Crocked Pork Roast with Cherry Glaze

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I know I'm about to walk into a mine field, but it really can't be helped. Hopefully, I can navigate the terrain without unduly offending either lovers or haters of the crock-pot. While I'm a centrist, I intend to honestly report the results of the recipes I've been testing. Some were good, others were not. All were recipes developed by professional cooks or food writers. I have, in other entries, spoken of the yin yang relationship I have with the crock-pot or slow cooker. I love its set it and forget it functionality, but I have serious problems with the texture and flavor of the meat it produces. I think most recipes written for the crock-pot produce protein that is dreadfully overdone and strangely flavorless if it's not buried under a ton of sauce or gravy. To overcome these problems, particularly in competition recipes, I season meat or poultry the night before it is to be cooked and brown it before it goes into the pot. I also reduce cooking time and rely on a meat thermometer to indicate doneness. Crocked Pork Roast with Cherry Glaze is a recipe that comes from a book I was given during the holiday. It was the cover feature and I selected it thinking that the only the best recipe would be selected to grace that spot. I made the recipe exactly as directed and I was not happy with the results. The dish bears no resemblance to the pork roast shown on the cover of the book. I think that's deceptive, pure and simple. The book cost someone $35 and the finished dish cost $16 to make and when I factored in my time I was really bent out of shape. Cooked as instructed , the roast falls apart when lifted from the pot and the sweet and sour sauce used to braise the meat is too sweet to use for anything other than light glazing. This was clearly a miss. I made it a second time so I would have pictures to show you. I cut the cooking time and sauce ingredients in half and had better, though not perfect, results. This dish was a strike-out for me. I didn't care for it, but because some of my tasters thought it was delicious, I'm including it here. Here's the recipe.

Crocked Pork Roast with Cherry Glaze...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker: Recipes for Entertaining

Ingredients:
One 3 1/2 to 4 pound rolled boneless pork loin roast
3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
4 fresh sage leaves
3 cloves garlic, quartered
2 medium-size yellow onions, sliced
One 12-ounce jar tart cherry preserves
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup slivered almonds

Directions:
1) Remove string from pork roast and trim any visible fat. Sprinkle evenly with chopped parsley, rosemary, and thyme; lay sage leaves on top. Roll up and tie at 2-inch intervals with heavy string. Pierce roast all over with tip of a paring knife and insert slivers of garlic. Spray inside of crock with nonstick cooking spray and place onions on bottom. Place roast on top of onions. Coat with a few blasts of cooking spray. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours.
2) Combine preserves, honey, vinegar, cloves, cinnamon, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add almonds. Pour glaze over pork roast, reduce heat setting to LOW, cover, and cook for another 6 hours, until meat is tender when pierced with tip of a knife and an instant-read thermometer registers about 160 degrees.
3) Transfer to a platter, cover with aluminum foil, and let stand for 10 minutes before
removing string and carving into thick slices. Serve with crock juices spooned
over the top.

FROM: Not Your Motherʼs Slow Cooker Recipes for Entertaining

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Creamy Italian Crock Pot Chicken - Meals 4 Moms
Slow Cooked Sweet Barbacoa Pork - Gina's Skinny Recipes
Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings - The Southern Bite
Corn Chowder in the Slow Cooker - Real Mom Kitchen
Amy's Slow Cooked Pot Roast - Very Culinary Blog
Potato and Olive Chicken - The Brunette Foodie
Smothered Pork Chops in the Crockpot - Annie Bakes
Sausage and Bean Stew (Crock Pot) - 400 Calories or Less