I planned to have one for dinner on Saturday night and wanted a new recipe. I did a search and found a recipe I decided to try at Recipe.com. The challenge was that it was a slow cooker recipe. Hubby and I are not particularly fond of beef or pork cooked in the slow cooker. I do have a recipe or two that I like: but for the most part, slow cooked meat is too overdone for us. I was, therefor, a little concerned about making this recipe. I thought that the recipe sounded good so I forged ahead. It turns out that this one is a Keeper. Hubby said it was very good, and I will make it often.
The directions called for cooking the pork 9 to 10 hours on low or 4 1/2 to 5 hours on high. Because I got a late start, I cooked my roast on high. It weighed almost 4 lbs. and was done in 3 1/2 hours. I didn’t have the rest of dinner ready, so I turned the slow cooker down to low, and it did cook another hour. I should have turned the slow cooker to the warm setting, but I forgot I have that available.
The recipe calls for cream cheese, cream of chicken soup and ranch dressing mix. Commercial products or homemade products can be used. I prefer the homemade substitutes, but I am not a purist, and do keep the commercial products on hand. This time I used them. I used a pork seasoning salt when I browned the meat hoping to give the pork more flavor. This addition made the sauce/gravy a little too salty tasting for me so next time I will leave that out and also use low-sodium soup if I use commercial soup.
The recipe calls for red potatoes to be added and cooked with the pork. I am sure that this makes a nice, almost one-dish meal. I chose to make mashed potatoes instead. I also served green beans with bacon and pickled beets.
There are a number of recipes for homemade ranch dressing mix on the net. Here is one that I use that came from a Gooseberry Patch Cookbook, Gifts for Giving.
Ranch Dip and Dressing Mix
Gooseberry Patch, Gifts for Giving
2 t. celery salt
2 t. garlic powder
3 T. dried minced onion
2 t. pepper
2 t. sugar
2 1/2 t. paprika
2 1/2 t. dried parsley
Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container. Makes 1/2 cup mix.
For Dip: Blend 1 T. mix with 1 c. sour cream. Chill in refrigerator at least one hour before serving.
For Dressing: Blend 1 T. mix with 1 c. mayonnaise and 1 c. buttermilk. Chill in refrigerator at least one hour before serving.
Slow Cooker Ranch Pork Roast
from Better Homes and Gardens
1 (2 1/2 to 3 lb.) boneless pork shoulder roast (mine was bone-in and almost 4 lb.)
1 lb. small new red skinned potatoes, halved
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened (I used low fat)
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup (I would use low sodium)
1 envelope dry ranch dressing mix
freshly ground black pepper (opt.)
Trim excess fat from roast. Spray a skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Heat skillet, add roast and brown well on all sides. Place potatoes in the bottom of a 3 1/2 to 4 qt. slow cooker. Place roast on top of potatoes. Combine cream cheese, soup, and dressing mix. Spoon mixture on top of the roast. Cover and cook on low 9 to 10 hours or on high 4 1/2 to 5 hours. Remove pork and potatoes to a serving platter. Pour sauce/gravy into a container to spoon over the roast. Garnish roast and potatoes with freshly ground pepper if desired. Makes 6 servings.
Linking to: Hunk of Meat Monday
Mingle Monday
Mangia Monday
Newbie Party
Made by You Monday
Melt in Your Mouth Monday
A Marvelous Mess
Making Monday Marvelous
Homemaker Monday
What Makes You Say Mmmmm?
No comments:
Post a Comment