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 lots of fresh veggies |  cheapest pork roast I could find |  small orange & canned peppers |  seasonings |
 all in the crockpot |  after 1 hour on high |  whisk 1 TB cornstarch in 3/4 hot liquid |  stir cornstarch into crockpot to thicken |
I'm a "red meat" girl, but after buying several steaks and a lamb roast, I wanted to get something inexpensive to make in the crockpot. I found the cheapest pork roast at Kroger ~ a little less than 2 lbs. because there's only 2 of us, plus I planned to put lots of veggies in there (and, yes, it actually did make enough for at least 4 people ~ especially when you serve over white rice or mashed potatoes). (Check out my crockpot circa 1967 which still works perfectly and nothing sticks to it! {although I still give it a spritz of olive oil non-stick spray}).
You can adjust the "heat" by more or less fresh jalapenos ~ using canned mild chilies instead of canned jalapenos ~ and even adding a dash of hot sauce or Gochujang (yes! I got some for Asian food, but it's now my favorite ingredient for chilies too). I cut up a little Cutie (or Halo), peel and all, to put in there (it was all soft & tender when it was done and the bit of citrus gave so much fresh flavor to the heat in the sauce. My "liquid" was most Tequila (the alcohol content burns off during cooking,) but a bottle/can of beer works well too!
No pre-prep needed! I just "dumped" everything in the crockpot and turned it on! I put it on high for about 3 hours, then turned to low for about 5 hours ~ adding the cornstarch which I whisked into about 3/4 cup of the hot liquid about an hour before I planned to serve it. Newer crockpots undoubtably have better heating elements, but mine just has low & high. This needs about 6-7 hours minimum, but it could go as long as 10-12 hours if you're working away from home and want to turn it on before you leave in the morning (assemble it the night before).
SLIGHTLY SPICY Pork POT ROAST
1 pork roast ~ around 2 lbs..........................................about 3/4 cup Tequila or beer
1 package Taco or Fajita seasoning............................Kosher or other coarse salt to taste
1 small can diced jalapenos (or mild chilies) ~ don't drain
1 can chili ready or diced tomatoes w/ Tex-Mex seasonings ~ don't drain
Use the can as a measure ~ fill about 3/4 full with water & add around the pork roast
1 tsp. cumin ..................................................................2 tsp. smoked paprika
2 tsp. dried oregano......................................................2 tsp. chili powder
1 small box button mushrooms, cut in half
2 stalks of celery, chopped...........................................big handful of baby carrots, halved
I had some fresh spinach & greens left in the bottom of tub of salad, so threw those in too
about 1/2 medium white or yellow onion, chopped......1 tsp. crushed or minced garlic
small orange or tangerine (cut into about 8 pieces ~ don't have to peel it)
about 2 TB chopped fresh cilantro .............................1/2 green bell pepper, large chop
1/2 to 1 whole jalapeno pepper, seeded & minced (mine was a large one)
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1 TB cornstarch gets whisked into about 3/4 of the hot liquid in crockpot, about 1 hour before you plan to serve it. Then whisk that back into the crockpot, which will thicken up the sauce. ** You can add more fresh chopped cilantro on top before serving, if you want.
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Put the pork roast in first ~ then the tequila (or beer) ~ then the tomatoes and the water. I do it in this order so that the veggies are in liquid and so that the seasonings stick to everything. So, veggies go in next (and the orange) ~ then the packet of Taco seasoning and the spices and herbs.
My cooking times are above and do the cornstarch thickener about an hour before serving.
Depends how big your roast is and how many veggies are in there, but it will serve at least 4 people.
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