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Slow Cooker Pork Roast

Slow Cooker Pork Roast with potatoes, mushrooms, and carrots. This simple one-pot meal is easy comfort food and perfect for meal prepping weeknight meals.

Shredded pork on a black serving platter.

After making and loving my Slow Cooker Pot Roast recipe, I just had to make a pork version. I kept this juicy pork roast almost exactly the same as my original recipe for beef roast, with a couple small changes.

This easy recipe comes together fairly quickly and results in amazing tender pork roast and veggies for a complete meal. 

The most challenging part preparing the recipe is searing a pork roast in a skillet prior to adding it to the crock pot. This step can easily be skipped to save time if you find it daunting. 

This easy pork roast recipe can be modified to fit your palate by using your favorite seasonings and vegetables. In this sense, this versatile recipe can be used as a jumping off point to all your delicious slow cooker roasts.

Black slate with shredded pork, potatoes, and carrots on top, ready to serve.

Let’s have a look at the simple ingredients for slow cooker pork roast.

Ingredients for Slow Cooker Pork Roast:

Pork Roast: Pick your favorite cut of meat here. I used a boneless pork butt roast that came with netting wrapped around it, but you can use any pork roast that is available to you. Boneless pork shoulder roast, pork tenderloin, and pork loin roast are all a great option. 

Larger, bone-in roasts will require more time to slow cook, but as long as it fits in the crock pot, it’s cookable. What cut of meat is ideal for slow cooking?

I like using pork roasts that have a decent amount of intramuscular fat marbling to keep the meat moist and tender.

I also avoid a lot of excess fat that needs to be trimmed off. Boneless pork roast often requires less time, but bone-in pork shoulder roast generally results in more flavor.

Vegetables: Yellow onion, fresh garlic, white potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms are the veggies we use here. The addition of fresh vegetables adds robust flavor and also makes the meal substantial. 

Braising Liquid: Low-sodium chicken broth and red wine are my liquids of choice for cooking the pork. You can also use apple cider, beef broth, chicken stock, or any broth you like. Omit the red wine if you’d like.

Seasonings: Fresh thyme, sea salt, and black pepper. This combination is all you need to season the roast to perfection. You can go off script here and use other dried herbs and fresh herbs.

Fresh rosemary, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning are great options. If you enjoy dry rubbed pork roast, you can pick your favorite spice rub or dry rub. Consider dry bringing the roast overnight prior to cooking.

Recipe Customizations:

  • I like using baby gold potatoes, but small red potatoes, or chopped yukon gold potatoes or russet potatoes also works. While sweet potatoes work too, I don’t recommend them unless you’re okay with the meal having a sweeter flavor overall.
  • Swap in or out any vegetables. I like the idea of adding green beans, root vegetables, or bok choy.
  • Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of tangy balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, or Worcestershire sauce for even more flavor.
  • You can cut different cuts of pork into several larger pieces so that it cooks evenly and requires less time.
Shredded pork, potatoes, and carrots on a black serving platter.

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s make this slow cooker pork roast recipe.

How to Make Slow Cooker Pork Roast:

Remove the pork roast from its packaging and place it on a cutting board or a large plate. If the roast comes with netting, cut it off and discard it. Pat any excess moisture off of the roast with paper towels. 

Pork butt roast seasoned with salt and pepper, sitting on a black plate.

Sprinkle the whole roast with sea salt and pepper.

Heat the avocado oil in a large cast iron skillet on the stove top over medium-high heat. Allow the oil to heat up for a few minutes to become sizzling hot, then carefully place the seasoned pork roast on the hot surface fat side down.

Sear for 6 minutes then flip to the other side and sear for another 3 to 6 minutes, until two sides have a golden brown crust.

Pork roast searing in a skillet.

While the meat is browning in the skillet, add all of the ingredients to the bottom of the crock pot and give them a big stir.

Vegetables, broth, and fresh herbs at the bottom of a crock pot to be cooked with pork roast.

Transfer the browned pork to the crock pot, moving around the vegetables to create space if necessary.

Ingredients for crock pot pork roast in a slow cooker, ready to cook.

Secure the lid on the slow cooker and cook on High heat for 5 to 6 hours or Low heat for 8 to 10 hours, or until the pork roast is fork tender.

