Crockpot Pork Cooked in Hard Cider

Really, can a recipe be that bad when it calls for almost two bottles of this?

This recipe came from the Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook that I got just before Christmas. I hate beer, hate it, hate it, hate it. The trade off is, that I like everything else. Due to my loathesome attitude toward beer, I always have hard cider in the refrigerator, it looks like beer and comes in a beer bottle, heck it's almost beer. This recipe was created by Susie Dymoke from Sur La Table cooking school in Los Gatos. After Sur La Table she became manager of LaCucina Mugnaini maker of exquisite outdoor ovens. She is now a wood fired cooking expert who teaches classes around the country.

The water chestnuts although optional in the recipe add a nice crunch to the otherwise soft dish. The cider really infuses the whole dish so be sure to use hard cider and try to buy the stuff you enjoy drinking alone, that's usually a good decider as to whether or not you will like the way it tastes in a dish, if you like the way it drinks, you will probably like the way it cooks.

1 large yellow onion
1 large tart cooking apple such as Granny Smith or pippin peeled cored and roughly cut into 1 inch cubes
1 8oz can water chestnuts drained and cut in half
1 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 tsp salt
7 grinds black pepper
1 1/2 tbs rubbed sage
2 cups dry hard cider
long grain rice or egg noodles for serving

1. coat slow cooker with non stick cooking spray. Layer onion, apple, water chestnuts, and pork in the cooker, sprinkle with salt and pepper and sage. Pour the cider over all. Turn to high for 20 minutes if you have time to heat through.

2. cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours

3. serve in shallow soup bowls with long grain rice or egg noodles.

Rating = Damn Good