A Slow Cooker Pork Loin roast or Pork Shoulder roast that’s cooked in an amazing honey butter garlic sauce! It’s a slow cooker pork roast recipe that works fabulously with pork loin, shoulder and scotch fillet, for your slow cooker, pressure cooker or oven.
Easy enough for midweek yet impressive enough for company, this crock pot pork loin is going to rock your world!
I will do anything I can to try to convince you to try this, so let me say again:
THIS CROCK POT PORK LOIN WILL ROCK YOUR WORLD!!!
OK, I confess. I just like that it (kind of) rhymes and wanted to say it. Again. ?
I’m done with the fun – now down to business!
This is a recipe I created especially for pork loin, but I’ve found that it works just as well with pork shoulder so you’ll see photos of both throughout this post.
The beauty of this recipe is that it looks and tastes like a traditional oven roasted pork – but it’s made in the slow cooker. Entirely hands off cooking time, slow cooked to tender perfection and when you pull it out at the end, the sauce just needs a quick simmer to thicken while the pork rests.
ABOUT THIS SLOW COOKER PORK LOIN ROAST
I know there are quite a few types of slow cooker pork loins “out there” so let me tell you what you’re getting with this one.
It’s a spice rubbed pork loin that’s cooked until it’s tender but still sliceable like classic roasts.
It’s cooked partially submerged in a miracle 4 ingredient Honey Butter Garlic Sauce which infuses the pork with flavour, adds juiciness and transforms into an amazing syrupy sauce to serve the pork with. Pork loin is a lean cut of meat so it’s ideal to have a buttery strong flavoured sauce to serve it with!
You get bonus points for basting while it cooks, but even if you don’t, this is how the pork looks straight out of the slow cooker: golden and bronzed, glistening with that honey butter sauce!
TIPS FOR MAKING SLOW COOKER PORK ROAST
Slow cooker pork roast is actually very simple to make as long as you use the right cut of pork and follow a few key steps:
Best pork for pork roast in a slow cooker – Though I originally created this recipe for pork loin, this recipe works brilliantly with pork loin, pork shoulder and scotch fillet roast (pork neck, a roasting cut of pork that’s popular in Australia and some parts of Europe, brilliant for fast and slow cooking). The first photo at the top is pork loin, the 2nd photo is shoulder;
Slow cooking pork loin – Being a lean cut of pork, there’s only two ways to cook it: Hard and fast until the inside is at an exact temperature, like with traditional pork roasts, OR slowly at a lower temperature. Slow cooking is more forgiving because it’s done at a lower temperature so an hour or so too long isn’t going to ruin your pork;
Pork Shoulder and Scotch Fillet – These cuts have more fat marbled through them so they are natural choices to use for slow cooker pork roasts. As they cook, the fat melts, making the meat beautifully juicy;
Tenderloin – Not a natural choice for this recipe because it’s much thinner than the other cuts listed above so it cooks much faster than the cuts listed above. However, I have included directions in the recipe notes for how to make this with tenderloin;
Season the pork for extra flavour with at least salt and pepper. I use a simple spice mix for this crock pot pork recipe;
SEAR! Browning = flavour. Whether you brown the pork before or after slow cooking, don’t skip this step, it’s imperative for great flavour!
How long to cook a pork roast in the slow cooker – for pork loin, 4 to 5 hours on low for tender, juicy perfection. Pork shoulder needs to be cooked for 10 hours on low for a 1.5 – 2.5kg / 3 – 5 lb pork roast. Shoulder is a tougher cut of pork so it requires a longer cook time to break down the fibres and fat.
SLOW COOKER PORK LOIN SPICE RUB & SAUCE
Here are the ingredients in this Slow Cooker Pork Loin sauce and spice rub. There’s not many!!!
THE SAUCE!
The Honey Butter Sauce for this Slow Cooker Pork Loin is made using the juices remaining in the slow cooker when the pork is cooked.
Straight out of the slow cooker, the flavour of the sauce is a bit thin so it needs to be reduced and I also like to thicken it a touch using cornflour to make it a syrupy thickness.
The Honey Butter Sauce truly is a miracle – it’s made with just cider vinegar, garlic and (hold onto your seats here…) BUTTER and HONEY!!
It’s ideal for serving with a Slow Cooker Pork Loin because it adds richness to an otherwise lean meat. Bonus: this recipe makes tons of sauce to smother your veggies and potatoes with it too!
What to do with leftovers?
Use it to make epic Bread Bowl Sandwich or Cubanos – Cuban Pork Sandwiches!
