Spicy Pineapple Pork Butt Roast

This delicious sweet and savory dish is sure to become a new family favorite. Here,fresh pineapple and spicy jalapeno are paired with toasted sesame oil,five-spice powder, creamy peanut butter, and fresh cilantro for a rich andflavorful combination.

 

As written, this recipe contains a couple of extra steps youcan skip if you are short on time. To make this a truly one-pot meal, simplyplace the well-trimmed and seasoned pork butt roast directly into your slowcooker without searing. In addition, the juices can be thickened right in theslow cooker crock by stirring in the arrowroot slurry with the otheringredients 30 minutes before it is done cooking.

 

ImportantTip: Trim as much excess fat as possible from the pork buttroast prior to cooking. This will greatly reduce the amount of fat that ends upin the very flavorful juices/sauce.

 

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 3-8 hours

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

1 small yellow onion, diced

16-oz. fresh pineapple, cut into 1” chunks

¼ c. gluten-free soy sauce*

2 t. rice wine vinegar

1 T. honey

1 T. sesame oil

2-3 cloves fresh garlic, minced

2 t. five-spice powder

1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1” chunks

1 medium jalapeno pepper, finely diced

2 T. natural, creamy peanut butter

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 4-5 lb. pork shoulder butt roast, trimmed Salt and black pepper, to taste ¼ c. fresh pineapple juice

3 T. fresh cilantro, chopped

Optional: 2 T. arrowroot

 

Directions:

1.   Add onion, fresh pineapple chunks, soysauce (*can substitute coconut aminos), rice wine vinegar, honey, sesame oil,garlic, five-spice powder, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, and peanut butter to a5 or 6-quart slow cooker crock. Stir to combine thoroughly.

2.   Heat olive oil in a large skillet overmedium-high heat. Season trimmed pork roast on all sides with salt and pepper,to taste. Add to hot skillet and sear on all sides, approximately 2-3 minutesper side. Transfer seared pork to slow cooker crock.

3.   Reduce heat to medium and deglazeskillet with fresh pineapple juice. Use a spatula to scrape up flavorful brownbits from bottom of pan. Remove from heat and pour pan juices into the slowcooker.

 

4.   Cover and cook over high heat for 3-4hours or low for 6-8. When finished, stir in fresh cilantro and transfer porkand pineapple mixture to a serving platter with a slotted spoon. Cover and keepwarm.

5.   Optional: Ifdesired, create a slurry by combining 2 tablespoons arrowroot and ¼ cup ofjuices from the slow cooker. Transfer remaining juices from the slow cooker toa large skillet over medium-high heat and whisk in the arrowroot slurry untilwell combined. Cook for several minutes or until sauce is reduced and thickened.

6.   To serve, spoon warm pork and pineapplemixture over a bed of cooked brown or cilantro-limerice. Top with the juices or thickened sauce, if desired, and enjoy!

 

*Note to publisher: Bonus recipes for the cilantro-lime riceand sauce are included in this package.