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Bourbon Brown Sugar Pork Loin Roast | Slow Cooker Recipe

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July 22, 2015 By Ann-Marie 32 Comments

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A slow cooker pork recipe to impress! Perfectly roasted pork loin with a bourbon brown sugar glaze.
Sometimes you might need a recipe to impress, where you’re willing to take a few extra steps to make it just right. Enter this slow cooker pork recipe for Bourbon Brown Sugar Pork Loin Roast. It’s sweet & savory, with the perfect crispy coating from a two-minute optional broil.

Let’s Talk Pork

I was invited by Indiana’s Family of Farmers to tour the farm of Heather & Marc Hill, proud pork farmers for 4 generations.

Heather Hill proud pork mom

At the Hills’ farm, they raise corn, soybeans and wheat, but their main business is as pork farmers. A majority of their hogs are sold to Tyson Foods, but they also sell a small amount under their own private label, The Pork Shoppe, to two local farmers Marcets, an orchard and a food hub.

Something you may not know is that pork is actually more nutritious than chicken and other meat, with less fat and more protein. How does Heather prefer hers? In burger form! After I said I had never tried a pork burger, she promptly raided her mother-in-law’s freezer (shhh!) and handed over frozen pork burgers for my family to try. Thanks Heather!

Be sure to read more about my tour of the Hills’ farm right after the recipe, below. I even asked the tough questions.

Bourbon Brown Sugar Pork Loin Roast

I’ve been wanting to try more slow cooker recipes, especially in the summertime so I can avoid turning on the oven. Most recipes are no-fail – it’s really hard to mess anything up in the slow cooker. This pork loin roast recipe is no exception!

Where is a loin cut on a pig?It does have a couple of added steps, but they’re totally optional – if you’re pressed for time, or you just want to set-it-and-forget-it, by all means it will still be tender and delicious. But I *highly* recommend the extra effort – it will pay off with compliments and requests for seconds, even if just from your spouse & kids!

Heather recommended a pork loin as being one of the leanest cuts, very tender, and great for slow cooking. I bought a 6-lb pork loin, but because I was only feeding my family of 5, I asked the butcher to cut it in half and wrap separately. One half went straight into the freezer for another meal at another time!

Let’s get started!

First, start a skillet heating up on medium-high, and add 2 tbs of your favorite cooking oil. Then, make a rub with about 2 tsp Kosher salt and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Rub all over the pork.

Next, sear each side in a heavy skillet on medium-high heat, 1-2 minutes on each side until golden.

A slow cooker pork recipe to impress! Perfectly roasted pork loin with a bourbon brown sugar glaze.

Here’s the easy part: Place in slow cooker with 1/2 cup water, and cook for 5-6 hours on Low. {Safety tip: Fully cooked pork should be 145 degrees and no pink in the middle. Learn more about handling pork.}

Before the last hour, make the Bourbon Brown Sugar Glaze. You’ll need:

  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup bourbon (could replace with apple juice or balsamic vinegar)
  • 2-3 Tbs corn starch
  • 4 Tbs soy sauce

A slow cooker pork recipe to impress! Perfectly roasted pork loin with a bourbon brown sugar glaze.

Whisk together all ingredients in a small pot, heating until boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 3-4 minutes, until glaze thickens a bit (it will still be runny).

Baste pork loin 2-3 times during the last hour.

This next step is optional, but it’s where the carmelized goodness on the top of the pork comes from.

Heat broiler on high setting. Line a casserole dish with aluminum foil, and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Carefully remove roast from slow cooker and place into foil. Brush more Bourbon Brown Sugar Glaze on top and sides, and broil for 1-2 minutes (I set my oven timer, because I would totally get distracted and poof! goes dinner). Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes.

Because I’m a super-freak about the broiler, I checked it after 1 minute, popped it back in the oven for another 1 minute …

A slow cooker pork recipe to impress! Perfectly roasted pork loin with a bourbon brown sugar glaze.

Perfect!

I chose to slice mine, but it falls apart so easily you could pull the pork with a couple of forks and have on sandwiches. Drizzle a little more glaze on top before serving.

Rosemary Skillet Potatoes

As a complementary side dish, try Rosemary Skillet Potatoes!