Remove the roast from the slow cooker and transfer it to a cutting board. Either use two forks to shred the roast into shredded pork, or use a sharp knife to cut the roast into chunks for serving.

Shredded pork on a cutting board.

Serve pork roast with the veggies and juices from the crock pot and enjoy! I recommend serving the meal with some form of starch like brown rice, noodles, mashed potatoes, or crusty bread to absorb the delicious juices.

You can also use the juices at the bottom of the crock pot to make flavorful gravy if you’re a gravy lover.

Use leftover pork in pork sandwiches with a tangy glaze. 

Pork roast and vegetables in a crock pot.

Store leftover pork roast in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can also freeze pork in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. If you go this route, I recommend including all of the remaining juices too.

How Long Should a Pork Roast Be Cooked?:

In a slow cooker, a pork roast requires 4 to 6 hours on high heat, or 6 to 10 hours on low heat, depending on the size of the roast.

The roast is finished when it is cooked through and has reached an internal temperature of at least 145 degrees F. Although pork roast is fully cooked at this temperature, allowing it to cook for longer periods of time helps soften the muscle fibers and creates a tender result.

In this sense, the exact cooking time needed to cook pork roast in a crock pot depends on its size and how tender you want it to be. I personally prefer going with a longer cook time to make tender pulled pork and to allow the flavors to develop.

If you enjoy slow cooker recipes like this crockpot pork roast, also try out these reader favorites!

More Crock Pot Recipes:

Tender pork and veggies is a feel-good meal the whole family can enjoy!

Shredded pork, potatoes, and carrots on a black serving platter.

Slow Cooker Pork Roast

The easiest one-pot meal, this simple yet delicious pork roast recipe features fresh veggies and a rich broth for a comforting complete meal.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
5 Servings

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 (2.5 to 3- pound) boneless pork butt roast
  • Sea salt and pepper
  • 2 Tbsp avocado oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, sliced
  • 1.5 lbs potatoes I use baby gold potatoes
  • 3 large carrots, chopped into large chunks
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, chopped, optional
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 3 cups beef broth
  • 1 cup red wine, optional

Instructions

  • Remove the pork roast from its packaging and place it on a cutting board or a large plate. If the roast comes with netting, cut it off and discard it. Pat any excess moisture off of the roast with paper towels.
  • Sprinkle the whole roast with sea salt and pepper.
  • Heat the avocado oil in a large cast iron skillet on the stove top over medium-high heat. Allow the oil to heat up for a few minutes to become sizzling hot, then carefully place the seasoned pork roast on the hot surface. Sear for 6 minutes then flip to the other side and sear for another 3 to 6 minutes, until two sides have a golden brown crust.
  • While the meat is browning in the skillet, add all of the ingredients to the bottom of the crock pot and give them a big stir.
  • Transfer the browned pork to the crock pot, moving around the vegetables to create space if necessary.
  • Secure the lid on the slow cooker and cook on High heat for 5 to 6 hours or Low heat for 8 to 10 hours, or until the pork roast is fork tender.
  • Remove the roast from the slow cooker and transfer it to a cutting board. Either use two forks to shred the roast into shredded pork, or use a sharp knife to cut the roast into chunks for serving.
  • Serve pork roast with the veggies and juices from the crock pot and enjoy! I recommend serving the meal with some form of starch like brown rice, noodles, mashed potatoes, or crusty bread to absorb the delicious juices. You can also use the juices at the bottom of the crock pot to make flavorful gravy if you’re a gravy lover.

Notes

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving (of 5)Calories: 641kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 42gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 130mgSodium: 1086mgFiber: 5gSugar: 7g
Course: Main Dishes, Pork Main Dishes
Cuisine: American
Keyword: crock pot pork roast, gluten free dinner recipes, healthy crock pot recipes, healthy dinner recipes, pork recipes, slow cooker pork roast, slow cooker recipes
Servings: 5 Servings
Calories: 641kcal
Author: Julia

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Recipe Rating




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Angela

Saturday 27th of January 2024

Anyone tried this in the Instapot on “slow cook” or just regular pressure cook? I no longer have a crockpot and this sounds delicious

Julia

Tuesday 30th of January 2024

Hi Angela! I actually have an Instant Pot Pot Roast recipe! You can check it out here: https://www.theroastedroot.net/instant-pot-pot-roast/

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