You Scored a Sweet Bulk Pork Deal, Now What?

It was a great deal. Less than $2 a pound for a really good cut of meat and an extra $4 taken off at the register, how could you NOT buy it? But now there’s a ten pound boneless cut of pork in your fridge. And there aren’t that many mouths to feed. Certainly you don’t want to eat pork all day, every day. So now what?

Don’t worry. In fact, pat yourself on the back. In less than an hour, you can turn this bulk meat deal into 4 slow cooker freezer meals. Make one now and freeze the other three, or toss them all in the freezer to help your future self out. See how smart you were by picking up that bulk pork loin deal?

Simple, delicious recipes below including a grocery list!

First, Some Thoughts on the Approach

Slow Cooker Freezer Meals

A bulk meat deal is great for parties or events. But it can be used very well in slow cooker freezer meals to tuck away for later. If you’ve made freezer meals before you know what I’m talking about. If you need a primer, click here to learn more about this approach in this post: Freezer Meals. Worth it?
You can use any combination of freezer recipes. Below is a suggestion based on how I tackled a 10lb Pork Loin deal from Costco. I had six slow cooker pork recipes to pull from, and chose 4 based on ingredients on hand. Technically, you can make a single recipe multiple times. For example, if you love carnitas and eat them all the time you could certainly make four bags of carnitas. The recipes below provide a nice a variety of flavors.
Pro-tips: label the freezer bags (include the recipe name, date, and cooking directions) with a sharpie first, then gather all non-meat ingredients and add to the bag. The last step is to tackle the bulk cut of meat and add it to the bags.

The Recipes

Pork with Cabbage and Apples
Carnitas
Cranberry Mustard Pork
Orange Maple Pork

Freezer meals are a gift for future you to help make dinner in a snap.

Pork with Cabbage & Apples | 4 Servings

2 Crisp Apples (Granny Smith, McIntosh, Jonagold, etc.), peeled, cored and sliced
1 Small Head of Cabbage, thinly sliced
1 Small Yellow Onion, sliced
1/4 cup Fresh Lemon Juice (about one lemon)
1/4 cup Honey
1 tsp Caraway seeds
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
2 lb Boneless Pork roast/Loin/Butt

Freezer Bag: Add all ingredients to a gallon freezer bag, starting with the apples and lemon juice first to keep the apples from browning. Add the cabbage to the top (or hold off and add the day of cooking).

To Cook: Add to the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Slice or shred the pork.

Serve: Over rice or with a dark, crusty bread like rye or pumpernickel. Pairs nicely with mashed potatoes.

Carnitas | 8 Servings

1 Yellow Onion, diced
3 1/2 tsp of minced garlic (5-6 cloves)
1/2 Cup Orange Juice Concentrate
Juice of 1/2 an Orange
Juice of 1 Lime
2 tsp Liquid Smoke
1/2 TBS Kosher Salt
1 TBS Cumin
2 TBS Ancho Chile Powder
1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper (optional)
4 lbs Pork Butt/Loin/Shoulder Roast, cut into large chunks

Freezer Bag: Add all the ingredients to the bag and mix well until all chunks are well covered in the spices. Fold over the top and freeze. Keeps for 3 months.

To Cook: Grease the liner of the slow cooker with bacon grease if you have some on hand (optional). Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours. Once the pork is fork-tender, shred the meat into the juices. To crisp the meat, scoop from the juices using a slotted spoon and spread on to a baking sheet and broil for 3-4 minutes until dark, crispy edges begin to form. Watch like a hawk, the meat will burn very quickly.

Serve: As a rice bowl, as tacos, over nachos or a top a taco salad.

Cranberry Mustard Pork Roast | 4 Servings

2 Cups Frozen Cranberries
1 Onion, Diced
1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1 TBS Dijon Mustard
1/2 TBS Kosher Salt
1 tsp Fround Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
2 lb Boneless Pork roast/Loin/Butt

Freezer Bag: Add all ingredients to the bag. Remove as much air as possible and seal, fold over the top of the bag and freeze. Keeps for up to 3 months.

To Cook: Add to the slow cooker (no need to defrost - run some water on the outside of the bag to loose if needed). Cook on low for 6 hours.

Serve With: Buttery egg noodles or mashed potatoes and green vegetables, such as roasted broccoli.

Orange Maple Pork Roast | 4 Servings

1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
1 tsp Orange Zest
Juice from 1/2 an Orange
2 tsp Minced Garlic (3-4 cloves)
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
2 TBS Soy Sauce
2 lb Boneless Pork roast/Loin/Butt, sliced into 2 (1) lb slices

Freezer Bag: Add all ingredients to the bag, squish together to combine. Then, add pork slices. Remove as much air as possible and seal, fold over the top of the bag (keeping the marinade in the bottom) and freeze. Keeps for up to 3 months.

To Cook: Add to the slow cooker (no need to defrost - run some water on the outside of the bag to loose if needed). Cook on low for 6 hours.

Serve with: rice and steamed or roasted green veggies.

Add the ingredients first, then the meat. And feel free to make one of the meals the night you prep them! (Cranberry Mustard Pork pictured in the slow cooker)

Grocery List

1 - 10 LB Boneless Pork Loin/Butt/Shoulder Roast
1 Can Orange Juice Concentrate (Divided into 3 potions, about 1/2 cup each)
1 1/2 Lemons
1 Lime
1 Orange, and its zest (Tip: zest before cutting)
Dijon mustard
Maple Syrup
Honey
Soy Sauce
5 1/2 tsp of minced garlic (8-10 cloves)
2 Cups Fresh or Frozen Cranberries*
3 Small Yellow Onions
2 Crisp Apples (Granny Smith, McIntosh, Jonagold, etc.)
1 Small Head of Cabbage, thinly sliced
Liquid Smoke
Cumin
Ancho Chile Powder
Cayenne Pepper (optional)
Ground Cinnamon
Caraway seeds
Kosher Salt
Ground Black Pepper
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

*If you don’t keep frozen cranberries as a staple in your fridge, swap for frozen pitted dark cherries. Slightly different taste, just as savory and delicious.