Peel potatoes. A rule of thumb I use for roasted potatoes is one less than the number of people being served, so I used 4 for my family of 5. Of course, it also depends on the size and variety of potato; I used a Yukon Gold variety which explains why they’re so yellow!

When you’re cutting potatoes for skillet roasting, it’s good to have them fairly even-sized pieces for even cooking, and the thinner they are, the faster they’ll cook.

Place potatoes into a medium-sized bowl and drizzle about 2 Tbs of olive oil. Add maybe 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, and 1-2 tbs dried Rosemary. Toss to coat evenly.

Rosemary Skillet Potatoes pair nicely with Bourbon Brown Sugar Pork Loin Roast for a complete meat-and-potatoes meal!

Pour potatoes into skillet and cook on medium heat, stirring often to avoid sticking. Plan on about 15 minutes, give or take.

Place Bourbon Brown Sugar Pork Loin Roast onto a platter, and scatter Rosemary Skillet Potatoes around the roast.

Hope you enjoy these family-favorite recipes!

A slow cooker pork recipe to impress!  Perfectly roasted pork loin with a bourbon brown sugar glaze.

Before you go, you might also love to try my Slow Cooker Pork Tacos recipe:

Slow Cooker Pork Tacos

More on my Pork Farm Tour

Stalls vs Pens

I asked Heather about the controversy surrounding gestational pens vs individual stalls. There are, for sure, pro’s and con’s of each placement for gestation. The Hill’s farm uses both. On one hand, in individual stalls they’re not able to turn around; but when they’re nursing, the bars help to protect the piglets from mama pig laying on them. On the other hand; while pens do allow the sows to move around freely, Heather described how some sows are like “nasty girls in high school”. The boss sow won’t let others eat if she doesn’t want them to eat, and they fight (I saw a few in the pens with scratch marks). Individual stalls can provide protection, and the farmer can make sure they’re getting the exact amount of water and feed that they need. Marc agreed, and said there’s a hierarchy in every pen. If you mix the pigs up into different pens, they have to start the hierarachy battle over again. “There’s always one boss.”

Heather says, “I think it’s hard for me when someone hasn’t been to a farm, or they haven’t talked to a farmer, and they question if we’re doing what’s right for the animals. My husband wasn’t forced to be a farmer, it’s what he wanted to do.”

Hill Farms

Marc is the 4th generation to raise pigs in Hancock County, and Heather says the processes they have in place today are based on what they’ve learned through school, and what past generations have done. Marc’s parents raised pigs outside. and Heather’s grandfather raised pigs outside, but raising pigs outdoors in Indiana is “not fun.” Weather conditions and coyote predators are two reasons to keep pigs safe in climate-controlled barns.

When Pigs Get Sick

When your kids are sick, you follow your doctor’s orders, and sometimes that means medication. The same applies to farm animals. A lot of trust is placed into their veterinarian, and if he advises antibiotics are necessary, then they need to treat the pigs. To see “antibiotic-free” on a label in the grocery store is “interesting”, Heather says, because any meat (or milk) you buy at the grocery store is antibiotic-free because there are withdrawal periods to follow. When they go to market, it’s out of their system.

And if you wonder about artificial growth hormones – it’s illegal to use hormones in the production of pork or poultry. Period!

Heather Hill proud pork mom

Thanks to the Hill family

At the core of every farm is family, and as Heather states, “These people want to do what’s right, because it’s how their family makes a living, and it’s a part of who we are. It’s not just one day, ‘Oh, let’s raise pigs!’, it’s what our families have been doing for generations. You want to do it right to make those past generations proud.”

Thank you to Heather & Marc for showing me around your farm, answering my newbie, suburban-girl questions and being incredibly gracious in sharing life on your farm! Be sure to visit Heather’s take on my visit to her farm in this post about One Pot Spaghetti!

