Crockpot Cuban Style Pork Tenderloin
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Slowly cooked to tender perfection in a delicious sauce composed of zesty citrus, savory soy sauce, fresh garlic, and herby oregano, this incredible Crockpot Cuban Style Pork Tenderloin is bursting with flavor! It’s an unbelievably good weeknight meal that is ridiculously easy to make!
Easy Crockpot Cuban Style Pork Tenderloin
I know I’ve mentioned my love of cooking pork! Yet, then there is pork slowly cooked in the crockpot, which I think I love even more because it’s just so darn easy and comes out perfect every time. Some of my favorites are my Crockpot Pork Carnitas and Crockpot Pork Loin Roast. But this crockpot Cuban style pork tenderloin recipe is right up there too! It’s just as good and even easier to make!
In fact, this recipe is so easy you won’t believe it! It seriously took me under 5 minutes to toss everything into the crockpot and turn it on. Then I just walked away and let the slow cooker do its magic. No standing over a stove, flipping, searing, or attention needed. This recipe is truly effortless.
And aside from the recipe being super easy peasy, it’s incredibly good! The sauce, which is a mixture of orange juice, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, and soy sauce transforms the tenderloin into something impressive. These ingredients blend together perfectly to create classic Cuban flavor. Because if you didn’t know, soy sauce is pretty much a staple in most Cuban kitchens these days after it was introduced by Chinese immigrants. The Cuban people realized that the umami powers in the soy sauce only made their meat dishes taste even better!
Why You’ll Love This Cuban Style Pork Tenderloin
- Effortless Recipe! This tasty simple pork recipe only requires a few basic ingredients and the crockpot does all of the hard work for you leaving you with very little cleanup.
- Classic Cuban Pork! The tenderloin is slowly infused with citrus, soy sauce, garlic, and oregano which are all classic Cuban ingredients that make the pork extra tender and super flavorful.
- Easy Weeknight Dinner! You can whip this recipe together in just 5 minutes! Then turn the crockpot on and return to a ready to eat main course in just about 4 hours.
- Pork Tenderloin – I used 2 tenderloins that were each about one pound.
- Orange Juice – Adds a bit of sweetness and flavor to the pork. You can use the orange zest too if you like.
- Lemon Juice – The touch of acid blends well with the soy sauce to create an addictively good umami flavor.
- Chicken Broth – I prefer to use low-sodium or no sodium added chicken broth to control the level of salt. You can also use vegetable broth if you prefer.
- Soy Sauce – I always use low-sodium soy sauce. I do this to prevent the dish from becoming too salty. However, regular soy sauce will work too as well as gluten-free tamari.
- Garlic – Always use fresh minced garlic cloves for the most intense flavor.
- Oregano – A popular herb in Cuban cuisine that infuses loads of flavor.
- Salt – All meat dishes need a bit of salt to bring out all the natural flavors.
- Black Pepper – Use freshly ground black pepper if you have it on hand.
- Unsalted Butter – Always use unsalted butter unless a recipe states otherwise. This will help to control the level of added salt.
- Flour – A bit of simple all-purpose flour is needed to thicken the gravy.
Talk about tossing everything into a pot and walking away! That’s exactly all you need to do to make this recipe. Just make sure to use fresh juice and garlic for the best results.
To begin, remove any excess fat or silverskin from the tenderloins if needed. Then place them in the crockpot and move on to the next step.
Next, make the sauce that will infuse the tenderloins with flavor as they cook. To do this, whisk all the remaining tenderloin ingredients together in a medium bowl. Then pour the marinade cooking sauce over the tenderloins in the crockpot making sure that both tenderloins are fully coated.
Now that everything is in the crockpot, it’s time to start slow cooking! Put the lid on the crockpot and then cook the pork on low for 5 to 6 hours or high for 3 and a half hours. Then you can go about your day and let the crockpot do all the work.
When the pork is done, strain the remaining sauce that is left in the crockpot. Then melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Next, add about ½ cup of the strained sauce and the flour to the pot while whisking quickly. Now, continue whisking often for about 3 minutes or until the gravy thickens. Then taste for salt and season if needed.
Once the gravy is made, slice the Cuban style pork tenderloin and then transfer it to your platter of choice. Then pour the gravy over the meat and serve it immediately with some rice and black beans if you like.
What Temperature Should Pork Be Cooked To?
It used to be that, like chicken, pork needed to be cooked to 165°F (74°C). However, new food safety guidelines say that pork only needs to reach 145°F (63°C) for it to be safe to eat. Using a digital instant-read thermometer is the most accurate way to test your pork.
How Do You Keep Pork Tenderloin From Getting Tough?
The key to juicy and tender Cuban style pork tenderloin is salt and moisture. The salt helps to break down the protein fibers, which allows the pork to retain more moisture and stay tender.
Expert Tips
- Watch the salt. Because the soy sauce is salty as well as the chicken broth you don’t need to add too much salt to the sauce mixture.
- Keep the pork warm. Some slow cookers have timers which are really helpful. Yet, for food safety make sure your pork doesn’t stay in the crockpot too long once it’s done cooking.
- Make it spicy. Cuban food tends to be less spicy. But you can easily add some heat to the pork if you like by adding a sliced jalapeno in with the sauce.
Storage
Cuban style pork tenderloin leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months in an airtight container or sealed freezer bag.
To reheat, simply put the sliced pork covered with a damp paper towel in the microwave for about 3 minutes on medium power. You can also reheat it on a sheet pan in the oven at 350°F (176°C) for about 10 minutes. However, if it’s frozen, you will want to let the Cuban pork tenderloin thaw out in the fridge overnight before reheating it the next day.
Other Delicious Crockpot Recipes To Try
- Crockpot Beef Stew
- Crockpot Pork Loin Roast
- Slow Cooker Short Ribs
- Crockpot Pork Carnitas
- Crockpot Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
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Crockpot Cuban Style Pork Tenderloin
Video
Ingredients
For Crockpot Cuban Style Pork Tenderloin
- 2 pounds pork tenderloin (2 tenderloins about 1 pound each)
- ¾ cup orange juice
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth, low sodium or no sodium added)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 5 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper ( to taste)
For Gravy
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Place the pork tenderloins in your crockpot.
- Combine the orange juice, lemon juice, chicken broth, soy sauce, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper in a bowl and pour this sauce over the tenderloins in the crockpot.
- Set the crockpot on high and cook for 3½ hours or on low for 5 to 6 hours.
- To make the gravy strain the remaining sauce. In a small sauce pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add about ½ cup of the sauce and the flour. Quickly whisk and after the sauce thickens, add the remaining sauce, whisk and cook for about 3 minutes.
- Serve the pork tenderloin with gravy and a side of mashed potatoes.
Equipment
Notes
- Watch the salt. Because the soy sauce is salty as well as the chicken broth you don’t need to add too much salt to the sauce mixture.
- Keep the pork warm. Some slow cookers have timers which are really helpful. Yet, for food safety make sure your pork doesn’t stay in the crockpot too long once it’s done cooking.
- Make it spicy. Cuban food tends to be less spicy. But you can easily add some heat to the pork if you like by adding a sliced jalapeno in with the sauce.
- Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months in an airtight container or sealed freezer bag.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
