All Purpose Slow Cooker Pork Roast

All Purpose Slow Cooker Pork Roast might be my new go-to meal prep dish. Similar to my All Purpose Meatballs and All Purpose Chicken Meatballs it’s a freezer and leftover friendly protein. It can truly be transformed into anything you like. This recipe has 4 ingredients, and that includes the pork itself! Make sure you have my BBQ Rub and Seasoning on hand, or at least check out the spice blend in that, and make sure you have those on hand for the seasoning.

I don’t do a ton of slow cooker meals. It generally only consists of a roast of some kind, most commonly pork, and sometimes a beef roast. Do you guys like slow cooker recipes? Comment below what some of your favorites are, I’d love to do more! Generally a roast will take anywhere from 7-10 hours which is perfect for families that are working all day. This recipe says 8 hours, but I generally let it go 10, or at least turn it on warm when I get home. You can’t really over cook a roast in my opinion if it is on low all day with enough liquid.

If you trim enough of the fat off before you cook it, the less you’ll have to weed through after it’s cooked. When I take the roast out to pull it apart I usually discard about half or more of the liquid, and keep the rest in the pot for the meat to hang out it. The roast should really just fall apart as you’re taking it out of the slow cooker. I usually do this step right after work, and then leave it on low, already shredded in the slow cooker until we’re ready to eat.

I’ve never really cooked with liquid smoke, but it would be a great addition to a roast like this. A lot of pulled pork is done from an actual smoked pork shoulder, and if you’re like me and do not have a smoker, but you really want that smoked flavor, liquid smoke would be great! I definitely want to try it next time, but for now smoked paprika will have to do!

I’ll be coming up with plenty of fabulous recipes using this pulled pork so make sure to check back! I’ll link them below as I create them. This pork freezes very well too so go ahead and make a big one to have leftovers on hand! You’re going to want to safe some leftovers for these Pulled Pork Eggs Benedict!

Here are a few other favorite uses for leftover pork!

Pulled Pork Street Tacos

Cuban Melts

BBQ Pulled Pork Naan Pizzas

Pork Cubano Tacos (FAV!)

Pulled Pork Topped Sweet Potatoes

BBQ Pulled Pork Bowls

Salsa Verde Pork Tostadas

Carolina Gold BBQ Pork Sandwiches

5 from 1 vote
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All Purpose Slow Cooker Pork Roast

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 5 minutes
Author Laura Doerr

Ingredients

  • 4-5 lbs boneless pork shoulder trimmed of excess fat
  • 3 tbsp BBQ Seasoning and Rub linked in blog post
  • 1 large yellow onion sliced
  • 2 1/2 cups apple cider

Instructions

  1. Trim any large amounts of excess fat off the roast. Rub the seasoning mixture on all sides of the roast until it is covered.

  2. Pour 2 cups of the apple cider into the slow cooker. Arrange 1/2 of the sliced onions on the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the roast into the slow cooker on top of the onions. Pour the reaming 1/2 cup of apple cider over the pork, and place the rest of the sliced onions on top of the roast. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

  3. Remove cooked roast onto a cutting board. Roast should easily fall apart and shred. Keep about half of the remaining liquid and onions, discard the rest. Add shredded pulled pork back into the slow cooker with the reserved liquid and onions, enough to keep it all moist. Keep on warm until ready to serve.

  4. Serve as is with sides, in a bun with BBQ sauce, in a taco, in an egg scramble, any way you like it! Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

If you have the time, once you add the rub, sear the roast in a preheated lightly oiled skillet to brown it on all sides. It will form a nice crust to lock in the spices. Optional, but delicious if you have a few extra minutes.

If you don’t have my all purpose BBQ seasoning, just use a combo of the same spices, or whatever you have in the pantry. Garlic, onion, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, cumin, dry mustard…or any combo of these!

I always have at least 2 meals worth of leftovers when I make a big roast, and love to make it into a whole new meal. Check out the links in the blog post for meal ideas!

4 Comments

  • Becky
    Posted December 7, 2019 11:04 am 0Likes

    5 stars
    I make this roast about once a month because it’s so simple to toss in the slow cooker to cook while we are at work. The seasoning is super flavorful, and versatile so it goes great with a lot of next-day recipes with the leftovers.

    • Laura Doerr
      Posted December 7, 2019 12:59 pm 0Likes

      Thank you! I probably make this once a month too! Perfect for leftovers or the freezer!

  • Nathan Leazer
    Posted September 8, 2021 8:11 am 0Likes

    It doesn’t really seem all-purpose if there is BBQ seasoning in there.

    • Laura Doerr
      Posted September 8, 2021 8:41 am 0Likes

      Hi there! The seasoning does not take over the whole flavor of the roast. You can certainly add ANY seasoning of your choice. I’ve used the leftover roast in dozens of other recipes that are not BBQ related and it works great!

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