With beef prices showing no sign of falling anytime soon, pork is an increasingly attractive option, and frankly, I think it's usually better. If you're a crockpot person, here are 18 ways to make pork in the slow cooker beyond the usual pulled pork.
Crockpot Ranch Pork Chops
The ranch flavor is great if you move beyond the bottled dressing. This pork chop dish uses the cooking liquid as the base for a sour cream and cream cheese sauce with plenty of dried herbs.
Ingredients
Method
- Put onion in a 6-quart slow cooker. Mix parsley, chives, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper and rub over the chops. Arrange chops over onion and pour broth around them.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, checking after 5 hours, until the marbled chops are fork-tender; the meat must be at least 145°F and will usually be closer to 185 to 195°F when connective tissue softens.
- Lift chops carefully to a platter and rest for at least 3 minutes. Pour the cooking liquid and onion into a saucepan, skim excess fat and bring to a simmer.
- Mix cornstarch with cold water, whisk into the liquid and simmer for 2 minutes until lightly thickened. Lower the heat and whisk in cream cheese until smooth.
- Remove sauce from heat and stir in sour cream without boiling again. Spoon the warm herb sauce over the chops and serve.
Slow Cooker Smothered Pork Chops
Smothered pork chops are usually floured, but no need in the crockpot. This version modifies the normal onion gravy by pureeing half the vegetables, making for a thick and rich sauce — you probably won't even need the cornstarch.
Don't lose these recipes! Drop your email and we'll send them to you, so you've got them handy the next time you're planning dinner.
Ingredients
Method
- Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes until browned. Transfer bacon to a bowl and leave 1 tablespoon fat in the skillet. Season chops with salt and pepper and brown for 2 minutes per side in 2 batches.
- Place onion, leek, garlic and half the bacon in a 6-quart slow cooker. Add chops, pour broth around them and cover.
- Cook on low for 6 hours, checking at 5 hours, until chops are fork-tender and at least 145°F, usually nearer 185 to 195°F for this marbled cut. Lift to a platter and rest for at least 3 minutes.
- Pour the cooking liquid and vegetables into a saucepan and skim fat. Blend about half the vegetables into the liquid with an immersion blender, keeping the blade submerged and leaving some onion and leek pieces intact.
- Bring to a simmer, mix cornstarch with cold water and stir in for 2 minutes. Add cream and remaining cooked bacon and warm for 1 minute, then spoon the gravy over the chops.
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Pork Chops
Think of this as a pork chop that nods to the Chinese takeout. The honey should be balanced with plenty of soy sauce and rice vinegar, and don't be afraid to add a few more shakes of vinegar.
Ingredients
Method
- Pat chops dry and season with salt and pepper. Brown in oil in a skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes per side in 2 batches, then transfer to a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Whisk garlic, honey, soy sauce, vinegar, broth and ginger and pour over the chops. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, checking after 5 hours, until fork-tender and at least 145°F, usually near 190°F for this blade cut.
- Lift pork to a platter and rest for at least 3 minutes. Pour cooking liquid into a saucepan and skim the surface fat.
- Simmer sauce for 5 to 8 minutes until reduced to about 1 cup. Mix cornstarch with cold water and whisk in for 1 to 2 minutes until the sauce coats a spoon.
- Spoon a thin layer of glaze and softened garlic over each chop and serve the remaining measured sauce alongside.
Slow Cooker Pork Chops With Mushroom Gravy
Mushroom sauces go well on pretty much any meat you care to name. This recipe uses a red wine base for the gravy, but I think white wine would be equally appropriate for pork; your call.
Ingredients
Method
- Season chops with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and brown chops for 2 minutes per side in 2 batches, then transfer to a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Cook mushrooms in the same skillet for 8 to 10 minutes until their liquid evaporates and edges brown. Add shallot for 1 minute, then wine and scrape the pan; simmer for 2 minutes.
- Pour mushroom mixture over chops with broth and rosemary. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, checking at 5 hours, until fork-tender and at least 145°F, usually closer to 190°F for this marbled cut.
- Lift pork carefully to a platter and rest for at least 3 minutes. Transfer mushrooms and cooking liquid to a saucepan, skim excess fat and bring to a simmer.
