The “Secret” To A Perfect Crock-Pot Pork Roast
Fridays or weekends are for roasts that cook slowly in the oven or a crock-pot for hours while you think about decorating for Christmas early or not, HAH! I didn’t decorate yet although I made my husband think I did. But, I made pork roast and decided to take you on a journey of How-To. Here’s the thing, I’ve been making pot roasts, either beef or pork, for years. Somewhere in the middle of rushing and laziness, I’ve been skipping one step that makes a pot roast the best ever. It’s a simple step that I was reminded of while watching the hit show this summer, The Bear. After watching that AWESOME show starring Jeremy Allen White on Hulu, which Scott and I enjoyed a lot, I made a beef roast one day and did what I’ve known for years and should be doing EVERY TIME I make pot roasts.
The “secret” to a good beef or pork roast is SEARING the meat. DO NOT skip this step. Watch the video below on how I seared my pork roast before I placed it in the crock-pot to slow cook. I repeat, SEAR YOUR MEAT for roasts.
Crock-Pot Pork Roast
Equipment
- 1 cast iron skillet
- 1 crock-pot
Ingredients
- 3-5 pounds Boston butt
- 2 cups water
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp powdered sage
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2-3 tbsp flour (lightly coat the meat)
- 2 tbsp oil for searing
- 2 large potatoes (peeled, cut in chunks)
- 2 large carrots (peeled, cut in chunks)
- 2 pcs celery ( cut in chunks)
MAKE THE GRAVY
- 2-3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp flour
- reserved juice from the roast (reserve in a bowl)
- 1/2 cup water
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine 1 tsp of garlic powder, 1/2 tsp of powdered sage, 1 tsp of chili powder, 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of black pepper, and 1 tsp of Italian seasoning. Evenly season the pork on all sides.
- In a measuring up, mix together water and the remaining seasoning plus Worcestershire sauce. Pour some in the bottom of crock-pot.
- Lightly season each side of the pork with the seasoning mixture and flour.
- Heat up oil in a pre-heated cast iron skillet.
- Sear one side of the pork for a minute or so. Flip then sear the other side. Sear the sides as well.
- Place the seared meat into the Crock-Pot. Pour the remaining liquid seasoning mixture into the skillet. Whisk to get all the bits from the pan then pour the whole thing into the crock-pot. Cover and set it to LOW. Let that cook for hours. Start time was 9am.
- At about 4 hours into cooking, add the potatoes. Let that cook for an hour. (Also, this is the time to reserve some of the juice into a bowl. Set it aside until ready to make the gravy.)
- Then add the carrots and celery. Continue cooking until it's time for dinner.
MAKE THE GRAVY
- Melt butter in a small pot then add the flour. Whisk until it forms a roux. Strain the reserved juice from the crock-pot into the pot. Add water and keep whisking. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to whisk until it thickens. Transfer into a gravy bowl. Strain again to avoid clumps. (REFER TO THE VIDEO)
VOILA! Crock-Pot Pork Roast. Transfer in a serving platter with some of the juice from cooking. I like to serve the vegetables in a separate plate but if you have a HUGE serving plate then serve them together that way. It’s up to you.
Enjoy your next pork or beef roast by doing this method of cooking. Cook it slowly in the crock-pot or the oven(in a covered baking dish/pan/pot) just remember to SEAR THE MEAT first. Trust me, you’ll never not sear your beef or pork roast ever again!
