Name: Slow Cooker Pork Roast
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 8 h
Total time: 8 h 25 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 6 medium russet potatoes, quartered; 1 medium white onion, chopped; 6 medium carrots, diced into 4 pieces each; 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped; 3 lbs. boneless pork shoulder roast; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 6 sprigs rosemary, bundled; 6 sprigs thyme, bundled; 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar; 1/2 cup red wine; 1/2 cup chicken broth; 1/4 cup brown sugar; 1 tablespoon garlic powder; 2 teaspoons onion powder; 2 teaspoons coarse salt; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 2 teaspoons dried thyme; 1 teaspoon pepper; 1.5 tablespoons cornstarch

This slow cooker pork roast is fall off the bone delicious and all you have to do is throw everything in the slow cooker and you’re golden. Make it for dinner this week and meal prep the rest for lunch!

Using a slow cooker is a great way to make mealtime easy! Check out some of our favorite crockpot freezer meals that you can make and freeze for later!

The Perfect Meal

No matter what time of year it is, I love a good pork roast. I am not sure if it is nostalgia or if it’s something my body always craves but it seems to always hit the spot.

The best way to eat pork roast (in my opinion) after it’s been slow-cooked surrounded by delicious root vegetables and smothered in the sauce it was cooked in. Many people cook their pork roast long and slow in the oven, but the slow cooker is the way to go!

Preparing a pork roast in a slow cooker makes life easy, peasy. You know the phrase “set it and forget it”? It is the truest statement when it comes to this slow cooker pork roast recipe. Let’s break this recipe down!

PS: if you’re like, man, I wish this was an Instant Pot Pork Roast recipe, no fear! We ave one of those too :D

How to Make Slow Cooker Pork Roast

Any leg work that comes from this recipe comes at the beginning. Once your meat is prepped and everything is chopped, all you have to do is throw it in the slow cooker. Here are some tips and tricks to keep in mind while preparing your roast.

Meat.

We recommend using a bone-in pork shoulder for this recipe. It shreds easily and the flavor is out of this world. However, if you have another cut of pork you need to use, go ahead and use it. It may not shred the same, but it will taste delicious. Just be sure it is about 3 pounds.

Another very important part of this recipe is the dry rub! We have developed the best try rub for pork. For each pound of pork you cook, we recommend using about 2 tablespoons of rub.

Whether you are going to use our favorite rub or your favorite rub, be sure that you cover every inch of the meat and let it sit. Doing this will ensure that your meat is flavored to perfection as well as have a nice crispy exterior.

Vegetables

There is nothing like root veggies with pork roast. We cook and serve this pork roast with carrots and potatoes. We used these vegetables because they are hearty root veggies that can stand a long cook time without turning into mush in the slow cooker.

Here’s a tip–> When chopping the vegetables, be sure that all the vegetables are cut around the same size!

Sear + Cook Time

The key to getting delicious browned pork is to sear the pork before placing it into the slow cooker!

You don’t want to cook the pork for long in the cast iron, we are solely searing the meat to get a delicious crust that gets the juices flowing before placing the meat in the slow cooker.

Here’s a tip–> We sear the pork shoulder on all sides before placing it in the slow cooker. When you do this, be sure that the olive oil in your cast iron skillet is HOT. We are going for a quick sear that will brown the meat perfectly.

Once you have seared the meat, you place all the vegetables in the bottom of the slow cooker, place the meat on top of the veggies, and add all the liquid. The cook time for the pork is about 6-8 hours on high.

Gravy

Why do we need to add balsamic vinegar, red wine, and broth to the bottom of the slow cooker? Because it will make some of the best gravy that you have ever tasted.

There is nothing worse than a dry pork roast. Adding liquid to the slow cooker helps to keep the pork roast moist. And? After the pork roast has cooked in the slow cooker all the delicious meat juice and vegetable juice drip into the bottom of the slow cooker.

This creates the gravy you will use to serve with the slow cooker pork roast!

To make your gravy after the pork is ready, remove the pork and the vegetables from the slow cooker. From there you remove about 1/2 cup of the gravy and whisk it with about 1.5 tablespoons of cornstarch.

Once the corn starch has dissolved in the liquid, microwave it for about 45 seconds, then pour that liquid back into the slow cooker and whisk it into the rest of the liquid. This should create a thin gravy in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Everything You Need to Know

Do I need to add liquid to slow cooker pork?

Yes, we recommend adding liquid to slow cooker pork! It creates a delicious gravy and adds moisture to the cooking environment to keep the pork nice and moist.

Can you slow cook pork too long?

It is hard to overcook a pork roast! There is a sweet spot when the pork becomes tender and fall off the bone. When that happens. keep an eye on the pork before it becomes mushy!

How do I flavor pork roast?

You can flavor pork with any of your favorite spice rubs. We recommend the best dry rub for pork. No matter what spice rub you use, be sure to use enough SALT!

What goes with pork roast?

Pork roast goes well with just about anything! It tends to be a heavier meal, so pairing it with something a little lighter is always a good idea! Here are our favorite pairings with this slow cooker pork roast!

How do I store slow cooker pork roast?

To store this slow cooker pork roast, let the pork cool completely before placing it in an airtight container. You can keep pork roast in the refrigerator for up to 7 days!

Healthy Pork Recipes

Healthy Slow Cooker Pork Video

Recipe

Slow Cooker Pork Roast

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Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 25 minutes

Author: Lee Funke

Yield: 8 servings 1x

Category: Dinner

Method: Slow Cooker

Cuisine: American

Ingredients

6 medium russet potatoes, quartered
1 medium white onion, chopped
6 medium carrots, diced into 4 pieces each
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 lbs. boneless pork shoulder roast
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 sprigs rosemary, bundled
6 sprigs thyme, bundled
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup chicken broth

Pork Dry Rub

1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon pepper

Thickener

1.5 tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions

First, prepare your pork dry rub by mixing together all of the spices in a small bowl. Set aside.
Then, prepare veggies. Quarter 6 russet potatoes, chop a white onion, dice 6 medium carrots into 4 pieces each, and roughly chop 4 cloves of garlic.
Place the veggie medley on the bottom of your crockpot.
Next, rub your pork shoulder roast with the dry rub. Make sure that every nook and cranny is covered in rub.
Heat around 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium/high heat. When olive oil is fragrant, sear pork shoulder for 2 minutes on each side.
Then, transfer pork into your crock pot and place on top of the veggies. Make sure you scrape the skillet to get all of the delicious bits of rub off of it and add that to the crockpot, too.
Create herb bundle, by using bakers twine to tie together thyme and rosemary and set that on top of the pork.
Next, in a large Pyrex, mix together balsamic vinegar, red wine, and chicken broth.
Then, pour that on top of the pork roast.
Cover crockpot and turn to high. Let cook for around 6-8 hours (flipping pork roast halfway through cook time, if you can, if you can’t no worries!).
Remove meat and vegetables from the crockpot and discard the herb bundle.
Using two forks, pull the pork roast apart into chunks and set aside.
Place 1/2 cup of the liquid left in the crockpot into a microwave safe Pyrex. Whisk in cornstarch.
Place cornstarch mixture into the microwave for 45 seconds (mixture should be thick a gelatinous).
Remove from the microwave and whisk the cornstarch mixture into the existing liquid in the crockpot until it thickens into a thin gravy.
Place pork and vegetables back into the crockpot and mix, coating everything in gravy.