- Mix cornstarch with cold water, stir into the simmering liquid and cook for 2 minutes until lightly thickened. Spoon mushrooms and gravy over the chops.
Crockpot Apple Cider Pork Chops
Pork and apple are an evergreen combo. For the cider, you can choose an alcoholic or a non-alcoholic version, and I'd personally go with a tart and cloudy English cider.
Ingredients
Method
- Season chops with salt and pepper and brown in oil in a skillet for 2 minutes per side in 2 batches. Place fennel and onion in a 6-quart slow cooker and arrange chops on top.
- Pour cider and broth around the chops, add sage and cover. Cook on low for 5 hours.
- Add apple wedges around the pork, cover again and cook for 1 more hour until apples and chops are tender; pork must be at least 145°F and marbled blade chops generally soften near 190°F.
- Lift chops and apples to a platter and rest the pork for at least 3 minutes. Transfer fennel, onion and liquid to a saucepan, skim excess fat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Mix cornstarch with cold water, stir into the sauce for 2 minutes until lightly thickened and add vinegar. Spoon the cider sauce and vegetables around the chops and apples.
Crockpot BBQ Pork Chops
If you're looking for a change from your normal barbecue sauce, a DIY version is worth a shot. This recipe uses a peach-based sauce with chipotles for spice.
Ingredients
Method
- Season chops with salt, pepper and smoked paprika and arrange in a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Whisk preserves, ketchup, vinegar, mustard, chipotle, garlic powder and water until evenly mixed. Pour over chops and turn once to coat.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, checking after 5 hours, until fork-tender and at least 145°F, generally around 190°F for this marbled blade cut.
- Lift chops carefully to a platter and rest for at least 3 minutes. Pour cooking liquid into a saucepan, skim excess fat and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until thick enough to coat the pork.
- Spoon a moderate amount of peach-chipotle barbecue sauce over each chop and serve with remaining sauce in a small bowl.
Crockpot French Onion Pork Chops
The heart and soul of the French onion flavor profile is an abundance of well-caramelized onions… accept no substitutes. The pork chops then cook with all those onions in a white wine broth, before finishing with Gruyère.
Ingredients
Method
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook for 30 to 40 minutes until deeply golden, stirring often and adding reserved water a tablespoon at a time if browning threatens to burn.
- Add wine and simmer for 2 minutes, scraping the skillet. Transfer onions to a 6-quart slow cooker and add broth and thyme. Season chops with remaining salt and pepper and arrange over the onions.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, checking after 5 hours, until fork-tender and at least 145°F, usually near 190°F for marbled blade chops. Lift pork carefully to a platter.
- Transfer onion liquid to a saucepan, skim excess fat and bring to a simmer. Stir cornstarch mixed with cold water into the sauce for 2 minutes until lightly thickened.
- Return chops to the warm empty crock, spoon some onion gravy over them and scatter Gruyere evenly across the meat. Cover and heat on high for 5 to 10 minutes until the cheese melts, then serve with remaining onion gravy.
Crockpot Brown Sugar Balsamic Pork Tenderloin
Tenderloins are as lean as can be, so they only need a (relatively) short time in the slow cooker. Save the balsamic for the very end to preserve its brightness.
Ingredients
Method
- Pat tenderloins dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a skillet and brown pork for about 1 minute on each of 4 sides, then place in one layer in a 5- to 6-quart oval slow cooker.
- Add garlic, broth and soy sauce around the pork. Cover and cook on low for about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours, beginning temperature checks after 1 hour and removing each tenderloin as its thickest center reaches 145°F.
- Transfer pork to a foil-lined broiler-safe pan and rest for at least 3 minutes. Pour the cooking juices into a saucepan, skim fat and add balsamic vinegar and brown sugar.
- Simmer for 5 to 8 minutes until reduced to about 3/4 cup. Stir cornstarch mixed with cold water into the sauce and simmer for 1 minute until it clings to a spoon.
- Brush pork with a thin layer of glaze and broil 6 inches from the heat for 1 to 2 minutes until lightly caramelized, watching constantly. Rest for 3 minutes, slice across the grain and spoon a little remaining glaze over the slices.
