Slow-Cooker Lemongrass Pork Recipe for Tender, Flavorful Meat

When the weather warms up, I crave Southeast Asian flavors — and lemongrass is at the top of that list. With the days humid and hot, I’ve been on a serious lemongrass kick lately.

I love the classic mix of lemongrass, garlic, ginger, basil and cilantro with a little heat — to me, those flavors capture the essence of Vietnamese-style cooking. I combined those aromatics (plus a few extra touches) into a paste and coated a boneless pork loin in it.

I set the pork in the slow-cooker and went about my day. Within a couple of hours the house smelled irresistible, and Slow-Cooker Lemongrass Pork was born. The result was magnificent.

Starting with a boneless center-cut pork loin and cutting it into roughly 3-inch cubes speeds up the cooking: the pork became fall-apart tender in about 5 hours on HIGH. I used tongs to transfer the pork out of the slow-cooker into a mixing bowl, then strained the cooking juices into a saucepan and boiled them down to concentrate the flavor. While the sauce reduced, I shredded the pork with two forks, then tossed it with the reduced pan sauce. That’s all it took.

The pork is versatile: I served it garnished with fresh cilantro in lettuce wraps, over rice bowls, on salads, in spring rolls (recipe coming soon), and simply on its own. My kids enjoyed it topped with a fried egg for breakfast or tucked into quesadillas for a quick lunch or snack. The recipe yields enough to enjoy all of those options across several meals.

Cook’s Notes

• Trim large slabs of fat from the pork before cutting it into cubes to make shredding easier. If you prefer a juicier result, leave one or two fat slabs on top of the meat in the slow-cooker so they baste the pork as it cooks. For a leaner outcome, omit the extra fat.
• Cut the pork into roughly 3-inch cubes and try to keep the pieces consistently sized so they cook evenly.
• Once the pork is cubed, put it in the slow-cooker crock. Mix the remaining ingredients into a paste and use your hands to coat the cubes thoroughly. If using extra fat, place it on top now. Cover and cook until the meat is tender.
• When the pork is done, transfer the cubes to a mixing bowl and strain the cooking liquid into a saucepan to remove solids. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat and reduce it until it’s an intense, fragrant sauce (about one-fifth of the original volume). While the sauce reduces, shred the pork with two forks. Toss the shredded pork with the reduced sauce and serve.

Looking for a great side to pair with this lemongrass pork? Try a simple rice noodle stir-fry or steamed jasmine rice to soak up the sauce.

Slow-Cooker Lemongrass Pork

Rebecca Lindamood

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Fall-apart tender pork infused with Vietnamese-style flavors: lemongrass, garlic, ginger, and a touch of heat. Tangy, slightly sweet, mildly spicy, and completely delicious.

Ingredients

• 4 pounds boneless center-cut pork loin, trimmed of fat and sliced into 3-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup raw sugar or light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons lemongrass paste or 2 stalks fresh lemongrass, smashed to release juices
• 3 tablespoons grated ginger or ginger paste
• 2 tablespoons garlic paste or 8 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, sliced in half (or 2 bird chiles, pierced)
• 1 handful fresh cilantro stalks, well rinsed
• 1 stem fresh basil leaves
• 1 lime, juiced and zested
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce or soy sauce

Optional:

• Chopped cilantro for garnish

Instructions

• Place the pork cubes in the crock of a slow-cooker. Add the remaining ingredients to the slow-cooker and use your hands to rub them around and evenly coat the pork. Cover and cook on HIGH for 5 hours or LOW for 8 hours, until the pork is fall-apart tender. Use tongs to transfer the pork to a mixing bowl. Strain the cooking juices into a saucepan and boil over high heat to reduce to about one-fifth of the original volume, until dark and fragrant. While the sauce reduces, shred the pork with two forks. When the pan sauce is ready, pour it over the shredded pork and toss to coat. Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro, or portion and freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Calculate nutrition using the actual ingredients you use with your preferred nutrition calculator.

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