Braised Pork Roast with Port and Prunes

[wendelah1]

I made this a couple of days ago, served with boiled new potatoes and steamed carrots. My family loved it. Makes 8 servings. I used the recipe from Lora Brody's Slow Cooker Cooking, but substituted a cheaper cut of pork.


Prep time: 35-40 minutes

Spice rub:
1 ½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard (I was out of it so I used a tablespoon of prepared mustard and mixed it into the liquids)
1 tsp dry rubbed sage
½ tsp dry thyme

1 (4 lb) boneless pork loin (I used a pork shoulder)

Remaining ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups sliced onion (about 2 medium)
1 cup finely chopped leek (about one large)
1 cup finely chopped carrot (1 large)
1 cup port
¾ cup chicken broth
¾ cup pitted prunes (approx. 8 oz.)
2 bay leaves

Preheat oven to 325 Degrees. Prepare spice rub: combine first 5 ingredients. Trim fat from pork loin, rub surface of the roast with spice rub. Secure at 2 inch intervals with heavy string.(I didn't do this but if you want to slice your roast, this will keep it together.) Heat oil in a large Dutch oven, over medium heat. Add pork, cook 10-15 minutes browning on all sides. Remove from pan. Add onion, leek and carrot. Reduce heat and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in wine and broth. Scrape pan to loosen browned bits. Transfer to slow cooker insert. Place roast on top of the vegetables. Add prunes and bay leaves.

Cover and cook on high for 5-8 hours, until the meat is tender. (I cut my roast into two pieces before placing it into the insert and cooked it for six hours.) Discard bay leaves. Place pork on a platter, cover with foil. Scoop 8-10 prunes plus some of the cooking liquid into a blender; process until smooth, return to the pan and incorporate with port mixture. Slice pork and serve with sauce.