Sweet Balsamic Glazed Pork {Slow Cooker + Instant Pot}
Tender and so delicious, this simple recipe for sweet balsamic glazed pork contains easy directions for the slow cooker OR Instant Pot!
Gosh, we’re full of good things today.
Exclusive recipe coming your way + this amazing sweet balsamic glazed pork I’ve lovingly pulled from the deep, dark recesses of my archives (posted way back in 2011) in order to make many of you who haven’t noticed it very, very happy.
It was sorely in need of a facelift and a huge shoutout.
This is one of our family’s favorite meals ever. Ever, ever.
If you’ve made it, you’ll probably understand why.
It’s crazy simple. Get yourself a pork roast, season it with sage + salt + pepper + garlic. Throw it in the slow cooker with a bit of water and let it cook.
How’s that for a hands-off, easy dinner night?
The sweet and savory balsamic glaze simmers on the stove for, oh, five-ish minutes, so when that tender, delectable pork comes out of the slow cooker, you’re good to go.
Drizzle away…and then devour.
Because the world is going crazy with everything Instant Pot (including myself, I heart my Instant Pot big time), I’ve updated this recipe with easy instructions for the Instant Pot.
I haven’t done a side-by-side, same day comparison between this balsamic pork in the slow cooker and this balsamic pork in the Instant Pot, but my taste buds tell me that it’s a little more tender and a little more delicious made in the lean, mean Instant Pot machine.
Pressure cooking will do that, you know.
And since I get asked a lot, this is the slow cooker I have: Hamilton Beach 8-quart. Endearing due to it’s lack of bells and whistles, it cooks a lot more evenly than other slow cookers I’ve tried.
I will sometimes use the slow cooker function in my Instant Pot, but it seems to cook at a lower temperature than I’m used to in a slow cooker, and I haven’t found the magic adjustment to make it all-the-time reliable instead of trial-and-error yet.
Either way you make it, this sweet balsamic glazed pork is a keeper.
It is often one of my go-to selections when serving company. You honestly can’t beat the seemingly unfair tradeoff:
how can something this delicious be so dang simple?
A quick note about pork roasts, I have the best luck using a pork sirloin roast (I usually get them in a 4-pack at Costco but have seen them in other grocery stores); it cooks up so tender and juicy.
Many people have commented below over the years with their experience about this recipe – some have used pork chops, others pork tenderloin, and many have made it per the recipe (so feel free to read through the comments for additional feedback and ideas).
Some of you have even served it on buns, like pulled pork, and if I remember right, I believe you’ve reported the end result was so tasty, you cried. Or died. Or took a bath in the glaze. The details are a bit fuzzy.
So, if you haven’t made this sweet balsamic glazed pork loin, what are you waiting for?
FAQs for Sweet Balsamic Glazed Pork
Refrigerate it, and make sure to keep some of the cooking liquid with the pork as it is stored. Also, store the pork and balsamic sauce separately until reheating.
No, I cook the meat without the trivet.
You can add or subtract a few minutes from the cooking time to adjust for your size, but it shouldn’t be that different from the 55-60 minutes on high pressure.
Yes, it freezes great!
What to Serve With This
Sweet Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin {Slow Cooker + Instant Pot}
Ingredients
Pork:
- 2 to 3 pounds boneless pork loin or pork sirloin roast, trimmed of large fat pockets
- 1 teaspoon ground sage or poultry seasoning
- ½ teaspoon coarse, kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced or crushed
- ½ cup water or chicken broth
Glaze:
- ½ cup brown sugar, light or dark
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the sage, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub the spices all over the roast.
- For the slow cooker: place the pork roast in the slow cooker and add the 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- For the Instant Pot/Pressure cooker: place the pork roast in the insert of the Instant Pot or other pressure cooker. Increase the water or broth to 1 cup and add to the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and cook on high pressure for 60 minutes (hit manual –> dial up or down to 60 minutes –> Instant Pot will start automatically and count down the time). Let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes before quickly releasing the rest of the pressure.
- Near the end of cooking time (for either slow cooker or pressure cooker), whisk together all the ingredients for the glaze in a small saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the glaze thickens, 2-3 minutes. Season to taste with a pinch of salt and pepper, if needed/desired. Keep warm until ready to use.
- Remove the pork from the slow cooker or Instant Pot. Shred the meat into pieces and place on a platter or plate. Drizzle the glaze over the pork and serve immediately.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from C&C Marriage Factory (bookmarked via Pinterest)
Recipe originally posted September 23, 2011; updated with new pictures + recipe notes.
Is a center cut roast the same? I can never find any pork roast with the word sirloin. I’ve made this with pork loin and while the flavor is great it does come out a little dry. Interested in trying with a roast.
Look for a pork roast that has dark pink meat marbled or alongside the light pink meat…that should help it cook up more moist and tender.
4 stars for the glaze/sauce, 3 stars for the IP timing on the pork, 4 stars overall. I made this recipe pretty much to the letter, aside from adding diced onion to the broth I put under in the instant pot. My pork sirloin roast was 2.2 lbs. 60 minutes on high pressure is just too long. the “light” parts of the roast were dry and stringy while the “dark” parts were more edible. I’d say 45-50 would have been plenty. Other than that, we liked it and agree it is a good way to make this very affordable meat and the glaze was very good. I added ground ginger and a bit more soy as we don’t like overly sweet. It goes from “sauce” to glaze very fast so watch your cook time.