A few simple ingredients make for a standout meal with my Slow Cooker Apple Butter Glazed Pork Tenderloin served over cheesy grits with a side of bacon.
This is my land-locked, Midwestern version of a Southern classic. I have had some pretty stellar shrimp and grits on my family’s Florida vacations over the years. But I pretty much save that dish for when I’m near the water. When I’m in Ohio I like to buy local and choose Ohio pork for our dinners. With that in mind I decided that pork and grits needs to be a thing here in my Ohio home.
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
Pork tenderloin absorbs whatever flavors you add to it so well. It’s a very lean cut of pork but it cooks up juicy and tender every time in the slow cooker with very minimal effort.
To pair with my cheesy grits and bacon I decided apple butter should be the star ingredient of my glaze. The dry rub that goes on first has just five ingredients and then the pork is smothered with a mix of apple butter, apple cider vinegar and a little whole grain mustard.
The flavor in this dish is superb with a lovely balance of sweetness from the apple butter and salt from the cheddar and bacon.
Tips for Slow Cooker Apple Butter Glazed Pork Tenderloin:
- I use a 6-quart slow cooker similar to this one for my slow cooker recipes.
- Click HERE to find the recipe for cheesy grits to serve with this slow cooker pork tenderloin.
- You don’t have to serve bacon on the side, but why wouldn’t you?
- Click HERE to find the best way to cook your bacon.
Foodtastic Mom is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Any highlighted, clickable Amazon link you see is an affiliate link that I may earn advertising fees on.
Thank you so much for being a faithful reader and supporter of Foodtastic Mom. Be sure to PIN and print this recipe!
Slow Cooker Apple Butter Glazed Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pork tenderloin
- 1 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 3/4 cup apple butter
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp whole grain mustard
Instructions
- Mix together the brown sugar, salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder and thyme and rub it on all sides of the pork tenderloin. Place the tenderloin in the slow cooker.
- Whisk together the apple butter, apple cider vinegar and mustard. Pour evenly over the pork.
- Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook the pork on LOW (6 - 8 hours) or HIGH (3 - 4 hours). Shred the meat before serving.
- Serve the pork with cheesy grits and bacon.
Nutrition
More recipes with Ohio Pork:
SHERRI LYNN ARNETT says
We don’t eat mustard, it would be a waste to buy it for only a tablespoon. Is there anything else I could use or would it affect the recipe if I left it out?
foodtasticmom says
You can just leave it out. Or sub Worcestershire sauce.
castle says
This Slow Cooker Apple Butter Glazed Pork Tenderloin looks absolutely delicious! I love the combination of sweet and savory flavors, and using the slow cooker makes it so easy. Can’t wait to try this recipe for my next family dinner! Thanks for sharing!
Georgia says
This is such a simple and amazing recipe! The whole family loves it and requests it often! We just love it ❤️
foodtasticmom says
I’m so happy to hear this! Thanks for taking the time to rate and review my recipe.
Erin says
Is there an alternative to apple butter or is it ok to leave it out? I don’t think they sell it at our grocery stores
foodtasticmom says
You can leave it out or you could substitute it with cinnamon apple sauce. I’ve noticed that apple butter has been harder to find at my own Kroger and I’m not sure why.
Gerelyn says
Awesome
foodtasticmom says
Thank you!
Susan says
Delicious! Even hubbywho us picky about his pork roast loved it!
foodtasticmom says
Yay! Love when I can make picky eaters happy with one of my recipes.
SHEREE LE GRO says
Did you sweetened apple butter or unsweetened apple butter?
foodtasticmom says
Sweetened. I used store bought. I’ve not ever seen unsweetened apple butter in stores.
Kristen says
How much mustard does this recipe call for? It just says t Tbsp in the recipe. Thanks!
foodtasticmom says
Thank for catching this error for me. I have corrected it. The recipe uses one tablespoon of mustard.
Donna says
I’m going to make this, but I want to make sure about the pork.
You’re talking about the package of 2 skinny oork tenderloins
which is about 2 lbs NOT a pork loin roast, correct? 6-8 hours for pork
tenderloins seems like a long time which was why I was asking. Thanks.
foodtasticmom says
This is a great question! When I tested the recipe, I did use pork tenderloin. But I can’t always find those at the store. And so you could use 2 – 3 pounds of pork loin instead.
Slow cookers can vary, just like ovens. My slow cooker on low power cooked the 2 pounds of pork tenderloin in about 6 hours. I like mine to shred easily and I don’t mind if there’s some browned bits here and there.
That being said, if your slow cooker runs on the hotter side, your pork tenderloin may be ready sooner. By all means, check after 4 hours and it might be cooked to your liking.
Hope that helps. Enjoy!
Donna says
Thank you for responding so quickly. And yes the answers were helpful.
foodtasticmom says
Oh good! You’re welcome!!
Donna says
one more question–hopefully you’ll see this in the next hour. LOL Have you ever seared the pork before putting it in the crockpot? I was going to do the dry rub, then sear in a skillet.
Thanks
foodtasticmom says
So sorry I didn’t see this in time. Sounds like you really enjoyed the pork. I’m always an advocate for anyone to change up my recipes as they see fit. And yes, I do sometimes sear meat before adding it to the Crock-Pot. Usually these days I don’t because I’m short on time, or I’m just lazy. lol
Donna says
I made this today and it is GREAT!!! I took a picture of it, but I don’t know how to get it on here. It’s on my personal FB page.
I did sear the tenderloins for just a couple of minutes each then proceeded with the recipe. It’s a keeper!!!!
foodtasticmom says
So happy to hear this! If you go on your FB page and in the comments add @foodtasticmom – I should be able to see it. I love when readers share pictures of what they made with me. Thank you!