Pork Tenderloin Pockets

Do you ever watch that show “Hoarder”? I have on a few occasions, close to dinner time at that (don’t ask me why we stick to that channel when there are literally over one hundred other stations to watch). I am definitely not the most organized person amongst people I know, but my house is relatively presentable now a days, so if someone drops by unannounced, I probably would not be super embarrassed and try to block them outside the front door. Now my fridge is another story (yes I am talking about the piece of machine I am not friends with at the moment AGAIN). I am probably considered a light weight hoarder when it comes to food items. my pantry is filled from top to bottom, my fridge was filled to the rim that I can no longer find items I need, because the light inside is being blocked by mountains of food… Since Houston is close to the gulf and we do have quite an interesting hurricane season every year, I tell myself we can probably last a couple of weeks before I start eying the animals (I kid, I kid…) Anyway, I have been using frozen and dry goods here and there the last couple of weeks while the fridge is out, I am happy to report the pantry is starting to air out, and freezer is getting brighter due to the visible light shining through. Though I am super excited for this weekend’s grocery shopping trip, looks like it’s time for the hoarding to begin again after the technician comes to fix the fridge on Thursday, YAY!

Anywho, I found a nice piece of pork tenderloin in the freezer today, decided to make use of the slow cooker again (pork and beef tend to get real tender in the crock pot). Dinner was  a hit, it’s always fun to involve the whole family on “making” their own food, in this case we got to assemble the steamed pockets with various toppings, the pork was very flavorful and pretty effortless, hope you will give it a try also!

This is how the tenderloins looked after browning, sitting in the slow cooker.

Tenderloin Ingredients

• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 boneless whole pork loin roast (2-3 pounds)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

Other items

•  green onion, sliced thinly
• 1/4 cup of hoison sauce, serve in small dish
• a few pieces of lettuce, broken into halves to fit inside steamed pockets
• some Korean kim chi
• a bag of steamed pockets (can be purchased at frozen section of Asian markets) Heat up according to manufacturer directions

Directions

• Place onions in a 5-qt. slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, salt and pepper. Cut roast in half; rub with garlic mixture. In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, brown pork in oil on all sides. Transfer to slow cooker; add bay leaves.
• In a small bowl, combine hot water and honey; stir in the soy sauce, vinegar, ginger and cloves. Pour over pork. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until meat is tender. (I might have cooked mine for too long, the meat was falling apart)
• Remove meat and onions from slow cooker; keep warm. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.
• Slice pork; top with onions, sauce and sesame seeds.
• Serve with steam pocket, sauce, lettuce, green onions and kimchi (they really enhanced the flavor). Enjoy!

The wonderful spread

Adapted from Taste of Home