Slow Cooker Honey-Soy Braised Pork With Lime and Ginger
Updated March 6, 2020
- Total Time
- 8 hours 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
- 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
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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Preparation
- 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.)
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Private Notes
Comments
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).
The sesame oil should be added after cooking (at the end) or it turns bitter.
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.
Followed the recipe to a t. 4lb pork roast in the crockpot 8 hours. Flipped at 4 hours (hubbys job I was at work. ) Totally burnt ....... when I arrived home. Inside was edible. Couldn't even dream of making a sauce.... so burned. Use my crockpot all the time, this has never happened!! Preparation took 30 min not 5. I'd rate this recipe poorly .....
11/08/2025 Very good. I used bone-in shoulder butt and it was fine. As always, recipes’ estimates for this kind of sauce reduction wildly underestimate how long it wil take to get to “syrupy”. Took almost an hour at a rapid boil over high heat. But it was delicious. This will be great for tacos.
This was very good. Extremely tender meat. The sauce was intense nearly to the point of being bitter. Might sub some brown sugar for some of the honey as others suggested. What mellowed it out was that I *happened* to have ginger infused maple syrup. That was a delicious and fortuitous addition. No need to reduce the sauce, which would have made it overpowering. We shredded the pork, defatted the sauce, and let the pork sit in the yummy juices until gently reheated. I debated about adding a splash of balsamic vinegar until I found the ginger infused maple syrup.