Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Pork

Cut the pork into 1‑inch chunks, trimming any large fatty areas. For sweet and sour pork, pork shoulder is hands down the best cut because it stays tender, juicy, and holds up beautifully in the slow cooker. Pork butt (Boston butt) works just as well — it’s very similar to shoulder, just a bit fattier, which makes the pieces even more tender and ultra‑soft once cooked.

Place the pork into the bottom of the slow cooker.

On top of the pork, layer in 1 yellow onion cut into 1‑inch pieces and 2 bell peppers cut into 1‑inch pieces; I used red and orange, but use any colors you like. Drain one 8‑ounce can of pineapple chunks, reserving 1/4 cup of the juice for the sweet and sour sauce, and add only the pineapple chunks on top of the peppers.

Make the sauce. In a medium bowl, combine ¼ cup of the reserved pineapple juice, ½ cup ketchup, ⅓ cup rice vinegar, ⅓ cup light brown sugar, and ¼ cup soy sauce, stirring until combined. Pour the sauce over the vegetables and pork, then cover and cook on low for 6–7 hours or on high for 3–4 hours, or until the meat is tender.

Thicken the sauce. In the last 30 minutes of cooking, whisk 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl, then stir the slurry into the slow cooker with the pork and vegetables. Never add cornstarch directly to the slow cooker without mixing it with cold water first, or it will turn lumpy. Cover and let the sauce thicken.

While the sauce thickens, prepare the rice following the packaging instructions.

Once the sauce has thickened, serve the Sweet and Sour Pork over rice and sprinkle with thinly sliced green onions and sesame seeds.

Enjoy!

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