Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce With Port and Orange
- Total Time
- 3 to 3½ hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 24ounces fresh or frozen, thawed cranberries (about 5 cups)
- 1½cups packed light brown sugar
- ½cup ruby or tawny port
- Finely grated zest of 1 orange
- Kosher salt
- Slow Cooker Method
- Stovetop Method
Preparation
Slow Cooker Method
- Step 1
Put the cranberries into a 5- to 8-quart slow cooker. Scoop out about ¾ cup of the berries and finely chop. Set aside. Stir the sugar, port and half the orange zest into the slow cooker. Season with a generous pinch of salt. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- Step 2
Stir the cranberry sauce well and set the lid back on the slow cooker so there is a 1- to 2-inch gap, to allow for evaporation. Cook on high for another 1½ to 2 hours, stirring at least twice, taking care around the edges, until many of the berries have popped and the sauce has thickened and is syrupy. Stir in the reserved chopped cranberries and the remaining orange zest. Spoon the cranberry sauce into a serving bowl, cover, and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Stovetop Method
- Step 3
Put the cranberries into a medium saucepan. Scoop out about ¾ cup of the berries and finely chop. Set aside. Add the sugar, port and half the orange zest into the pan, and stir. Season with a generous pinch of salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until many of the berries have popped and the sauce has thickened and is jammy and syrupy, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the reserved chopped cranberries and the remaining orange zest. Spoon into a serving bowl, cover, and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Private Notes
Comments
It was quite booze-y with the port. I did it again without, and much prefer it that way. It's a nice, easy option for prepping cranberry sauce without taking over a burner on the stove-top. The third time I made this (for Christmas), I mixed chopped apple (2 apples, 1 inch pieces) with the cranberries and used maple syrup and a cinnamon stick - voila! it was perfect.
I liked the consistency of these berries a lot! Used a pot w/ lid in oven v crock-pot for less time. Already had oven on to roast chickens and veggies anyway — be energy efficient and fill it up! The cranberry flavor mellowed and turned them into a thick, delicious compote. Since I don’t care for overly-boozy cranberry sauce, for liquid I mixed med dry red wine w/ orange juice. Along with the chopped uncooked berries, I like to toss in some dried cranberries too.
MOST excellent. Needs several hours in the slow cooker to gel and I cut back some on the sugar, but the combination of sweet/sour/port is really good!
Third year making it and I think it was my best one yet. Did 1c sugar and added juice from 1/4 of the (navel) orange (kept everything else the same). I’ve always done the stovetop method and this year especially it came together very quickly.
We’ve made this several times, as written, slow cooker method. Easy with great results, it is in demand by our adult children and their families at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Give it a go.
I agree it’s nice to have this happening in a slow cooker. Since the volume of liquid is quite small and evaporates over the 1 1/2 hours(!) with the lid off, it’s pretty thick and not as pretty as some jammier recipes, but very delicious. I didn’t taste even a hint of booze, as others have commented. After 3 hours total cooking I don’t know how that would be possible, but maybe I’m just overly accustomed to the taste of alcohol. ;-) will see how teetotaling relatives at thanksgiving like it