Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin with Garlic and Red Wine

Guess you could say I love my slow cooker with how often I use this kitchen appliance! Some weeks, I’ll use it two or three times, then for a few weeks it will sit in the kitchen cupboard. Then I get inspired or, the more likely scenario is that it’s a busy week and my afternoons are full of other things, so the slow cooker comes to the rescue to have a nourishing, delicious meal waiting at the end of that busy day.

This recipe uses Pork tenderloin - a lean red meat - and doesn’t need a long time to cook, under 5 hours on low. The ‘au jus’ sauce is rich and delicious! Enjoy!

Pork is high in protein and is a rich source of the minerals thiamine (a B vitamin that supports numerous functions in the body), selenium (a mineral that plays a key role in metabolism), zinc and B12 (both play an important part in the support of healthy brain function). Cuts such as the tenderloin (also called the filet) are leaner than other cuts of pork but overall, pork is a leaner meat than other kinds of red meat.

As always, when you make this recipe, I would love to see your creation so please post a photo of your Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin with Garlic and Red Wine goodness and tag my IG account #RenataCollective or leave a comment with your thoughts!

Prep Time: 15 minutes / Cook time: 4½ hours on Low / Servings: 3-4

Ingredients

1 Large (or 2 Small) Pork Tenderloin – trimmed of visible fat and the silver skin
1/3 cup Onion Soup Mix – Alternate: 1 envelope commercial onion soup mix.
1 Cup Water
½ Cup Red Wine
7 Cloves Garlic - sliced and set aside for 10 minutes to create its powerful nutritional magic
3 Tablespoons Tamari
1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
A pinch of Herbed Seasoned Sea Salt or Plain Sea Salt
Grinds of Fresh Black Pepper

How It’s Made

Prepare your Slowcooker by spraying some olive oil on the bottom and up the sides of the pot. Sprinkle some garlic powder on the bottom of the pot.
Trim the tenderloin of visible fat and the silver skin. That silver skin is connective tissue and will not melt like fat will, it will shrink when cooking, twisting the tenderloin and it is tough to eat when cooked. To remove this, I slip a sharp knife under the silver skin and slide the knife down the length of the tenderloin to cut the silver skin as close to the tenderloin as possible to cut away just the silver skin and as little of the meat as I can.
Put the tenderloin in the slow cooker. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the onion soup mix and set aside.
Sprinkle the rest of the onion soup mix over the tenderloin.
Whisk the red wine, water, tamari, rice vinegar, sesame oil and a generous pinch of herbed seasoned sea salt together and pour it of the tenderloin.
Turn the tenderloin to make sure it is covered in sauce.
Sprinkle the reserved 1 tablespoon onion soup mix on top.
Top the tenderloin with the sliced garlic.
Spoon some sauce over top.
Add some generous grinds of fresh black pepper on top.
Cover the slow cooker and cook for 4 1/2 hours on low. Check the meat after this time – it should register 145°F degrees when done. If it’s not done yet, cover the slow cooker again and cook for another half hour and check again.
When it is done, remove the tenderloin from the slow cooker, slice and plate. Serve with a small dish of the jus to dunk the tenderloin in, or with a side that will soak up the delicious sauce you will spoon over. Spinach gnocchi is in the photo. And a side salad. A great flavour combo of the tenderloin with the sauce it slow roasted in, the spinach and the crisp greens!