Crockpot Cranberry Pork Tenderloin
Cranberry sauce isn't just for turkey, and it works with any white meat (yes, I'm including pork under that rubric). This isn't a classic Thanksgiving cranberry sauce, but rather a cranberry-orange sauce that accentuates tenderloin beautifully.
Ingredients
Method
- Season tenderloins with salt and pepper and brown in oil in a skillet for about 1 minute on each of 4 sides. Place in one layer in a 5- to 6-quart oval slow cooker with broth, wine and orange zest strips.
- Cover and cook on low for about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours, checking after 1 hour, until the thickest part of each tenderloin reaches 145°F. Remove ready pieces individually and rest for at least 3 minutes.
- During the final 20 minutes, combine cranberries, orange juice, sugar and water in a saucepan. Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring, until most berries burst and the sauce thickens.
- Discard orange zest strips from the crock. Skim the cooking juices and stir 2 to 4 tablespoons into the cranberry sauce to make it spoonable; simmer for 1 minute.
- Slice rested pork across the grain and serve with a modest amount of warm cranberry-orange sauce over each portion.
Slow Cooker Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin
Teriyaki sauce is as good on chicken as on pork, and a homemade version is liable to be much better than the stuff in the bottle. In this recipe, the broth from the slow cooker is the starting point for a sort of teriyaki pan sauce.
Ingredients
Method
- Whisk soy sauce, mirin, the 1/2 cup water, honey, ginger and garlic in a bowl. Place tenderloins in one layer in a 5- to 6-quart oval slow cooker and pour the mixture around them.
- Cover and cook on low for about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours, checking after 1 hour, until each tenderloin reaches 145°F in its thickest center. Remove each piece as it is ready and rest for at least 3 minutes.
- Pour cooking liquid into a saucepan and skim any surface fat. Simmer for 5 to 8 minutes until reduced to about 1 cup.
- Mix cornstarch with cold water and whisk into the simmering sauce for 1 to 2 minutes until glossy and lightly thickened.
- Slice pork across the grain, spoon a thin layer of teriyaki sauce over the slices and serve the remaining sauce alongside.
Slow Cooker Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
In the old days, a bacon wrap was the standard means of roasting a lean, tough roast, and while meat quality is much higher nowadays, bacon still goes so well with a lean cut. Be sure to half-cook the bacon beforehand for a little bit of rendering and flavor.
Ingredients
Method
- Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-low heat in 2 batches for 3 to 4 minutes per batch, turning, until it has rendered some fat but remains flexible. Transfer to paper towels and cool briefly.
- Fold the thin tenderloin tip underneath for even thickness. Rub pork with Dijon, sage and pepper, wrap with slightly overlapping bacon strips and tie with 4 lengths of kitchen twine.
- Place seam-side down in a 4- to 5-quart oval slow cooker and pour broth around it. Cover and cook on low for about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours, checking after 1 hour, until the pork center reaches 145°F.
- Lift carefully to a rack on a foil-lined broiler-safe pan and rest for at least 3 minutes. Broil 6 inches from the heat for 2 to 4 minutes, turning once if needed, until bacon is browned and sizzling.
- Rest for 3 minutes, cut and remove all 4 pieces of twine, then slice across the grain with a sharp knife and serve.
Crockpot Pork Loin With Pineapple
The pork roast with pineapple ring is a dish from another time, better known from Technicolor food photography. If you feel like a trip to the Eisenhower era, give this recipe a shot.
Ingredients
Method
- Lay pineapple rings and sliced onion in a 6-quart slow cooker. Rub pork loin with coriander, salt and pepper and place over them, fat-side up.
- Whisk the reserved 1/2 cup pineapple juice with broth, brown sugar and lime juice and pour around the roast. Cover and cook on low for about 3 to 4 hours, checking after 2 1/2 hours, until the thickest center reaches 145°F.
- Lift pork to a board and rest for 10 minutes. Transfer pineapple rings to a platter and pour onion and cooking liquid into a saucepan, skimming excess fat.
- Simmer juices for 5 to 8 minutes until reduced to about 1 cup. Mix cornstarch with cold water and stir into the sauce for 2 minutes until lightly thickened.
