Slow-Cooker Italian Pork Roast
There was a cosmic convergence among five factors to bring this recipe post into your kitchens:
1. Nom Nom Paleo did a cooking demo of her incredibly, lusciously delicious Slow Cooker Kalua Pig at our paleo throwdown in Estes Park, Colorado — and her 3-ingredient recipe inspired me to think about how I could adapt her technique to some other flavors.
2. I’ve had to jettison spices this month while I experiment with the autoimmune protocol for paleo.
3. I’m playing around with herbs since my spice playground is verboten.
4. I’m pushing the boundaries of using my slow cooker as a roasting vessel. I have a passionate dislike for stew and soups made in the slow cooker — they just don’t caramelize enough for me, and I feel like they’re always too watery — but I’m loving my slow cooker as a countertop oven.
5. Dave just acquired a new camera, and he’s snapping pics all over the place so he can deepen his relationship with it before we start official photography for Well Fed 2: More Paleo Recipes For People Who Love To Eat… which is why we have along-the-way photos in this post, in addition to the finished, tender, shiny, scrumptious pork.
Slow-Cooker Italian Pork Roast
I started with a 7-pound pork shoulder roast. Mine had a bone, but boneless will work, too.
Then I picked out some nice chubby garlic cloves and cut them into slivers…
I mixed Penzeys Italian Herb Mix with salt…
Stuck the garlic slivers into my piggy friend…
Then gave him a salt+herb massage. People pay big bucks for that kind of loving rub-down!
Straight into the slow cooker — no fuss, no muss, no liquid…
And 16 hours later, it was fall-apart tender and infused with flavor.
Slow-Cooker Italian Pork Roast
Serves a lot! | Prep 10 min. | Cook 16 hours, give or take
Ingredients:
5-7 pound pork roast, boneless or bone in (shoulder, Boston butt… ribs would work, too)
5-7 cloves garlic, cut into slivers
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon Penzeys Italian Herb Mix (or 1 teaspoon each dried oregano+dried basil+dried rosemary)
Directions:
1. Pat the pork roast dry with paper towels. Use a small sharp knife to make slits all over the pork, then insert the garlic slivers into the slits.
2. In a small bowl, mix the salt and dried herbs, using your fingers to crush the leaves and mix them with the salt. Rub the mixture all over the pork roast, working into the nooks and crannies.
3. Place the pork roast in the slow cooker and cook on low for 14 to 16 hours. As the pork roasts, the pan of the slow cooker will fill with liquid. You have two choices: (1) let it go and pour off the liquid when the meat is finished cooking; or (2) halfway through cooking, remove the lid and carefully pour off the liquid. Put the lid back on the pork and let it continue roasting; refrigerate the liquid in a glass bowl/jar or BPA-free container so the grease can separate from the luscious juice. I like to pour off the liquid so the outside of the roast gets crispier.
4. When the meat is finished roasting, it’s fall-apart tender. You can either shred it with forks, mixing the crusty bits with the interior, tender bits — or break it into serving-size hunks. It’s crazy-good either way. Remember the juice you put in the fridge? Now you can easily skim off the excess fat, re-heat the juice in a pan on the stove, and use it as a sauce for the cooked meat.
Other Crazy-Good Pork Recipes
Bigos
Moroccan-Spiced Pork Chops
Scotch Eggs
Czech Meatballs
Vampire-Fighting Pork Stew
Cook’s Illustrated BBQ Pork
Citrus Carnitas
5-Spice Slow-Cooker Pork Ribs
Tags: dino-chow, Italian, paleo, pork, slow cooker, super simple
55 Responses to “Slow-Cooker Italian Pork Roast”
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That looks delicious! Unfortunately, I don’t eat pork. What cuts of beef do you think might work with this? I also hate crockpot anything, for the same reasons you mentioned above, so I’m eager to try this!
I made it with a grass-fed beef chuck roast, and it was really tasty. Basically, any roast cut will work, I think. The low, slow heat is pretty forgiving. I’ve also used this technique on stew meat, and it worked well.
That looks so good! Perfect for cold days
I live in Louisiana – where can I find Penzey’s spices? Do they sell it in major grocery chains or should i search for it on-line? If I wanted to maybe make this today (because it looks so delicious) what could i use as a substitution?
You can buy Penzeys online at http://www.penzeys.com — or any store-bought Italian Herb Blend will work.
Also, as I said in the recipe, you can replace the herb blend with this:
1 teaspoon each dried oregano+dried basil+dried rosemary
This looks yummy!! Do you think this could work with beef? For a Italian Beef recipe? If so, what cut of beef? If not, do you have an Italian beef crockpot recipe? Hubby has been craving Italian beef so I need to find a yummy and (possibly) whole 30 approved recipe
I made it with a grass-fed beef chuck roast, and it was really tasty. Basically, any roast cut will work, I think. The low, slow heat is pretty forgiving. I’ve also used this technique on stew meat, and it worked well.
