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1
Heat broth, salt, brown sugar, and peppercorns on the stove until salt and sugar dissolve.
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2
Transfer liquid to a pourable container, and add ice. Stir and cool until room temperature or slightly lukewarm.
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3
Pour liquid over pork in a ziploc bag, and refrigerate 3-8 hours.
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4
Remove pork from the brine, and pat dry.
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5
Place potatoes (if using) and apples in the crock pot.
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6
Heat oil in a 12-inch stainless steel pan over medium heat. Place pork in the pan and cover with a splatter screen (makes a bit of a mess without one). Saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side (you might start checking the second side after 3 minutes for browning).
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7
Place pork into crock pot over apples.
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8
Add onion to saute pan, stir well, and cook about 2 minutes.
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9
Deglaze with chicken broth, add pepper and thyme, and stir to scrape up brown bits off of pan. Transfer to crock pot. If using cabbage, add it on top at this time as well. Let pan soak for ease of cleaning.
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10
Cook in crock pot for 1 1/2 hours on high, then 4 1/2 hours on low. Alternately, you can cook this for 4 hours on high for equivalent results. You might want to gently stir the cabbage and onions together about an hour before it is finished cooking. I like to serve this over brown rice (if I am not using the potatoes).
