Cinnamon Pork with Sweet Potatoes
Hubby had a difficult time finding something Cinnamon-ey to make for our monthly cooking club that wasn’t a dessert. He’s definitely the cooker in our house and I’m the baker. He made this pork and it smelled delicious while it was cooking.
As recommended, we served this over rice. The pork was extremely tender and had subtle tastes of cinnamon. This mean is even better the next day. We ate it for a couple days since it made a decent amount of food and neither of us got sick of it!
Cinnamon Pork with Sweet Potatoes – from The Splendid Table – makes 6-8 servings
2 pounds boneless pork butt or shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and gristle
2-1/2 teaspoons olive or canola oil
Seasonings:
6 whole scallions, ends trimmed, cut into 1-1/2-inch lengths, and smashed lightly with the flat side of a knife
6 cloves garlic, smashed lightly with the flat side of a knife, peeled, and sliced thin
6 slices fresh ginger, about the size of a quarter, smashed lightly with the flat side of a knife
1 teaspoon hot chile paste – we used Garlic Chili Pepper sauce from the Thai section at the store
2 to 3 sticks cinnamon
1 whole star anise, smashed, or 1 teaspoon aniseeds – we used Fennel seeds
Braising Mixture:
4 cups water
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine or sake
2 tablespoons sugar
4 sweet potatoes or yams (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons minced scallion greens for garnish
Cut the pork into 1-1/2-inch cubes
Heat the oil until very hot in a 4-quart casserole or a Dutch oven with a lid. Add half the pork pieces. Sear the outside of half the pork over high heat until brown, turning once. Remove and sear the remaining meat. Set aside.
Reheat the pan and oil, add the Seasonings. Stir-fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds, then add the Braising Mixture. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the pork, bring the liquid to a boil, and reduce the heat to low. Let simmer, covered, for 35 to 40 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes, stir, cover, and continue cooking for about 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Serve the pork and potatoes atop a bed of blanched or steamed greens, with some of the braising mixture spooned on top and accompanied by steamed rice.
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
this sounds really good-will be trying this!
This looks so tasty and easy to make! I need to get a crockpot.
I made that recipe last week – and everyone loved it! I only wish I’d gotten pictures…..
This looks wonderful. Bookmarking right now! Thanks!
Oh, boy this looks wonderful! I love slow cooker recipes like this. What side did you serve with it? Just veggies?
~ingrid
Both your cranberry recipes look great. I am hoping Santa brings me a new crockpot for Christmas as my previous one was nuclear. This recipe looks so easy. I am not a pie fan so am thinking the cranberry apple dessert would be nice for hubby and I for Thanksgiving. Thank you for sharing!
Yep just some steamed veggies.
I made this over the weekend and it was delicious! Thanks for the posting!
I finally made this recipe after having it bookmarked forever. Thanks to Kelsey for reminding me about it – it was soooo good and it definitely hit the spot!!! Thanks Jen!
I make this every year for Christmas dinner 😀 We always go out for a fancy Christmas Eve dinner, and then we have a huge fancy Christmas Breakfast… by the time Christmas dinner comes around we are wiped out and not really in the mood to cook. This recipe is perfect because I can throw it all in the crock pot on Christmas Eve morning and pop in in the fridge. Then on Christmas day I put it on low and put wild rice in the rice cooker. My family always looks forward to it and we just love how delicious it is. I really wanted to let you know that this has been a tradition for us for about 3-4 years!! Thanks so much and Merry Christmas!!
beantownbaker — December 26th, 2013 @ 11:06 am
I love hearing stories like this! Family traditions are so heart warming during the holidays 🙂
Nice recipe – Thank you. I love slow cooker recipes. Have a Happy Weekend!