Thanks! Would you put any peppers in? Also, I have been meaning to ask you, what are must have blends that you would recommend ordering from Penzeys? I have been wanting to place and order but just not sure what to get! I know the Itallian seasoning will be on the list for this recipe
.
I’m not sure that veg would work very well with this technique — but there’s no harm in trying it.
Here’s a whole post I did on my spice cabinet… http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2011/05/09/whats-in-my-spice-cabinet/
And here’s a new one on the herbs I just stocked up on…
http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2012/10/12/herbs-vs-spices/
This looks SO GOOD. I’ve never seen anything that crispy looking come out of a slow cooker! I’m definitely going to try the longer cooking time, and pouring off the liquid. Mmm, I can taste it already…
Simply brilliant! Going on the menu for next week! Also, glad to hear about the 2nd Well Fed book. We are living out of the first and love it!!!
This is so perfect! I’ve had a huge (just under 8 lb) pastured pork roast in my freezer forever because I didn’t know what to do with a bone-in roast that big. Now I know! I’ll be making your recipe this weekend. Thanks!
I’m thinking of trying this with a pork tenderloin that’s sitting in my freezer and just monitoring the cooking time so I don’t end up with cinders. Sounds delish! Glad to hear about the new book but here’s a suggestion for the publishers– spiral-bound. I use mine so much it is literally falling apart– they just don’t bind books like they used to. I’m going to take all the pages out and put them in plastic sleeves in a binder, then I can integrate my new Mel recipes with them.Thanks for the post!
“The publishers” are my husband and me… we’re Smudge Publishing, and the bindings on our recent printings are AWESOME. It was just the first printing that had some problems, which isn’t unusual.
Well Fed 2 will probably be available both as a spiral bound AND as a lay-flat. I personally hate spiral, but I know other people like it.
Also: pork tenderloin is VERY lean. You might want to sear it first in a cast iron skillet, then finish it in the crockpot and definitely don’t leave it in there too long, or it will get dry. And you might want to add some chicken broth to the crockpot. The technique described above will NOT work for a lean cut like tenderloin.
I’ll have to figure this out — my crockpot only goes up to 10 hours on low.
Same with mine, Jenny. As a matter of fact, it says 10 hours, but when I tried to make the kahlua pork, it actually switched to warm an hour or so BEFORE the 10 hour mark!
Very frustrating!
Do you think this kimd of liquid-less roasting in the slow cooker would work with beef cheeks? I’ve been thinking of doing a teriyaki beef cheeks type of this but didn’t want it to be liquidy like all the other beek cheek stews I’ve made. Thought this might be a good way.
I ended up doing this with beef cheeks. Tasted nothing like Teriyaki but was AMAAAZZZINNGG (just added some coconut aminos n stuff like that). This technique produced the much desired exterior blackening of the cheeks.
ooh well fed 2!
YAY how long do we have to wait for it? So exciting!
Just eaten this, but lamb shoulder for 8 hours. Simply amazing.
Roll on Sunday for the pork shoulder for 14 hours. Tastiest meat you’ll ever eat, and all that lovely rendered fat for cooking, yum.
Great recipe Melissa.
Just made a modified version of this – pork roast, stuffed with garlic, sprig of rosemary, and then a dozen small (2″) tomatoes halved and 1 cup water in the slow cooker for 6 hours. It was fantastic.
Thanks for sharing all your good recipes.
Great looking roast and so simple. I’ll have to switch up my standard “overnight roast” for this one week.
Went out and got a pork roast today, its going in tonight. Figuring on having enough to provide into, and maybe through, the weekend.
My GF has done similar with a whole chicken. Just put it in the crock pot, no liquids added. Don’t remember how long, maybe ~5 hours? It too ended up as pull-apart goodness.
Melissa,
And I want to click a little P so that this one will go on that board.
Please please please add a Pinterest button to your posts! I’m making a board of slow cooker and freezer Paleo meals.
Muchas Gracias,
Erin
It’s on our to-do list! For now, I have this pic pinned on my board “Favorite Recipes,” so you can repin it, if you want…
http://pinterest.com/melissajoulwan/favorite-recipes/
I just have to say; How. Delicious. Is. This? Got up at 6am on a Sunday morning to prep it and it was soooooo worth the early start.
Round 1 was last night’s supper nom nom nom
Currently making it through round two in a salad at my desk.
So simple. SO GOOD. Thank you Mel – you’re awesome
Hooray! Glad you liked it! I’m working on variations so we can use this technique on other flavors. YAY!
If you put it in the slow cooker at 10:00 p.m., then it can cook overnight and you don’t have to get up early
I am NOT a pork eater at all, made this for my husband Sunday, it was sooooo DELISH !!!!! I used the reserve liquid to make a gravy added it to a rue. Put ANY preconceived thoughts of crockpot and pork out of your mind, TRUST ME YOU WILL LOVE IT!!!!!!