HOW I PREPARE AHEAD
This is one of those recipes that’s terrific for a midweek meal yet impressive enough for company. What I’ve been doing is preparing it the night before (searing the pork, making the sauce) then pouring it over the pork and leaving it in the removable insert of my slow cooker until the next morning.
Then I pop the insert into my slow cooker in the morning, leave the house for the day and come back to THIS ↓↓↓ Happy days!! – Nagi x
PS Pictured in post with a side of Garlic Sautéed Spinach and these Greek Lemon Roasted Potatoes.
More slow cooker roast recipes
Slow Cooker Pot Roast (with gravy!)
Slow Cooker Pork Loin Roast
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Slow Cooker Pork Loin Roast OR Pork Shoulder
Ingredients
- 1.75 – 2.5 kg / 3.5 – 5lb pork loin OR shoulder/boston butt ,or scotch fillet, skinless (Note 1)
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil , separated
Spice Rub:
- 2 tsp EACH paprika, thyme
- 1 tsp EACH garlic powder, onion powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper , optional
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp salt
Honey Butter Sauce:
- 3/4 cup honey
- 125g / 1/2 cup butter , unsalted
- 5 cloves garlic , minced
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt and pepper , each
Thickener:
- 3 tsp cornflour/cornstarch mixed with splash of water
Instructions
- Spice Rub: Rub pork with about 1 tsp oil. Mix Rub together then sprinkle over pork. Pat to adhere all over.
- Brown: Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add pork and sear all around until deep golden brown (don’t let spices burn). Place pork in slow cooker.
- Honey Butter Sauce: Wipe pan. Add butter and melt. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute until golden. Add remaining Sauce ingredients, mix, simmer rapidly for 30 seconds.
Slow Cook:
- Pour Sauce over pork. Cover slow cooker.
- Pork loin – Cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours (see Note 2 for cook times for different sizes)
- Pork Shoulder – Cook on LOW for 10 hours (see Note 2 for cook times for different sizes, and Note 4 for oven, InstantPot and pressure cooker methods).
- Remove pork onto serving platter, cover loosely with foil (10 – 20 minutes rest). (See Note 6 on Doneness)
- Pour all juices in slow cooker into large saucepan. Add cornflour water mixture, mix.
- Thicken Sauce: Simmer on medium high for 5 minutes or until it reduces down to a syrupy consistency (Note 3).
- Slice pork into thick slices (1.5 – 2 cm / 3/5 – 4/5″ thick). Serve with PLENTY of Honey Butter Sauce!
Recipe Notes:
1 kg / 2lb – Pork Loin 3.5 hours on low, Shoulder 8 hours on low
1.5 – 2.5kg / 3 – 5lb: Per recipe
3kg / 6lb: Pork Loin 6 hours on low, Shoulder 11 – 12 hours on low
Use times closest to your pork size. 3. Sauce reduction: Reduction time to thicken dependent on how much juice comes out of the pork. Go by eye – when sauce is thin maple syrup consistency, it’s ready (will thicken bit more when it cools a bit) 4. Other cook methods: * Pressure Cooker – Pork shoulder 1 hour 20 minutes on HIGH. To save time, this is how I did the pork in the 2nd photo in post. Have not tried pork loin so am unsure of required time.
* Instant Pot – Brown pork in IP, remove, melt butter and make Sauce in IP, then add pork back in, spoon over sauce. Then either cook using Pressure Cooker time for shoulder, or Slow Cooker time for pork loin or shoulder. If you get the burn notice, add 1/2 cup water. Remove pork and make Sauce using sauté function.
* OVEN – See here for directions 5. MAKE AHEAD – Brown pork and make sauce up to 1 day ahead, pour into slow cooker then remove insert and refrigerate until ready to cook. If preparing ahead more than 12 hours or so, keep the sauce separate (because it will make the pork sweat). Leftovers – Keep in the fridge for 3 days, or freezer for 3 months. I pour the sauce over it, it soaks through the pork and I love it. 6. Pork Doneness – Loin is a lean cut of pork so it’s cooked for a short period of time than shoulder. Pork shoulder needs to be cooked for longer to let the tough fibres break down. Shoulder is more prone to falling apart (ie semi shredding) when slicing so be sure to rest it per recipe directions to minimise this. 7. Nutrition – per serving, assuming a 2 kg/4lb pork loin and 8 servings with all sauce consumed (which is unlikely).
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
Dozer looking rather concerned as I pack for a trip to Vietnam…. he really hates the sight of a suitcase! Though the minute I drop him off at the golden retriever boarders’ place, he forgets all about me… (I like to think he’s being strong but crying on the inside…..)
