Slow Cooker Honey-Soy Braised Pork With Lime and Ginger

By Sarah DiGregorio

Updated March 5, 2020

  • Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
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Total Time
8 hours 20 minutes
Rating
4(4,504)
Comments
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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 4 pounds boneless, skinless pork shoulder, trimmed of big hunks of fat and cut in half

  • 8 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

  • 3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger (from one 3-inch piece)

  • 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more to taste

  • 2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest and 2 tablespoons juice (from 1 lime), plus more lime wedges for serving

  • 1 cup tamari or low-sodium soy sauce (see Tip)

  • 1 cup honey

  • 1 tablespoon 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 (6 to 8 servings)

48 grams carbs; 141 milligrams cholesterol; 695 calories; 17 grams monosaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 39 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 1286 milligrams sodium; 39 grams protein; 36 grams sugar

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

  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. 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.

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.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
4,504 user ratings
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Comments

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).

shell

The sesame oil should be added after cooking (at the end) or it turns bitter.

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.

Lo

Worked great with pork loin instead of pork shoulder. I would reduce the cooking time to more like 6-7 hours if using loin again; 8 hours was still delicious but slightly on the dry side.

Lo

Wow, delicious! My whole family including my picky toddler loved this. We served over rice with scallion, cilantro, quick pickled carrot and radish, cucumber, and sliced cabbage for something resembling a banh mi bowl. This recipe is more work than our usual weekday slow cooker recipes, but worth it. If I were to make it on a weekday, I'd prep ingredients the night before. The sauce will easily simmer down in the evening while preparing rice or noodles and any toppings.

Chrissie

Made this according to the recipe and it was fantastic. A huge hit with the whole family. Served it with jasmine rice, steamed broccoli, and a cold asian cucumber salad. Delicious!

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