermented soy product similar to soy sauce, is generally a little less salty than grocery store soy sauce, and it works slightly better in this recipe.

Ratings

4

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3,388

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Margaux Laskey, Senior Staff Editor, NYT Cooking

This kind of dish is why people love slow cookers: very low effort, max yum. My 5 and 7 yos love it over jasmine rice with sliced avocado and cucumbers on the side. I've made this with fresh or jarred garlic and ginger. Either works.

shell

The sesame oil should be added after cooking (at the end) or it turns bitter.

Meghan

To make this on the stove instead of a slow cooker: heat high heat oil in a Dutch oven. Cut meat in 2-3 pieces, season with salt and pepper, and sear on all sides until golden brown. Will probably take 15 mins. Meanwhile, chop your ginger and garlic. Remove the meat from the pan. Sauté aromatics. Add sauce to the pan, scrape up the burnt bits of pork, bring to a boil. Put meat back in the pot and bring to a boil. Cover and put in a 250 oven for 4 hours (for about 4 lb of meat).

Brett

I was confused by all the conflicting comments.So I cooked it per the recipe.It was fantastic.

Patricia Garcia

Sometimes, I can't believe some of the comments made here....Susan, chopping garlic and ginger is substantial pre-crockpot prep? Lordy girl, don't ever make a real braise, you'll be dog-tired. Guessing you don't cook a lot.

Stephen

Had great intentions of starting this in the morning to be ready for dinner in the evening... Needless to say I didn't get it all prepared until close to 3 pm. Luckily, this recipe worked a treat in our pressure cooker - 30 mins on high with 30 mins natural release. Made it per the recipe otherwise, and it was delicious!

Susan

Giving just 2 stars. First the pre-crockpot prep is not an easy 5 min. There is some substantial chopping and dicing to do. All that would have been worth it for a delicious braising sauce to spoon over the meat at the end. I did not like this sauce. Meat came out fine, but sauce tasted burnt/bitter. I tried to doctor it w rice wine, apple cider vinegar, more honey. Nothing helped the bad aftertaste.

Kathy

I followed some of the suggestions: 1/2 cup of honey and added about 1/2 cup of water . I had plenty of sauce. With many comments about it being too salty, I used Trader Joe’s Soyaki sauce for the soy sauce and thinking was a great alternative.Pork was tender, sauce was delicious and the scallions, sesame seeds and limes added great texture and color. I didn’t use any grated lime due to other comments and don’t think it was missed. Will definitely make again!

Kait

This was an enjoyable meal that allowed the meat to get some nice crispy edges while still being moist and flavorful. However, given the calories and effort required, I have to recommend the Skinny Taste Banh Mi Bowl recipe over this one. Virtually the same flavor payoff (my fiancé didn’t realize it was a different recipe) with less work and fewer calories. Highly recommend serving both recipes with rice, cilantro, jalapeños/Serrano peppers, pickled carrots, cucumbers, and a sriracha aioli.

Mama Fontana

I’ve made this twice, once with a pork roast and once with a beef roast. Both times baked in a Dutch oven for 2-3 hours. The beef was much better than the pork!

Heather

I initially rated this three stars, but I took the leftovers out of the freezer last week and used them in a stir fry, and they were delicious. I simply froze hunks of the cooked meat in the sauce, and then I used the sauce in the stir fry. Bumped it up to four stars and will definitely make it again!

Payal

I used an Instant Pot and it worked well! Cooked on high for 30 minutes and then natural release (it was over an hour before I opened it up). It was tender and there was no burned taste. I also used coconut aminos instead of tamari or soy sauce and it was not salty at all. I used a lot a red chili powder instead of the flakes and it came out with a nice spice balance of sweet and spicy. I would have used much less sesame oil since the sauce at the end was too oily.

Lindsey

Due to coronavirus shortages at the grocery stores, I had to settle for pork tenderloin instead of pork shoulder. I know that's a completely different cut of meat. I still followed all of the instructions and slow-cooked it on low for about 6 hours. Was still able to shred it (although it was a bit dry). We ate it with white rice and had the leftovers as pork fried rice the next day.

Amanda

I enjoyed this. No burnt flavor as I followed other reviewers’ advice and swapped 1/4 cup of brown sugar for the honey. I only added lime as a garnish at the end and didn’t use much of the sauce. We ate it with squeezed lime juice, scallions and cilantro over white rice and it was pretty delicious.