- Slice pork across the grain and serve with the softened pineapple rings, onion and a small spoonful of the fruit sauce.
Crockpot Garlic and Herb Pork Loin
I've always liked my pork loin with a hefty dose of fresh herbs. This recipe uses rosemary and thyme and cooks with fennel and white beans for a beautifully Mediterranean flavor profile.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook fennel and onion for 8 minutes until beginning to soften. Transfer to a 6-quart slow cooker with broth.
- Mix remaining oil with garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper and rub over pork loin. Place over the vegetables, cover and cook on low for about 3 to 4 hours, beginning temperature checks at 2 1/2 hours.
- When the roast reaches about 135°F, spoon drained beans into the hot liquid around it and cover again. Cook until the pork reaches 145°F in its thickest center and the beans are steaming hot, generally another 15 to 30 minutes.
- Lift pork to a board and rest for 10 minutes. If fennel or beans need more time, cover the cooker on high during this rest until vegetables are tender and beans are hot throughout.
- Stir lemon juice through the bean mixture. Slice pork across the grain and serve with fennel, beans and a little cooking broth.
BBQ Country-Style Pork Ribs
Slow cooker country-style pork ribs can be combined with BBQ sauce in the crockpot before work and are ready by dinner time. After cooking low and slow, the boneless ribs become fall-apart-tender and the BBQ sauce begins to thicken and caramelize into sweet, smoky goodness.
Angela Latimer, Bake It With Love
Get the full BBQ Country-Style Pork Ribs recipe at Bake It With Love.
Crockpot Pork Roast With Vegetables
Pork shoulder is without a doubt the cut I use the most, and a basic shoulder roast with vegetables is a favorite. Mix up the veggies as you see fit — more vegetables work here than don't.
Ingredients
Method
- Pat roast dry, season with salt and pepper and brown in oil in a large skillet for 8 to 10 minutes, turning to color all sides.
- Put potatoes, carrots, celery, onion and garlic in a 6-quart slow cooker. Add broth, sage and bay leaf and place the roast on top.
- Cover and cook on low 7 to 8 hours until vegetables and pork are fork-tender. Pork must reach at least 145°F; shoulder usually softens around 190°F or higher.
- Lift roast carefully with 2 broad utensils to a board and rest for 10 minutes. Transfer vegetables to a platter and discard bay leaf.
- Pour cooking liquid into a saucepan, skim fat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir cornstarch mixed with cold water into the liquid and simmer for 2 minutes until lightly thickened.
- Carve across the grain into thick slices or large intact pieces; do not shred. Serve with vegetables and a small spoonful of gravy per portion.
Crockpot Pork Steaks
Shoulder steaks demand a little browning before going in the crockpot. They go well with a tangy, olive- and caper-studded sauce, and I'd add a few anchovies for a puttanesca profile.
Ingredients
Method
- Season pork steaks with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown steaks for 2 minutes per side in 2 batches; transfer to a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Cook onion in the skillet for 5 minutes, add garlic for 30 seconds, then wine and scrape the browned bits. Stir in tomatoes, basil and oregano and pour over the steaks.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours until fork-tender and at least 145°F, usually near 190°F for these shoulder steaks.
- Lift steaks carefully to a platter and rest for at least 3 minutes. Stir olives and capers into the sauce; if watery, simmer the sauce in a saucepan for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
- Spoon the chunky tomato-olive sauce around each intact steak and serve.
Crockpot Pork Belly
It's called "kakuni" in Japan and "dongpo rou" in China, and in any language, it's delicious: pork belly slow-cooked in a five-spice broth. Cut the pork belly thick, as you want substantial chunks for the full experience.
Ingredients
Method
- Put pork belly cubes in a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker. Whisk soy sauce, sherry, water, brown sugar, vinegar, ginger, garlic and five-spice and pour around the meat.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours until the meat layers yield easily to a fork and the pork is at least 145°F, generally nearer 190°F when fully tender. Lift cubes gently with a slotted spoon.
- Arrange pork on a rack over a foil-lined broiler-safe pan. Pour cooking liquid into a saucepan, remove the garlic and skim off the generous rendered-fat layer.
