Crock Pot Pork Roast
A true "set it and forget it" recipe that makes its own gravy.
Be mindful of the size of the pork shoulder you buy for this recipe. For my crock pot, a four pound bone-in roast fit perfectly. This is a revised recipe that I originally posted in 2018. I've made some modifications in the braising ingredients since then, including the addition of pineapple juice which I think gives the roast and its accumulated gravy an added dimension of richness and flavor.
If the resulting gravy has too much fat in it, use a gravy separator to siphon off the grease. You do not need to use a submersion blender to finish the gravy, it’s good to go after you complete this step. However, remove the bay leaves before serving, and if you decide to use a submersion blended, you’ll also need to fish out the peppercorns.
This recipe has some of the elements of other pork roast recipes in my Pork Roast Repository, but this one is as simple as it gets. This version requires no browning of the roast beforehand, thus eliminating a lot of work.
Crock Pot Pork Roast
Ingredients
- 3 - 4 lb bone-in pork shoulder roast
- 1/2 cup no-sugar added apple sauce (like, Mott's Natural)
- 1- 1/2 tbsp dried rosemary
- 1- 1/2 tbsp dried sage
- 1 medium shallot, finely diced
- 1 cup chicken stock (like, Kitchen Basics or Swanson's)
- 1 small 8.4 ounce can pineapple juice (like, Dole)
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 15-20 whole peppercorns
- 1/8 tsp seasoned salt (like Morton's Season-All)
- 10-12 grinds freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Start with a pre-heated crock pot by filling it with hot tap water and turn it on high for 30 minutes to an hour. Empty the water before adding your ingredients to the cooker.
- Mix the apple sauce, rosemary, sage and shallots together to form a paste. Season the roast with with salt and pepper, then rub the applesauce paste all over the roast, on all sides.
- Place the roast, fat side up, in the pre-heated crock pot.
- Add the chicken stock, white wine, pineapple juice and vinegar, then toss in the peppercorns and submerge the two whole bay leaves. You want the braising liquid to cover only about 2/3 - 3/4 of the roast, so adjust liquid quantities as necessary.
- Put the lid on firmly and cook for 7 hours. Start on high and once the liquid is steadily simmering, you can lower the heat to its low setting.
- The roast will fall apart when you remove it to a serving platter, so support its weight with a couple of spatulas or large serving spoons.
- Use a fat separator if needed to remove grease from the pot gravy. Remove the bay leaves before serving the pork roast along side boiled red potatoes, mashed potatoes or rice.