This slow cooker pork fillet is full of flavour and soaks up a tangy, sweet‑and‑savoury marinade of balsamic, maple syrup, mustard, herbs and paprika. Slow‑cooked to perfection, it’s a comforting meal that’s effortless to prepare.
While I’m a big fan of pulled pork it can be a bit heavy and fatty in the summer, and a big joint of meat can be expensive.
My tangy slow cooker pork fillet is the perfect recipe to combat both of these problems, the meat is low in fat and pork fillets are quite cheap making this a frugal dish too!
Cook your pork fillet in this delicious marinade, it will be tender and easy to shred once cooked in the slow cooker.
I like to finish this dish off in the oven so that you have those crispy chargrilled edges and the thickened sauce, mmmm!
Pork fillet
Pork fillet or pork tenderloin is a lean piece of pork which you can buy either as a whole piece or sliced into medallions.
It is very low in fat. It works well with strong flavours to add interest.
Even though slow cooking is often best with tougher pieces of meat marbled with fat that soften through long slow cooking, you can still slow cook lean meat like pork fillet with great results.
In this recipe the meat is cooked in a little water coated in a marinade to pack in the flavour, which prevents it from drying out.
This slow cooker pork fillet recipe is a good option for lighter meals during the summer.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need for this slow cooker pork fillet or tenderloin. You’ll find the quantities together with the full directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- balsamic vinegar – adds tangy flavour. Try not to omit this ingredient as it is difficult to substitute.
- Worcestershire sauce – adds that unmistakeable rich flavour.
- honey or maple syrup – to sweeten and to balance the other acidic flavours in the sauce.
- mustard – I use English mustard but you can substitute it with any other kind of mustard, the flavour will change slightly accordingly.
- smoked paprika – this adds a touch of smokiness.
- dried thyme and oregano – you could replace these with mixed herbs or parsley or your preferred dried herbs.
- pork fillet (pork tenderloin)
Method
Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this easy slow cooker pork fillet recipe perfectly every time.
Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.
Step 1. Make up the sauce/marinade in a separate bowl and stir the ingredients together.
Step 2. Place the pork fillet in your slow cooker pot and pour the marinade over the meat.
Step 3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
Baste occasionally with the sauce during cooking.
Note: If the marinade is not runny, you may wish to add 200 ml / one cup of water into the pot, to avoid cooking dry.
Step 4. Once the slow cooking time is up, transfer the meat to an oven dish. Spoon the sauce over the pork fillet, reserve some of the sauce also.
Roast in a hot oven (180°C / 350°F) for 10 to 15 minutes to crisp up the edges. Check during cooking and spoon over more of the sauce if it goes too dry.
Step 5. Shred the meat with two forks then serve with your choice of side dishes. Or if preferred, slice the meat up – for pork fillet make sure you carve against the grain.
How to serve
There are a whole lot of ways you can serve your pork fillet – shredded in wraps with salad, or on top of a bed of salad with a pitta or crusty bread on the side, or even as part of a roast dinner with roasted baby potatoes and vegetables.
The options are endless! There are loads of ways to use up any leftovers too, I like the pork cold with a rice salad with peas and spring onions.
Or you can shred it and top a pizza with it, or stuff it in a pitta with some hummus.
Summer slow cooker recipe
In the summer it is great to use your slow cooker so you aren’t heating up the kitchen even more, and side dishes are usually so easy to put together making this an easy summer meal which is really adaptable.
The sauce is tangy with its mixture of balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce (that British store cupboard staple!) and mustard, and is just made with store cupboard ingredients.
Use honey if you have no maple syrup and vary the herbs as needed.
If you prefer it to be less tangy and reduce the sharpness, reduce the balsamic, up the honey or maple syrup and add some olive oil. See recipe card note for the specifics.
I find it sets off the meat just right, and once baked off it makes a tasty dark crust to the meat, yum!
Served here as part of a healthier summer Sunday roast, this tangy slow cooker pork fillet recipe is so flexible that I make it all the time!
Recipe
Slow Cooker Pork Fillet
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp English mustard
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp thyme
- 2 tsp oregano
- salt and pepper
- 200 ml (1 cup) water
- 0.5 kg (18 oz) pork fillet
Equipment
Instructions
- Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl (don’t include the water), rub over the meat.4 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tbsp English mustard, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp thyme, 2 tsp oregano, salt and pepper
- Place the pork fillet in the slow cooker, pour the water around the meat.200 ml water, 0.5 kg pork fillet
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours. At the end, transfer the pork fillet to an oven tray and bake for 10-15 mins in the oven (at 180℃ / 350℉) to crisp it up.
Paul Noakes says
Do not make this resipie, it tasted awful, was dry, vinegary and did not fall apart after 7 hours. Almost inedible, what a disaster and disappointment and wast of money and time and yes I did cook it on low.
bakingqueen74 says
Hi Paul, thank you for trying the recipe and for your feedback! Pork fillet is a very lean cut, so it doesn’t naturally fall apart, which is why the recipe suggests shredding after cooking — that helps it soak up the marinade and stay tender. If you’d like a slightly milder, less tangy flavour next time, you might try the note in the recipe card about reducing the balsamic slightly and adding a touch more maple syrup and olive oil to the marinade. I hope that helps, and that your next batch turns out just the way you like it!
Trickshot says
Nice recipe. Not enough moisture for me – perhaps my slow cooker was larger than I thought – but the meat was very tender and had good flavour.
bakingqueen74 says
Glad to hear you enjoyed the flavour and texture. Pork fillet is very lean so perhaps you could add some chicken stock to the pot to increase moisture next time.
Hannah Hossack-Lodge says
I always think of slow cookers being best for Winter meals, but you are so right, using it in the Summer stops you from getting your kitchen too hot; I need to start using mine more often!
Sus // roughmeasures.com says
I really need to use my slow cooker more. I have only used it a handful of times! My Dad would love this recipe.