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(3,250)
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. Step

    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. 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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3,250

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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.

Brett

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

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).

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.

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.

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!

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.

Liza

No slow cooker here, so I made this in my tagine on the stove top. Similar procedure to starting in a Dutch oven and finishing in the oven. Very tasty. Made sandwiches with it on crusty baguette, veggies and tahini sauce, delicious.

Andrew

If you have any leftovers, the pork, cilantro, and chives go great on a grilled cheese. You can even use the sauce as a dip for the sandwich.

D Steiner

Easy-peasy and delicious!

Carla

Made this recipe exactly as written except added the lime zest at the end. Absolutely delicious! My family devoured it and it was so easy.

Denise D

Cooked as directed and it was good. The sauce was rich, so in the future i would still add half to the shred, but put less on after that.

Robert

Try this with Oxtail or Pork Belly!

Cynthia

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

John

There are Japanese soy sauces that have a variety of salt levels. Your big grocery probably only carries one toy of low-sodium soy. Try to find an Asian market near you. Supermarket low salt is 1/3 less typically but in the Asian store I can find ahoyu with 1/2 the normal amount. San-Jii is the brand as I recall. Also low-sodium tamari is available.

Joe Dragan

Have tried this recipe using sous vide. If there ever was dish suited to sous vide it was this one. Have fun, and enjoy this late winter treat..Joe

Gigi NYC

Made this exactly as written and it is FANTASTIC! Used a food processor to make quick work of chopping the ginger and garlic. Easy peasy!

Charlotte

Can it be made with pork loin?

Richard X

No. Pork loin is too lean; your results will be dry.

Pam

Made exactly as written except cooked in the instant pot (45 minutes pressure, 15-ish slow release). Came out perfectly. Use the lime. The acid perks up the sauce. Had leftovers so I turned those into soft shell tacos a few days later. Topped with pickled red onions, cotija cheese, and kale. Still had leftovers so I made a bowl for lunch with rice and beans. All three meals were excellent.

MarcL

Would this recipe work with chicken, turkey, or beef?

Shelly

I was wondering the same thing about chicken, but I suspect it would need either a shorter cook time or to be watched closely & stirred occasionally.I definitely think it would work on beef.

Judy

Most slow. cookers have 2 settings, high and low. So should this be cooked 8-9 hours on low or high?

Shelly

"Cover and cook on low" in step 1.

M

Any chance this might work with a vegetarian sub, like tofu, jackfruit, seitan, tempeh, or soy curls? Or would the lack of fat from the meat be a problem?

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

FAQs

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! Garlic, Salt and Pepper to taste.

How do you brown pork before slow cooking? ›

Before sticking the pork directly in the slow cooker, cut it into quarters, pat the meat dry with a paper towel, and season each piece thoroughly with salt and pepper. Sear each piece in a cast-iron skillet with oil just until the exterior is evenly browned.

Do you leave string on roast in a slow cooker? ›

In 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, place onion. If beef roast comes in netting or is tied, remove netting or strings. Place beef on onion.

Do you leave string on pork shoulder? ›

Pork: As noted above, a pork shoulder roast (bone-in or boneless) is your best choice for the best pulled pork. If the pork roast is netted, remove the netting before cooking. I also like to cut off and discard any large pieces of fat or the skin, if present, from the roast, before cooking.

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

Using a slow cooker

So, what's the key to cooking pork without drying it out? Regardless of how you prepare the meat, it's best to cook it at a low temperature slowly. Be sure to use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of your pork: Once it reaches 145, you can be sure it's ready and safe to eat.

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

You don't need much liquid to slow cook pork since it releases juices while cooking when using the low setting. I use just enough to flavor the pork along with the reserved juices of the pork and serve the extra BBQ sauce on the side. If you wish to add liquid, you can add 1 cup of chicken broth.

What happens if you don't brown meat before slow cooking? ›

"Browning, or caramelizing, meat before putting it into a slow cooker isn't 100 percent necessary, but it is well worth the effort for the most flavorful and full-bodied end result," he says. "The caramelized surface of the meat will lend rich flavor and color to the finished dish."

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

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.

Do you season pork before browning? ›

But really, it takes no extra effort, just some forethought. And so I will always season lamb shanks the day before they go into the braise. I will try to season chickens the day before, but if I don't have the chance, I won't sweat it; and I will season steaks and pork roasts right before searing.

Why does meat go stringy in slow cooker? ›

The most likely cause of this is overcooking. As meat cooks, its muscle fibers shorten in both length and width and eventually squeeze out the juices they normally hold. As you can imagine, this leaves meat dry, and often stringy in texture. To avoid this problem, choose less-tender cuts of meat.

Should food be covered with liquid in a slow cooker? ›

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.

Why is my roast still tough after 6 hours? ›

There are several reasons why this could have happened even after so much cooking. First, your choice of a rump roast could be a factor since cuts from the hind quarter are very muscular and, since muscles are the most resistant to breaking, this cut is quite stubborn when it comes to becoming tender.

Should I remove bone from pork shoulder before slow cooking? ›

Trim off any large pieces of fat from the outside of a 4 to 6 pounds boneless pork shoulder or butt (or 5 to 7 pounds bone-in), but leave small pieces and the interior fat. If using boneless pork, cut the pork into several large fist-sized pieces. If using bone-in, leave the pork as is, on the bone.

Do I keep string on pork in a slow cooker? ›

Take the net/string off at start:

While many roast pork are sold with a netting around them holding them together, in the case of pulled pork we don't need them to stay 'together'. It's a lot easier to remove that netting before it's cooked then when it's hot and sticky!

How do you rest pork before pulling? ›

Resting a pork butt is best done in a cambro. Cambro's are insulated boxes used to keep the food above 60°C (140°F). If you don't have this one, can easily swap it out for an Esky instead. Many people will wrap the pork butt in aluminium foil or butcher paper to push through the stall during the cooking process.

Do you cut the string off when cooking pork? ›

If it's tied and rolled, then cut the string (make sure you've got some more string to tie it up again later), unroll the pork, and place on a tray skin-side up. Score the fat in diagonal lines quite deeply using a really sharp knife (don't cut into the meat itself).

Do you cook pork with or without string? ›

Cook your joint of meat and then let it rest, take the mesh off after that and carve as normal. The elastic mesh is there to keep the joint together when cooking it, so yes it is safe to cook it with the mesh on. Just don't forget to remove it before carving the joint.

Can you put meat string in slow cooker? ›

Remove any string from beef roast, trim off large fat cover and place in slow cooker. You can cut the beef into chunks to speed up cooking, and remove large chunks of fat if you wish.

Do you cut the fat off pork shoulder before slow cooking for pulled pork? ›

Remove some of the fat. Pork shoulder has a decent amount of fat on the surface. It's a good idea to cut away this excess fat prior to cooking, but do leave a small amount as it adds to the flavour.

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