[...] article animal flesh and vitamins recipe slow cooker italian roast [...]
This sounds very easy and DELICIOUS, Melissa. I love doing garlic-studded meat. Bet this would be equally good on beef and lab roasts.
This is so tasty, but it was a bit stinky overnight as a slow roasting piggy in the kitchen infused the sleeping household with piggy smells! Put it on at 10 p.m., drained liquid @ 6 a.m., let it finish cooking till noon. Very easy…except for the tricky part of trying to figure out how to pour off the liquid.
Mel, can you give us some more “crock pot as a roaster” recipes? I love this idea! And thank you for YOU. This week my house has Choc Chili, your lemon AWESOME mayo, and zuccini noodles. How did I live without these things before I “met” you? XOXO
I LOVE waking up to the smell of roasting meat!
I’m working on a few more counter-top roasting recipes. They’re pretty easy. Very little liquid, meat, spices… done!
I’m so glad my recipes are filling your kitchen with yummines. YAY!
I get what you’re saying about the reasons for not liking slow cooking…but I’m in grad school, and the fact that I can get stews/soups/pulled meat with almost no time or effort is so worth the compromise. I would KILL for a Well Fed Slow Cooking edition!
Got one cooking right now. You are right, it is a wonderful morning aroma!
Holy crap, my stomach is GROWLING over this one! Thanks for a new method for roasting. I am looking forward to trying it!
I love your recipes. Question: Do you think that a pork loin would be to lean for the slow cooker?
We’ve done this a few times now. The second time my GF picked up some pork loin. Figuring it was worth a try, we did it the same way, and again removed the liquids at halfway. It was OK (not great) the first night, but the leftovers were dry, dry, dry.
The one we just did was more of a BBQ flavor to it and was excellent. (added in some sauce with sauteed onions, worcester, apple vinegar, chili powder, and yes, a bit of brown sugar)
Nope. A pork loin is way too lean for the slow cooker. If you want to try these flavors, use the same ingredients, but cook it this way:
Preheat oven to 500. Place pork in a 9×13-in dish.
Put pork in the oven for 15 minutes. Turn off oven. Do not open the door. Let the pork sit in hot oven 45-60 minutes longer, until meat thermometer reads 145 degrees.
[...] I’m making this for dinner tomorrow: Slow-Cooker Italian Pork Roast [...]
is it possible to do on high for 8 hours?
Yep, that should work just fine.
One of the best foods around is the pork roast. I know that my kids even eat pork roast, will have to try it in the slow cooker.
How did you determine the cooking time- I have never cooked anything that long in the crockpot.
I just got a giant enamel covered cast iron covered casserole for Christmas. Would this recipe work in this in the oven on a lower temp? I’ve not cooked with this type of dish before, so don’t know about the no liquid thing. If so, what temp would you recommend? Thanks!
That should work just fine. For this size pork roast, roast it at 425 for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 and roast an additional 2-3 hours. If you have a roasting rack, you might want to put that in the roasting pan under the meat. I would also keep the meat covered for the first few hours, then remove the lid to let the meat brown during the last hour of cooking. Then let it rest for 30 minutes after you take it out of the oven.
I have a beef roast that’s about half this size… This may be a dumb question, but, would I cut the cooking time in half? Or is it not as clean of a conversion as that?
Thanks!
That’s a GREAT question! And yes, you can knock the cooking time down to 6-8 hours.
Thanks, girly!
Thanks for asking this! I was JUST about to write the same question down (mine is 2.2 lbs)
Thanks for all that you do, Mel!
[...] B: Egg Scramble L: Leftover Spaghetti D: Slow Cooker Italian Pork Roast with Side Salad and Butternut Squash [...]
This is so good it is almost ridiculous !!
just tried and this is great. thanks!
Great, and I’ll make it again, though I’ll cut the salt in half. I poured off the liquid halfway through and refrigerated it. Took off the coagulated fat and reduced the liquid, but it (the “gravy”) was way too salty. The pork was not – it was great.
Hi Mel,
When I made this the juices went into a jelly form after it cooled in the fridge. Is this normal? I did scrape the fat off the top but thought the juice would still be liquid. I’m thinking that this is okay but thought I would ask.
Michelle
It is AWESOME that it turned to jelly. That means there’s lots of nutrients in there — like when bone broth gels. Scrape the fat off the top and re-heat the gel; it will get liquidy and taste amazing.
Great, thanks Mel. My experience with cooking meat in the past has been limited to grilling or roasting (and not the slow roasting kind) so I wasn’t sure. I have tucked into it jelly and all and it is AMAZING
Glad you like it! The slow cooker as a roaster is pretty awesome. More coming in Well Fed 2. YAY!