Four Pound Pork Loin..Crock Pot??

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Lifer
Jul 16, 2001
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I was thinking of cooking it in a crock pot or cutting it up into one pound chunks for freezing then cooking the one pounders in the 1000 watt microwave..any thoughts on this dilemma??
 

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
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Crock pot. Put roast in crock pot with salt and pepper (herbs optional), no water. Cook until done. Enjoy wonderful pork roast.

Microwave pork roast on medium for twenty minutes. Throw away pork roast and eat the oven; they'll taste the same anyway.
 
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pete6032

Diamond Member
Dec 3, 2010
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Microwave or Crock Pot? I would not microwave. Crock pot or Pressure Cooker is best. How fatty is the cut? You could also try baking it. If there is some good fat on it you could make pulled pork with it.
 
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deadlyapp

Diamond Member
Apr 25, 2004
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I do 4-6lb pork tenderloins regularly in the crock pot or instant pot. Get's to a nice shredded consistency and renders off a lot of the fat usually.
 
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IGBT

Lifer
Jul 16, 2001
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If I crock pot it...can I cut it up in 4 or 5 chunks and freeze them / warm them up in the micro as needed??
 

BurnItDwn

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
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Crock pot is for sure the better option! Can be nice and tender and delicious! Will take a long time, but, its fairly low effort to throw it in the crock pot and then check it in like 8-12 hours.

After its cooked you can divide it however you would like. i would recommend shredding it for pulled pork or slicing it before freezing it!!!

(a big solid chunk will be hard to thaw/reheat unless you thaw in fridge for 24+ hours) Microwave is terribad for cooking, can be used for reheating, but, won't reheat very evenly.
 

Mermaidman

Diamond Member
Sep 4, 2003
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I wouldn’t.
Loin is tender enough to cook medium. If you have air fryer, you can drizzle oil on the pork and cook it for a short while at max heat. Err on the side of undercooking.
 

sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
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I do 4-6lb pork tenderloins regularly in the crock pot or instant pot. Get's to a nice shredded consistency and renders off a lot of the fat usually.


Eh? Why would you need to cook tenderloin in crockpot or IP? It's tender enough to just pan fry or grill. And if it is tenderloin it is not 4-6lb.
 

nOOky

Platinum Member
Aug 17, 2004
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Honestly any roast in the crock pot has to be timed very carefully. If you place a roast in the crock pot by itself and a bit of seasoning, you'll end up with a chunk of dry meat surrounded by the juice that used to be in it. You can slice a pork loin up and freeze individual small pieces if you don't want to cook it all. Pork is touchy, overcook it a tiny bit and then reheat it and it's nasty dry meat. I always undercook it these days, it can be pink in the center as the risk of salmonella/trichinosis is almost non-existent in reality. IMHO pork needs fat to be good, or it needs quick searing, good seasoning, and olive oil or something to give it a nice crust.
 
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IGBT

Lifer
Jul 16, 2001
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Great suggestions here...I think we need a "Cooking Fourm"...or is there one already??
 

deadlyapp

Diamond Member
Apr 25, 2004
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Eh? Why would you need to cook tenderloin in crockpot or IP? It's tender enough to just pan fry or grill. And if it is tenderloin it is not 4-6lb.
Yes the individual tenderloins are less, but I cook 2-4 of them at once (costco packs). I could pan fry or grill but crockpot / instant pot is a set and forget for me and I like shredded pork.
 

quikah

Diamond Member
Apr 7, 2003
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Yes the individual tenderloins are less, but I cook 2-4 of them at once (costco packs). I could pan fry or grill but crockpot / instant pot is a set and forget for me and I like shredded pork.

If you like shredded pork use butt or shoulder. Tenderloin is really not the right cut for that. Usually cheaper than tenderloin.

I get small boneless butt cuts (~2lbs, whole ones are too huge for my family). Brine overnight in salt/brown sugar solution. Throw in a dutch oven, then into the oven @275 for 3-4 hours (season with cumin, black pepper, paprika). Better to smoke it, but I don't have time/equipment for that. I am sure there is an instant pot recipe you can use also.
 
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sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
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Yes the individual tenderloins are less, but I cook 2-4 of them at once (costco packs). I could pan fry or grill but crockpot / instant pot is a set and forget for me and I like shredded pork.


Tenderloin is very lean. You need fat for shredded pork.
 

quikah

Diamond Member
Apr 7, 2003
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OP, you have the whole loin? There are actually 3 different parts to a loin with multiple ways to cook each part. (I find Joshua Weissman kind of obnoxious, but the info is good)
 
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deadlyapp

Diamond Member
Apr 25, 2004
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Tenderloin is very lean. You need fat for shredded pork.
You can still shred tenderloin, it's just stringier. I enjoy fatty shredded pork also but prefer leaner meats day to day. That's why I buy tenderloin over a butt or shoulder any given day.
 
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ElFenix

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Mar 20, 2000
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OP, you have the whole loin? There are actually 3 different parts to a loin with multiple ways to cook each part. (I find Joshua Weissman kind of obnoxious, but the info is good)
papa no kiss