Hawaiian Pork Roast

So, we got this pork loin roast from a poor unfortunate farm pig around the same time this recipe came up in my Simple & Delicious jan/feb '08 magazine. So I used it tonight...I only have one more recipe out of this magazine, too, before I move on to the march/april issue...can you believe I have spent this long in one magazine? And the next issue has just as many recipes marked, if not more. You guys should definitely get this magazine...I don't know if you should make this recipe, though...

Hawaiian Pork Roast
1 boneless whole pork loin roast (3 lbs)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups unsweetened pineapple juice
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, undrained
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce (doesn't that seem like a lot?)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup cold water

Cut pork roast in half. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a lg skillet, brown roast in oil on all sides; drain. Place in a 5-qt slow cooker. In a large bowl, combine the pineapple juice, pineapple, brown sugar, celery, vinegar, and soy sauce. Pour over the roast. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 3 1/2 hours (huh?? every crock pot recipe I have ever seen for raw meat says something along the lines of low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours. This was definitely not long enough. I suspected it might not be when I read the recipe, so I kept it on high the whole time, but after 3 hours it was not even close. See end of recipe for how this made me feel) or until a meat thermometer reads 160. Remove roast and keep warm (this is as far as I got). Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Meanwhile, strain cooking juices (then why did I add crushed pineapple and celery if I was just going to strain them out? It's not like celery has so much flavor that would add to the sauce); transfer to a large saucepan. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into cooking juices. Bring to a boil; cook for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with pork (duh). 8 servings.

So, Steve had class tonight. I work the next two nights, then he'll be in Boston for the 2 nights after that. Then I work the next two nights after that. So I wanted to make my new recipe tonight, seeing as how it would have been my only chance for a while. I put it in the crock pot at 2, thinking we would eat like at 5:30 (well within their given time range), since he leaves at 6 (on his scooter). Well, at 5:10, my new pampered chef meat thermometer read 140 in some parts of the meat, like 135-ish in others. Not done yet. And he had to leave soon. So, we had leftover sandwiches from yesterday's Haiti meeting. The roast was finally done around 7 pm. I just cut it up and put it into tupperware to bring for leftovers this week. What a bummer. I haven't even tasted it yet to tell you if it was good. I will say that it did not smell good like crock pot recipes usually do while they cook. All I could smell was the vinegar. Stay tuned for updates if I actually liked the taste or not.