- Simmer the skimmed liquid for 8 to 12 minutes until reduced to about 1/2 cup. Brush a thin layer over the pork and broil 6 inches from the heat for 3 to 5 minutes, turning carefully once, until the edges brown.
- Rest for at least 3 minutes and serve the intact layered cubes with a small amount of remaining glaze.
Crockpot Sweet and Sour Pork
Sweet and sour pork is more familiar as a stir-fry, but you can do it in the slow cooker too. The pineapple juice breaks down the connective tissue in the pork shoulder beautifully.
Ingredients
Method
- Place pork cubes and onion in a 6-quart slow cooker. Whisk vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, pineapple juice, broth, soy sauce and ginger and pour over the meat.
- Cover and cook on low for about 5 1/2 hours until the pork is nearly fork-tender. Add bell peppers and pineapple chunks, cover and cook on high for 30 to 45 minutes until peppers soften and pork is fully tender and at least 145°F, usually nearer 190°F for shoulder.
- Lift pork, peppers and pineapple gently into a serving bowl with a slotted spoon. Pour cooking liquid into a saucepan, skim fat and simmer for 5 to 8 minutes until reduced to about 1 1/2 cups.
- Mix cornstarch with cold water and whisk into the simmering sauce for 2 minutes until glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon.
- Fold the hot sauce gently through the pork, peppers and pineapple without shredding the meat. Let stand for 3 minutes and serve.
Why crockpot pork chops dry out and the cut that doesn’t
A crock full of liquid does not prevent lean pork from drying out. As the meat cooks beyond the point it needs, the muscle fibers tighten and lose moisture even while the outside sits in sauce. Thin boneless center-cut loin chops are especially easy to overcook on a long schedule. Pouring in more broth can give you a wetter plate without giving the meat back its juices. For the six-hour chop recipes here, buy well-marbled blade chops from the shoulder end rather than assuming every package labeled pork chops will behave alike.
Blade chops contain more fat and connective tissue, which makes them more forgiving during a braise. They still can dry out, so the heading is not a promise that one cut is impossible to overcook. A minimum temperature of 145°F, followed by a three-minute rest, addresses doneness for whole pork cuts; these marbled chops usually need further cooking, often toward 185 to 195°F, before their connective tissue softens enough for a fork. Use both the thermometer and the meat’s texture instead of treating that higher range as a reason to ignore an already-tender chop.
Begin checking at the early point given in the recipe, since cookers heat differently and a small batch may finish sooner. Keep the lid closed between checks. When the pork is ready, lift it out before reducing or thickening the liquid so a watery sauce does not force an extra half hour onto the meat. Skim visible fat from the juices before making gravy. Cream, sour cream and cheese usually belong in the finishing stage, where you can control their heat without extending the braise.
Tenderloin vs loin in the crockpot
Pork tenderloin is the narrow, lean muscle usually sold in pieces around a pound each. Pork loin is a much wider roast that makes broad slices and often weighs several pounds. They are different cuts, even when a store puts them next to each other or uses a confusing package description. Read the label and look at the shape before following a recipe. Two small tenderloins laid side by side do not become one large loin just because their combined weight sounds similar, and they should not inherit a shoulder roast’s all-day schedule.
The tenderloin recipes here use a short low cook with an early temperature check. Remove each piece when its thickest center reaches 145°F and give it at least a three-minute rest; one thin tenderloin may finish before the other. The larger loins need more time, but they are still lean enough to benefit from an early check and prompt removal. Insert the thermometer into the thickest flesh rather than a thin tip or a pocket of sauce. A fixed timer cannot account for every roast’s shape or every slow cooker’s heat.
Keep tenderloin in one layer so pieces heat reasonably evenly, and avoid using the warm setting as an indefinite holding stage after it is done. Rest the meat on a board while finishing the sauce, then slice across the grain. Vegetables that need longer than the meat should get a head start or cook separately, which is why the fennel is softened before the garlic-herb loin begins. If the pork finishes before its vegetables, take it out and let the vegetables continue; leaving both in until the slower ingredient catches up costs you the better part of dinner.
