Polynesian Pork

Love how the flavors meld on this dish. Works great in the crock pot or slow roasting in the oven. This freezes beautifully and I've done it for meal swaps. I cooked 3 meals worth of this last week. We actually ended up with almost 4. Jazz it up with a little bit of sweet heat or ginger if you are looking for a bit more traditional Polynesian flare. I used a cheap store brand marinade this time and paid for it. It's all about the flavoring so don't cheap out on that one.

2 lbs Pork Sirloin (or other lean pork)
1 sm can Pineapple tidbits
1 bottle Sesame Ginger Marinade (I like Lawry's or Ken's)
1 can Chicken broth
4 slices bacon, chopped
2 T Sesame seeds
Rice

The pork can be roasted whole or chopped into bite size pieces. If cooking whole, they are tender enough to easily pull apart to serve.

Start by chopping bacon into small pieces and cook over low heat until cooked through but not dry. Drain and set aside. Cover meat with pineapple and it's juices, seeds, and bacon. Add about 1/2 bottle of marinade and enough broth to cover the meat so it braises while slow cooking.

CROCK POT - cook on low heat for 7-8 hours (stirring occasionally). Serve over rice.

OVEN METHOD - cook in a dutch oven at 325 for 2 - 2 1/2 hrs, until fork tender. Watch liquids at 1 1/2 hours and add a bit of extra broth if needed. Recommend chopping the pork into pieces with this method.

Serve over rice.

TOTAL COSTS: $8.00
Pork $4 (Sunmart)
Marinade $1 (Cashwise)
Pineapple $1 (Cashwise)
Sesame Seeds* $.50 (Cashwise)
Bacon $1 (Sunmart)
Rice $.50 (Walmart)

*Sesame seeds add tons of flavor, but can be costly. DO NOT buy them in the spice isle. You'll pay way too much. Check in the ethnic food section, bulk spices, or an Asian market. They keep a long time so buying in bulk is great. Use them on pizza crust, bread sticks, sauces, stir fry, salads & dressings, spiced or sugared nuts, etc.