Hi Nagi I’ve been cooking lots from your website during the iso period. We’re all slowly turning into pork chops
Re this recipe – can I cook a pork shoulder for 5 hours on high instead of 10 hours on low?
Hi Barathy, I’m so glad you’re loving my recipes!! I’ve found that shoulder works better with a lower temp slow cook here – N x
I’m in lock-down in the US with two former students who are stranded (one from Ethiopia, the other from Nepal). As I was making this today, one of them asked “Is this another of Nagi’s recipes?” Big smile when I said yes, and even bigger smile when they ate it. Thanks again for upping my game!
This was amazing! I doubled the recipe (for a 3.5-oz pork loin), as most recipes don’t make enough sauce. Shouldn’t have; there was a TON! The sweetness of the honey, the acidity of the vinegar and the heat of the spices were perfectly balanced. SO easy to make, and the family loved it!
This one’s definitely going into the rotation.
And I do like it saucy Paul! I’m so glad it was a hit with your family 🙂 N x
Damn, this was good! I wasn’t sure exactly how long to sear the meat but I did about 2 mins per side and it seemed to do the trick. The sauce is so so yummy! My husband was happy it didn’t have refined sugar or straight up BBQ sauce like many other slow cooker recipes. Loved it and shared with friends 🙂
That’s great to hear, thanks so much 🙂 N x
Nagi….You are a Goddess!!!
Best meal to come out of my slow cooker, or oven, in a long time. Used 3.5 lb pork loin, followed your recipe and 4 hours later enjoyed a truly 1st class meal. Thank you!
WOOT! That’s awesome Craig! N x
Sensational. Had a 2.5kg piece of meat which was devoured between 4 boys and myself. The boys all said they preferred it to any of the pulled pork dishes I had done before. It’s an absolute winner. I served it with a jalapeño creamed corn recipe, buttery mashed potatoes and broccoli. Thanks so much.
YUM!!! Perfect Vicky! N x
made this today used a boston butt and my self and family love it.will definitely make again.
Wahoo, that’s great Louise! N x
I was wondering if I can put carrots and small red potatoes,in with the slow cooker pork loin roast?and if I do do I need to add more liquid?
Nagi. I made this pork loin for my wife for mother’s day and we loved it. She is the pickest eater. And she loved it . Best she has had . Thank you
That’s awesome John, I’m so glad it was a hit! N x
Currently sitting in my fridge marinating .. oh the smell .
Hubby got pork loin with the crackle on top (we removed the crackle) how long would you recommend the cook time ?
Hi Toni – that all depends on the weight of the meat 🙂 N x
could i use this recipe on a pork rib? and how long should i leave in a slow cooker??
Help! Just started this and realised we are out of honey. Any suitable replacements such as maple syrup?
Wondering if this recipe would work with a Boneless pork leg? if I just take the rind off?
Thanks!
Hi Philippa – yes it will be great. Enjoy! N x
First I want to kiss the cook … this recipe is fantabulous … I followed this recipe TO THE LETTER and it was soooo good. If I could give this 10 stars I would … Thank you Nagi for all the work that went into writing and posting this recipe for all of us to enjoy….
WOOT! Thanks so much Vivian, that’s so lovely to hear!! N x
Did you use bone in pork loin roast? I have a 4 pound bone in that I would like to use if you think that would work. How long should I cook it on low in the crock pot?
This is the best recipe for pork tenderloin! Not usually a fan but in these weird times you buy whats available, right?! Made it last week with roasted veggies and everyone loved it. So tender and delicious sauce. I forgot to leave a comment then but as I was prepping to make it again tomorrow I wanted to share and say Thank You!
Wow! All I can say is wow the only ingredient I didn’t have well two really was the onion powder and cider vinegar but even then I turned out to be amazing! It wasn’t that heard and the spices worked together soooooooo good! Will be making this again and again! Thank you
That’s awesome Stefanie, I’m so glad you loved it! N x
I made this today for Easter dinner and it was simply delicious. Followed the recipe exactly and was so pleased with the results. The sauce wasn’t too sweet, and the pinch of cayenne was perfect. I used the slow cook function on my Breville oven, in a cast iron covered pan. Can’t wait to share it with family, when we’re all allowed outside again.
Sounds like you nailed it Chris!! N x
This was DELICIOUS! All of my picky family members loved it – and that’s no small feat! Thanks for another fantastic recipe 🙂
That’s the best compliment Kelly, I’m so glad it was a hit! N x
Amazing! A sweet with a little heat – I might add a smidge more cayenne pepper – personal taste.
I’m so glad you loved it Andrea, definitely add more cayenne if you like it spicy 🙂 N x