Sweet and Savory Crockpot Roast

This recipe is really simple and easy to make, but shockingly delicious – the first time I made it I was trying for something that wasn’t too much like American Chinese food but still had elements of sweet and savory. I was surprised how balanced it turned out. It’s not overly sweet, nor is it overwhelmingly soy-sauce flavored. It’s as easy to eat as it is to prepare.

Ingredients

Pork or Beef Roast (I used a 3 pound pork blade roast most recently – whatever is cheap)

1/2 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. water
1.5 Tbsp cider vinegar
2-3 Tbsp brown sugar (more if you want it sweeter)
1 Tbsp yellow mustard powder
1 tsp ground pepper
1 2″ cube of ginger, cut into slices
2 medium cloves garlic, cut in half
1-2 dried red chilis (to taste)

Combine sauce ingredients. Taste for balance. Place roast in crockpot, pour sauce over roast, let cook until it’s dinner time.

If you’re feeling fancy, you can add some veggies to the crockpot at the very end. Make sure it is on high, and you may want to remove the roast so they can get immersed and cook in the liquid which is faster than waiting for them to get steamed. I added carrots, then 10 minute later mushrooms, then 5 minutes later broccoli and cooked the broccoli until it was al dente. I served it on white rice.