Jen

6 pound pork roast in 300 degree oven for about 5 hours, basted a couple times; used olive oil instead roasted sesame oil for the roast, based on previous comments; then added a drizzle of sesame oil at the end while reducing the sauce. In addition to the suggested garnishes, I served this with quick pickled veggies (carrots and cucumbers, radishes next time) - the pickled veggies really added brightness to the dish as a whole.This was terrific and easy - great combo! Will be on repeat.

Cedar

I used about half the amount of soy and honey called for (only because honey is expensive and my last bottle of soy sauce is madly salty) and brought the liquid level up with a half cup of leftover sake. Fabulous recipe, incredibly easy and delicious.

Lucy N

I found this recipe appealing to read, but too strong for eating. There was so much "flavor" one couldn't tell it was pork! Thanks anyway.

YogiCook

5 stars with VERY small changes! Halving the recipe was plenty for family of 4 with leftovers.Went lighter on soy/tamari and made up difference w/ coconut aminos.Kept most sauce, 2/3, on side for individual preferences. Skimmed some fat before simmering down the sauce. Used mostly honey with some brown sugar too.If you don't have a microplane zester, get one. Used the stainless steel tool for the lime and ginger.This is a winner.

Ty

4 stars. Followed the recipe exactly. The pork was perfectly tender and tasted great after shredding. I knocked 1 star because like others have commented, the sauce turned bitter. My assessment is that it is not due to the lime zest, but the amount of honey. The honey is what over caramelizes during the 8 hour cook causing the bitter flavor even when stirred. Reducing the braising liquid at the end further exacerbated the bitterness. I did not pour the sauce over the shredded pork due to this.

Corinne

Super easy to make, but even with the tamari, this was waaay too salty for us. If you make it, consider adjusting the quantities.

Elaine

Smelled great - sauce was bitter as some others have mentioned.

Caroline

We were really looking forward to eating this dish. However it was way too salty and intense. I should have known when I saw that the recipe called for 1 cup of tamari. I didn’t even use a full cup but about 2/3 C. I love tamari and I use it but never in such quantity, We couldn’t finish it but I have saved it so that I can do something else such as dilute it with broth. We also substituted maple syrup for honey.

Ben

Needs more heat and acid I think. Next time maybe a tablespoon of gochuchang red pepper and a little rice wine vinegar. Not bad though.

Meag

Made this with pork tenderloin because that’s what I had. I cut the soy with bone broth to reduce saltiness, but otherwise stuck close to the recipe. Very good, very easy! Served in lettuce cups with avocado, green onion and chopped cashew.

Orange

Gack! So bitter/burnt-tasting we ended up throwing it away. We did accidentally add the lime juice BEFORE cooking so this may have had some impact...

Eliza

I agree with several commenters: I followed the instructions but it was WAY too salty! Next time I’ll use 1/4 cup of tamari and use water for the rest, then balance it out when the meat is cooked and set aside. I’d quadruple the lime juice and add more honey.

Dee

Made it exactly as written using lower-sodium tamari and sprinkled with scallions and cilantro. The additional lime wedges when serving are absolutely essential. So delicious! A big hit with the family.

H Turner

The lime is not making the dish bitter. Honey, lime and ginger is an amazing flavor combination found in a number of recipes. You really miss out by using brown sugar instead of honey. Dicing the ingredients just doesn't take that long, you don't have to be a chef to get your own technique for chopping or dicing. I, too, used a bone in pork roast, no problem. I could just about drink the broth.

Vivienne

What if I only have a 3.5 quarter slow cooker? Appreciated the instructions for the stove top and oven method.

bevgs

This was too salty for me! I expected to like it better, it was just okay.

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Slow Cooker Honey-Soy Braised Pork With Lime and Ginger Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do I need to add liquid to slow cooker pork? ›

How to Make Pulled Pork in a Slow Cooker
  1. Procure Your Pork. ...
  2. Season Your Pork, and Put it in Your Slow Cooker. ...
  3. And an Onion and Any Other Aromatics You Like. ...
  4. Add about 1/4 Cup Liquid Per Pound of Pork. ...
  5. Slow Cook It! ...
  6. Separate Pork From Liquid, and Pull. ...
  7. Turn That Cooking Liquid Into a Sauce. ...
  8. Serve As You Like It.
Jun 1, 2017

How long does pork need in a slow cooker? ›

Season the pork with salt and pepper then heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium to high heat. Brown the pork shoulder on all sides then transfer to a slow cooker. Add all the other ingredients, then cook on low for 6-8 hours until the meat pulls apart when pressed with two forks.