4.7 from 13 votes
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Bourbon Brown Sugar Pork Loin Roast | Slow Cooker Recipe

This Bourbon Brown Sugar Pork Loin Roast is a recipe to impress! Cook in a slow cooker, make a sweet & savory glaze to baste, and finish with a quick broil for a carmelized crust.
Course Main Course
Author Ann-Marie Rohe / Chaos Is Bliss

Ingredients

  • 2-3 lb pork loin roast
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup bourbon could replace with apple juice or balsamic vinegar
  • 2-3 Tbs corn starch
  • 4 Tbs soy sauce

Instructions

  1. Start a skillet heating up on medium-high, and add 2 tbs of your favorite cooking oil.
  2. Make a rub with 2 tsp Kosher salt and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, and rub over roast.
  3. Sear each side in a heavy skillet on medium-high heat, 1-2 minutes on each side until golden.
  4. Place in slow cooker with 1/2 cup water, and cook for 5-6 hours on low. Before the last hour, make the Bourbon Brown Sugar Glaze.

Bourbon Brown Sugar Glaze

  1. Whisk together remaining ingredients in a small pot, heating until boiling.
  2. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 3-4 minutes, until glaze thickens a bit (it will still be runny).
  3. Baste pork loin 2-3 times during the last hour.
  4. Optional: Place roast onto foil-lined pan, baste with glaze and broil on high 1-2 minutes to carmelize crust.

This post was sponsored by Indiana’s Family of Farmers, but all words and opinions are 100% my own. 

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Filed Under: Articles, In the Kitchen, Recipes Tagged With: ifof, sp

Comments

  1. Tricia says

    July 22, 2015 at 10:48 am

    5 stars
    That looks amazing!! I am definitely going to have to give this one a try. Maybe with a side of some kind of apple dish as well in the fall.

    Reply
    • Yasha says

      July 24, 2015 at 11:30 am

      4 stars
      Fried apples would be great with this!!!!
      BTW.. I would put 5 stars but it’s not letting me for some reason.,

      Reply
      • Ann-Marie says

        July 26, 2015 at 1:29 pm

        Thank you! Hope you get a chance to try the recipe!

        Reply
    • Ann-Marie says

      July 26, 2015 at 1:29 pm

      There’s definitely something compatible between pork and apples, right? Remember the Brady Bunch, “pork chops and applesauce”?!

      Reply
    • DONNA says

      September 19, 2018 at 2:54 pm

      5 stars
      I just made this. And I work nightshift and got a bit lazy, I did not hear it in the beginning, and added a lil more water it didn’t seem to cover the porkloin I had to cut my loin in halto fit my Crock-Pot.

      It came out tender fall apart tender. Then I made the bourbon put it in I also forgot cornstarch so I use Dijon mustard instead (got it from another recipe I use for bourbon salmon) and omg it was so good. It is money I would pay for this 😂. I didn’t boil it either 😂. Thank you so much.

      Reply
      • DONNA says

        September 19, 2018 at 2:56 pm

        5 stars
        I had to cut it in half my darn phone changes my words and I don’t catch it.

        Reply
      • Ann-Marie says

        September 26, 2018 at 10:27 am

        Oh I’m so glad you enjoyed my Bourbon Brown Sugar pork loin roast recipe! Maybe I’ll try it next time with a bit of Dijon!

        Reply
  2. Yasha says

    July 24, 2015 at 11:26 am

    4 stars
    Looks great and I definitely want to try this soon!!
    I do have a question though? On the Bourbon.. How much? It say 1/2 bourbon… Thank you:-)

    Reply
    • Ann-Marie says

      July 26, 2015 at 1:27 pm

      Thank you for letting me know I missed that detail! It is 1/2 cup bourbon, which can easily be reduced. I’ve updated the directions in the post, thanks!

      Reply
  3. Karen C says

    July 29, 2015 at 12:58 am

    5 stars
    I made this over the weekend. Instead of bourbon, I used 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar. It was awesome. My fiance loved it! So easy and so good.

    Reply
  4. Kristina & Millie says

    November 24, 2015 at 8:15 pm

    4 stars
    ohhh this bourbon brown sugar pork loin looks delish! adding to the list to try nom nom!!

    Reply
  5. Kathryn Doherty says

    November 25, 2015 at 7:50 am

    What a delicious looking pork loin roast! And let’s be honest, you had me at bourbon 😉 I love both drinking it and cooking with it! Will definitely have to try this out over the holiday season – yum!

