Slow cooker pork roast is seasoned with garlic and herbs and cooked until fall-apart tender. Made with simple ingredients, you only need five minutes of prep to get this dinner started.
The slow cooker is a fantastic way to prepare dinner whether you're at work or busy at home. All you need is five minutes of prep to make a pork roast that packs tons of savory, comforting flavor.
Since pork shoulder is a relatively fatty and tough cut of meat, cooking it low and slow is the perfect choice. This roast turns out fall-apart tender and juicy - you're going to love it!
Serve over mashed potatoes, on a sandwich, or on its own with a side of vegetables. Any leftovers reheat beautifully, making it a great way to meal prep for several days.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Pork roast - Boneless pork butt or pork shoulder work best in this recipe.
- Broth - Broth can be pork, chicken, beef, or vegetable - feel free to use what you have on hand.
- Onion - Slice your onion into thick wedges - it cooks down almost entirely in the slow cooker.
- Garlic - Fresh garlic adds the best flavor, but can be substituted with 1 teaspoon of garlic powder if needed.
- Herbs and spices - Salt, pepper, paprika, thyme, and rosemary add flavor to your roast. Herbs can be substituted with an Italian seasoning blend if desired.
Tips and tricks
- Use the right size slow cooker for your roast - Make sure your slow cooker is filled about ½ to ¾ full for best results. If your roast is smaller than 3-4 pounds, a smaller slow cooker may work better for you.
- Using a larger roast? - The cooking time will increase if you're using a roast larger than 3 to 4 pounds. The cooking times shown are for a boneless roast in this size range.
- Low and slow is best - Don't try to rush your roast. A tough, fatty cut of meat needs time to tenderize in the slow cooker.
Frequently asked questions
For this recipe, you'll want to use a 3-4 pound boneless pork butt or pork shoulder. A pork shoulder or pork butt works best in the slow cooker because it is a fattier cut of meat. The slow cooking allows the fat to melt away, flavoring your meat and keeping it nice and juicy. Any remaining fat can be removed from your pork before serving.
I do not recommend using a pork loin as a substitution because it's a much leaner cut of meat. A pork loin would need about half as much time in the slow cooker. (Check out my recipe for oven roasted pork loin instead)
Pork roast cooks down best on low heat for about 9-10 hours. Once your pork roast can easily be shredded with a fork, you'll know it's ready. If you don't have time, you can cook your pork roast on high heat for 5-6 hours instead.
If you'd like to sear your roast, you're welcome to do so. Searing adds depth of flavor and texture that you won't get from a slow cooker alone.
No. This is a long-standing cooking myth that has been proven false many times. While searing does add flavor and texture to meat, it doesn't help seal in juices or moisture. Here is a great article on the subject: Tasting Table - The Biggest Myth About Searing Meat
Serve pork roast over mashed potatoes with the cooked onions and juices from the bottom of the slow cooker. You could also add shredded pork onto your favorite lightly toasted sandwich bread with a bit of mayonnaise and Dijon mustard. Pork roast can also be served on its own alongside some oven roasted potatoes or green beans.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Pork Roast
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, thick sliced
- 8 ounces chicken broth
- 3 pound boneless pork roast, butt or shoulder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
Instructions
- Add onions and chicken broth to the bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker. Season your pork roast on all sides with salt, pepper, and paprika and place in slow cooker over onions. Sprinkle top of roast with garlic, thyme, and rosemary.
- Cover and cook on low heat for about 9-10 hours, or until roast is fall-apart tender. A larger roast will take longer to cook. You can also cook your roast on high heat for about 5-6 hours.
- Shred roast with a fork, removing any remaining fatty pieces before serving. Serve over mashed potatoes or on a sandwich.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Chicken broth can be substituted with beef, pork, or vegetable broth.
- Pork shoulder or butt are the best options for this recipe. Pork loin should not be substituted in this recipe - it is a leaner cut of meat and will turn out dry and overcooked.
- If making as sandwiches, we recommend lightly toasting your bread and adding mayonnaise and dijon mustard.
- Leftovers reheat well the next day - store leftover meat with some of the liquid from the bottom of the slow cooker to keep moist.
This is definitely a keeper, it is delicious and moist. the only thing different is I brown the Butt roast on all sides first. I believe all meat in a crockpot should be browned first, it keeps the moisture in the meat. thanks for the recipe.
Hi Chris, so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Searing meat to seal in juices is actually a myth - although it does add depth of flavor to the meat itself, so that step can be a great addition to this recipe.
Chowhound - Harold McGee Debunks the "Sealing in the Juices" Meat Myth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjfDW-kcX5E
https://www.tastingtable.com/693055/why-sear-meat-locking-in-juices-food-myths/
Plus, browning helps it make its own gravey. I've never used broth before, but today I will. I'm on here to see what dry seasonings other people use.
Does it really help to "rub" the seasonings into the outside?
I'm about to try to cut it off the bone cause It's too big for any of my crock pots, But then again, I could just put it in the oven since this weather has finally cooled off a little!
This looks delicious! Do you know how cook time and temp would translate to a dutch oven?
I haven't tried making this recipe in the oven so I can't say for sure. Here is a recipe for pork shoulder in the oven that may be helpful. They recommend 20 minutes at 425, then another 4 hours at 325:
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aaron-mccargo-jr/simple-roasted-pork-shoulder-recipe-1923881
This was delicious. Will be making it again.
absolutely terriffic recipe! I have prepared this 4 times in the last 3 months and again today. great on sandwiches, over mashed potatoes, or over rice ! I made extra this time to use some into a pierogi stuffing. thanks for sharing your recipe!
Hi, I was just wondering if lemon would taste good with this? I was trying to go by H-E-B's Lemon and Herb Roasted Pork Butt recipe, but could not find of any reviews of it.
I haven't tried lemon in my slow cooker roasts before, so I can't say for sure how it would turn out. You could definitely change up the flavors of this roast and still use the same cooking times though. If you give it a try, let us know how it goes!
I have a 7 or 7.5 pound roast. Will it still cook all the way through and be falling apart when it's done? I'll add more spices, of course. Thanks!
Hi Julianne, a 7+ pound roast will take longer to be fall apart tender. I did a little research on similar recipes, and for a 6 to 7 pound roast they recommended closer to 14 hours on low. You could also try using a combination of high and low heat to reduce the total time slightly - for example starting the roast on high for two hours, then reducing the heat to low for another 8-10 hours. If you give it a try, let us know how it goes!
This was phenomenal. Not a fan of slow cookers in general due to lack of developed flavor but a shoulder roast lends itself well to this kind of cooking. Flavor is simple but delicious.