Do you take string off pork before cooking in a slow cooker? ›

Remove strings and cut into pieces as needed so that it will fit into the crock pot. 2 tablespoons Smoked Paprika or your favorite pork rub. Smoked Paprika will help to give it that little smokey flavor!

Which pork joint is best for slow cooking? ›

Slow cooking is more forgiving because it's done at a lower temperature so an hour or so too long isn't going to ruin your pork; Pork Shoulder and Scotch Fillet – These cuts have more fat marbled through them so they are natural choices to use for slow cooker pork roasts.

What is the best liquid to cook pork in? ›

Using liquids you would normally drink is also a good choice. A splash of apple cider is the key to tender and juicy pulled pork; it has a delicate tang that's tempered by sweetness. Plus, it's loaded with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and other warming spices that produce delicious pork.

What happens if there is not enough liquid in a slow cooker? ›

Not adding enough liquid can lead to burning.

"It's important to add enough liquid to ensure the bottom of your dish doesn't burn."

Is it better to cook pork on high or low in a slow cooker? ›

Set the cooker to low; the high setting will boil the meat instead of braise it, so it's only a quicker trip to an undesirable outcome.

Does pork get more tender the longer you slow cook it? ›

At around 2 hours, your pork chops will be cooked through (145°F) and have a texture similar to chicken breast — tender, but firm. Between 3 to 6 hours, the chops will have a texture closer to pulled pork; it will be easy to cut with a fork and will pull easily from the bone.

How do you know when slow cooked pork is ready? ›

Total cooking time will be 2 to 4 hours, depending on the amount of pork and whether it's bone-in (which takes longer to cook). The pork is done when it is fork-tender (when the meat can be easily pierced with a fork without resistance and easily falls apart with a little pressure).

Do you flip pork in slow cooker? ›

Close the Proofer and allow the pork to cook for a total of 10 or 11 hours. Midway during the slow cook process you can turn the pork over once. After 10 hours check the interior of the pork with a thermometer. We recommend a temperature of 195-200 °F / 90-93 °C for tender, juicy pork which pulls apart easily.

How do you keep pork from drying out in a slow cooker? ›

Cooking a lean roast like pork tenderloin in a slow cooker is tricky because it can quickly turn overcooked and dry. We discovered that nestling two tenderloins side by side, alternating the narrow and thicker ends, helped to insulate the meat and prevented it from overcooking.

Can you overcook pork in a slow cooker? ›

It is very difficult to overcook pork in a slow cooker, but it is possible. Make sure you have enough moisture in your slow cooker so that things don't get tough and cook your pork on low to prevent overcooking.

What is the best cut of pork to braise? ›

Shoulder: Cuts from the upper portion of the shoulder (called the blade shoulder) are well marbled with fat and contain a lot of connective tissue, making them ideal candidates for slow-cooking methods like braising, stewing, or barbecuing.

Why is my pork tough in the slow cooker? ›

Cook Low and Slow

This long, slow braise breaks down the connective tissue and fat, creating deliciously soft and juicy meat. Each slow cooker meal's cooking time differs depending on the meat and its weight. The low setting is important so you don't overcook it, potentially leaving you with a dry or tough meal.

Can you slow cook pork without liquid? ›

Just cook it on low. Our tendency is to drown meats in a slow cooker and that's not necessary. Usually, 1/2 cup is plenty … or none. The recipe below mimics a smoker for making pulled pork.

Can you put meat in a slow cooker without liquid? ›

Water or liquid is necessary to create steam. When cooking meat or poultry, the water or liquid level should cover the ingredients to ensure effective heat transfer throughout the crock. Some manufacturers of slow cookers recommend adding liquid to fill the stoneware 1/2 to 3/4 full.

How do you keep pork moist in a slow cooker? ›

Yes, adding liquid when cooking pork in a crockpot is essential to maintain moisture and prevent the meat from drying out.

Can you put raw pork in a slow cooker? ›

Yes, you most certainly can cook raw meat in the slow cooker! You put it in “cold”, with whatever liquid your recipe calls for, turn it on either “low” or “high” depending on your recipe (I usually start it on “high” for a couple hours, then turn it to “low”), and in 6–7–8 hours, it's now COOKED meat!

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