    Reply
    • Ann-Marie says

      December 13, 2015 at 9:16 am

      Thanks Kathryn!

      Reply
  6. Erlene says

    November 28, 2015 at 2:49 pm

    Yum. This looks amazing and now I have a craving for some pork loin.

    Reply
    • Ann-Marie says

      December 13, 2015 at 9:13 am

      Thank you Erlene!

      Reply
  7. Nicole says

    January 2, 2016 at 8:26 pm

    have you ever tried this recipe in a pressure cooker? I’m wondering if I can speed up the cooking time and still get the great flavor?

    Reply
    • Shaina says

      February 15, 2017 at 8:59 pm

      I did see my comment below for instructions I used to pressure cook. Came out amazing, cut cook time from 5 to 6 hours down to about 1 including basting and broiling after pressure cooking…

      Reply
  8. JIm says

    March 7, 2016 at 6:30 pm

    5 stars
    The pork loin recipe was a hit in our family. We can see using the glaze on salmon in the broiler also. We will be keeping this recipe for many years to come. However, the potatoes were not so well received.

    Reply
    • Ann-Marie says

      March 15, 2016 at 9:11 am

      So glad you enjoyed the recipe!

      Reply
  9. cris says

    July 27, 2016 at 4:35 pm

    5 stars
    This looks SO good! Thanks for stopping by Whatcha Crockin’ Wednesday!

    Reply
  10. Linda douglas says

    August 4, 2016 at 12:07 am

    This sounds amazing can’t wait to try this

    Reply
  11. Cathy Lawdanski says

    October 1, 2016 at 4:37 pm

    4 stars
    Made this earlier in the week and it is so good. My husband can’t quit talking about it! Sharing in the MySideof50.com newsletter tomorrow!

    Reply
    • Ann-Marie says

      October 17, 2016 at 9:59 am

      Thank you so much Cathy! I’m glad you & your husband enjoyed the recipe. Have a great week!

      Reply
  12. Cathy Lawdanski says

    October 1, 2016 at 4:37 pm

    5 stars
    Meant to give it 5 stars…

    Reply
  13. Shaina says

    February 15, 2017 at 8:52 pm

    5 stars
    I used Jack Daniels whiskey cause I had no bourbon in the house, and pressure cooked (45 min with a 4.5 lb tenderloin) instead of slow cooked, then basted every 3 minutes in a 450 oven 3 or 4 times before broiling. Also had issues with corn starch clumping in sauce (threw sauce in blender before using to compensate ) so I’d suggest making a rue with it before adding next time. Otherwise followed directions exactly. Came out AMAZING. Hubby was sceptical, but after tasting he insisted I save the recipe to do again. Even my super-picky-eater kids loved it (BOTH of them, which NEVER happens… lol) So tender and juicy. The sauce was so good I wished there was more to smother it in after slicing. Definitely a new family fav in our house! Thanks for the great recipe!

    Reply
    • Ann-Marie says

      March 8, 2017 at 10:34 pm

      A pressure cooker is on my wish list! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thank you for taking time to share your tips!

      Reply
  14. Linda says

    June 28, 2018 at 7:24 am

    Can I cut the sugar in half?.We are both diabetic and this is a lot of sugar

    Reply
    • Ann-Marie says

      July 4, 2018 at 2:21 pm

      I have not tested it with the sugar cut in half, please let me know how it turns out!

      Reply
  15. cONNIE says

    October 13, 2018 at 6:44 pm

    5 stars
    This is the second time I have made this, and again, it’s to die for! Thank you!!

    Reply
    • Ann-Marie says

      October 17, 2018 at 7:44 am

      Oh, wow! Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed it (twice)!

      Reply
  16. Jamie says

    October 30, 2018 at 1:59 pm

    What do yall think about adding some sweet potatoes to the pot? I just put the roast in, and am wondering if that would be super tasty, or really change things? I love the idea of having one less side to cook later ;).

    Reply
    • Ann-Marie says

      November 29, 2018 at 8:59 am

      Sweet potatoes might be a nice addition but I’m just not sure if the cooking time would need adjusted? I know with an Instant Pot you can make a foil packet for potatoes/sides and still cook in the same pot, but I haven’t tested that personally for a slow cooker.

      Reply

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