Spicy Pineapple Pork Butt Roast
Looking for an easy and delicious pork roast recipe? Look no further! This Slow Cooker Spicy Pineapple Pork Butt Roast is perfect for a weekend dinner. The best part is that it’s really easy to make – all you need is a pork butt roast, pineapple, and a few items from your cupboard. We’ll also give you some tips on how to get the perfect cut of meat for this recipe. So what are you waiting for? Let’s get started!
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What Is Pork Butt?
The neck, shoulder blade, and upper arm of a pig are used to make the pork butt. It’s a moderately tough pork cut with a lot of connective tissue. The ham comes from the rear, or “butt,” of the pig. The large muscle at the top of the leg is where ham—cooked fresh, cured, or smoked—is derived. Ham is composed primarily of gluteus maximus (that’s why it’s so meaty).
The name, which translates to “big bottom,” is appropriate since the literal meaning of “butt” is “thick end of anything.” The term’s origin stems from a pork butt being the thicker portion of the shoulder cut. Pork butt cuts are rather inexpensive, costing between $2.50 and $3.00 per pound on average.
How to Cook Pork Butt
Pork butts and shoulders are best prepared slowly in the oven or on the stovetop, making them excellent choices for barbecuing, braising, or using as stew meat. They’re also wonderful roasted or cooked in slow cookers. They may also take on the tastes of strong seasonings (such as barbecue sauce or chiles) since they have their own distinct taste.
The flavour of the pork is due to the fact that it comes from a hard-working region of the body: Carrying all of that pig weight strains the muscles, resulting in better taste development. This is particularly true for pastured pork from pigs reared in settings where they can walk about freely.
Important Tip: Trim off as much fat as possible from the pork butt roast before cooking. The amount of fat that ends up in the flavorful liquids/sauce will be greatly reduced as a result of this.
What you need to make Spicy Pineapple Pork
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 16-oz. fresh pineapple, cut into 1” chunks
- ¼ c. soy sauce
- 2 t. rice wine vinegar
- 1 T. honey
- 1 T. sesame oil
- 2-3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 2 t. five-spice powder
- 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1” chunks
- 1 medium jalapeno pepper, finely diced
- 2 T. natural, creamy peanut butter
- 2 T. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 4-5 lb. pork shoulder butt roast, trimmed
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- ¼ c. fresh pineapple juice
- 3 T. fresh cilantro, chopped
- Optional: 2 T. arrowroot
How to make the recipe
To a 5 or 6-quart slow cooker casserole, add onion, fresh pineapple chunks, soy sauce (can substitute coconut aminos), rice wine vinegar, honey, sesame oil, garlic, five-spice powder, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper and peanut butter. Stir until everything is evenly mixed.
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the trimmed pork roast all over with salt and pepper, to taste. Add it to the hot pan and sear on all sides for 2-3 minutes per side. Season and sauté the seared pork in a frying pan. Transfer to the slow cooker crock after cooking on low for at least 1 hour.
Reduce heat to medium, then deglaze the skillet with fresh fruit juice. Scrape up flavorful brown bits from the bottom of the pan using a spatula. Remove from the heat and pour in the slow cooker’s contents.
Pour the soup into a slow cooker and add the pork. Cover and cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. When ready, stir in fresh cilantro and serve with the pork and pineapple mixture on a platter with a slotted spoon. Keep warm.
Optional: To a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add all ingredients except the sardines and set aside. Add 2 tablespoons arrowroot to a half cup of juices from the slow cooker and whisk until smooth. Cook for a few minutes or until the sauce is reduced and thickened.
Serve over a bed of cooked brown or cilantro-lime rice. Top with the juices or thickened sauce, if desired, and serve.
Storing the recipe
Pork butt, like brisket, tastes wonderful when reheated. It stands up well to being frozen and defrosts quickly. The chewy surface meat will soften with time. Pork butt’s high-fat content helps it stay juicy during reheating.
Recipe tips
If you don’t have all of the ingredients on hand or want to cut down on cooking time, you may omit some of the steps described in this recipe. Simply drop the well-trimmed and seasoned pork butt roast into your slow cooker without searing to make this a truly one-pot meal. The juice can also be thickened in the slow cooker crock with the addition of arrowroot slurry after it has cooked for 30 minutes.
Spicy Pineapple Pork Butt Roast
Create this tasty and spicy dish with pineapple adding flavour to the pork butt roast
Ingredients
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 16-oz. fresh pineapple, cut into 1” chunks
- ¼ c. soy sauce
- 2 t. rice wine vinegar
- 1 T. honey
- 1 T. sesame oil
- 2-3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 2 t. five-spice powder
- 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1” chunks
- 1 medium jalapeno pepper, finely diced
- 2 T. natural, creamy peanut butter
- 2 T. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 4-5 lb. pork shoulder butt roast, trimmed
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- ¼ c. fresh pineapple juice
- 3 T. fresh cilantro, chopped
- Optional: 2 T. arrowroot
Instructions
Add onion, fresh pineapple chunks, soy sauce (*can substitute coconut aminos), rice wine vinegar, honey, sesame oil, garlic, five-spice powder, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, and peanut butter to a 5 or 6-quart slow cooker crock. Stir to combine thoroughly.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season trimmed pork roast on all sides with salt and pepper, to taste. Add to hot skillet and sear on all sides, approximately 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer seared pork to slow cooker crock.
Reduce heat to medium and deglaze skillet with fresh pineapple juice. Use a spatula to scrape up flavorful brown bits from bottom of pan. Remove from heat and pour pan juices into the slow cooker.
Cover and cook over high heat for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8. When finished, stir in fresh cilantro and transfer pork and pineapple mixture to a serving platter with a slotted spoon. Cover and keep warm.
Optional: If desired, create a slurry by combining 2 tablespoons arrowroot and ¼ cup of juices from the slow cooker. Transfer remaining juices from the slow cooker to a large skillet over medium-high heat and whisk in the arrowroot slurry until well combined. Cook for several minutes or until sauce is reduced and thickened.
To serve, spoon warm pork and pineapple mixture over a bed of cooked brown or cilantro-lime rice. Top with the juices or thickened sauce, if desired, and enjoy!
Notes
As written, this recipe contains a couple of extra steps you can skip if you are short on time. To make this a truly one-pot meal, simply place the well-trimmed and seasoned pork butt roast directly into your slow cooker without searing. In addition, the juices can be thickened right in the slow cooker crock by stirring in the arrowroot slurry with the other ingredients 30 minutes before it is done cooking.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 4256Total Fat: 295gSaturated Fat: 107gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 159gCholesterol: 1300mgSodium: 1750mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 3gSugar: 18gProtein: 353g
