We’re getting kind of fancy today!

I’m so glad to be sharing a second pork tenderloin recipe made in the slow cooker with you.  Especially since everyone seemed to have been a fan of the crockpot apple cinnamon pork tenderloin I shared last year during the twelve days of Christmas!

The glaze to this pork is SO good.  It’s a mixture of orange marmalade, balsamic vinegar, and brown sugar.  Orange marmalade, guys!!  So super delicious that I almost thickened up the glaze to use as a gravy to pour on everything.

Even straight in my mouth.

It’s the perfect combination of sweet, tart, and acidic.  And basically tastes like Christmas.

The sweet orange marmalade melts down and blends perfectly with the rich balsamic vinegar and brown sugar, leaving specks of orange peel in its wake.  And the dried cranberries soak up the glaze, reconstituting themselves and bursting with sweetness, pairing perfectly with their natural tartness.  The visual appeal of both orange peel and bright red cranberries leads guests to believe you spent a lot more time than the 15 minutes it takes you to prepare this dish.

I’m just utterly in love with this!

When I was thinking of a holiday pork recipe, molasses glazed pork crossed my mind.  And then maple glazed. And then a honey Dijon roasted. But nothing seemed perfect.  While those all sound delicious, I feel like I can eat them anytime of the year.  I wanted something that was made for Christmas.  Just made for it!

Luckily for me, my local grocery store bakes some of the best muffins.  So, while I was drooling over the large jumbo muffins topped with turbinado sugar, I saw it.

Cranberry orange.

And I’m so glad I did because you can’t get much more Christmasy than that.

So, on the eighth day of Christmas, I’m sharing with you: slow cooker cranberry orange pork tenderloin.

Slow Cooker Cranberry Orange Pork Tenderloin

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 lb. pork tenderloin
• salt and pepper
• 1 jar of orange marmalade (I used Bonne Maman’s 13 oz. jar)
• 1/3 c. balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 c. packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 c. dried cranberries

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Season pork with salt and pepper and brown on all sides in order to create a crust and lock in the flavor.  Transfer the pork tenderloin to a slow cooker.

In a small bowl, mix together the orange marmalade, balsamic vinegar, and brown sugar until blended.  Pour over pork tenderloin. Sprinkle cranberries on top and then cook on low for about 4 hours or until thoroughly cooked and tender.

Remove tenderloin from crockpot and allow to rest for about 15 minutes prior to slicing.

Serve with reconstituted cranberries and orange marmalade glaze.