Simple Crockpot Garlic Roast Pork

If you’re in the mood for a mouthwatering dish that practically cooks itself, look no further than crockpot garlic roast pork. This delightful recipe will fill your home with the enticing aroma of tender pork, garlic, and onions, making it a perfect meal for any occasion.

Why You’ll Love This Dish

Slow cooker garlic roast pork offers a host of reasons to love it. Here are some of the top perks that make this recipe a standout:

• Time-Saving: With the convenience of a slow cooker, this dish demands minimal effort, leaving you with more time to focus on other things while it simmers to perfection. It’s perfect for busy weeknights when you don’t have time to cook.
• It’s Fab All Year Long: In summer when you don’t want to heat up your house, you can easily make this hearty recipe with your crock pot instead of turning on your oven or stove. Make your rice in a rice cooker to really minimize the heat impact.
• Tender & Flavorful: The slow cooking process allows the pork to become incredibly tender, soaking up the flavors of garlic and onions, resulting in a mouthwatering and aromatic meal.
• Versatile & Crowd-Pleasing: This dish is versatile enough to impress at both intimate family dinners and festive gatherings. It’s a crowd-pleaser that will leave everyone asking for seconds.

Is Roast Pork Gluten-Free?

If you or your guests have dietary restrictions, you’ll be happy to know that this slow cooker garlic roast pork can easily be made gluten-free.

The recipe calls for soy sauce, which can often contain gluten, but you can easily find gluten-free soy sauce at most grocery stores or substitute it with tamari, which is gluten-free by nature.

Aside from that one ingredient, this simple crock pot recipe is completely gluten free. Tamari and soy sauce taste the same, so you can easily substitute tamarai one for one.

Can I Use Jarred Garlic?

While I’m neve a fan of jarred garlic because it tends to be old and can easily go rancid, this recipe uses slices of garlic cloves. This is one situation where you cannot substitute jarred garlic for fresh garlic.

The sliced garlic gets stuffed inside the pork where it melts and infuses into the pork for an amazing flavor you just can’t replicate with jarred garlic.

What Kind of Onions to Use?

When selecting onions for this recipe, you have a few options. Yellow or white onions provide a classic flavor that pairs well with the pork, and I typically utilize yellow onion.

Sweet onions, such as Vidalia or Walla Walla, add a milder and slightly sweet taste, making them an excellent choice if you prefer a gentler onion flavor. Ultimately, the choice is yours, so feel free to experiment with different onion varieties to find your favorite combination.

What Cut of Pork to Use?

The recipe calls for pork tenderloin, which is a lean and tender cut of meat that cooks beautifully in the slow cooker. When cooked slowly, its tender juices infuse this lean cut of meat and it shreds easily when you remove it from your crockpot.

If you don’t have tenderloin on hand or want to use a different cut of meat whether because of availability or price, you have options. Consider:

• Pork Loin: If pork tenderloin isn’t available, pork loin is an equally fantastic choice. Slightly larger than tenderloin, it’s still a lean and flavorful cut that benefits from slow cooking.
• Pork Shoulder: For a more succulent and melt-in-your-mouth texture, pork shoulder, also known as pork butt, is a great option. It has a higher fat content, which adds richness to the dish and ensures it remains moist during slow cooking.
• Pork Butt: Similar to pork shoulder, pork butt is an ideal choice for a truly indulgent and fall-apart tender roast pork. Its marbling and connective tissues break down beautifully during slow cooking, resulting in a luscious and flavorful dish.

What to Serve With It

Slow cooker garlic roast pork pairs wonderfully with a variety of sides to complete your meal. We always serve it with rice and an accompanying vegetable like garlic sesame kale or grilled baby bok choy.

Other options include:

• Roasted Vegetables: Roast some seasonal vegetables like carrots, asparagus, or Brussels sprouts for a hearty and colorful side. An Italian version of ratatouille is a perfect complement in summerm months.
• Mashed Potatoes: Creamy mashed potatoes are a classic favorite that will complement the tender pork and flavorful sauce.
• Coleslaw: Fresh and tangy coleslaw adds a refreshing crunch that contrasts with the richness of the pork.

Using Beef Instead of Pork

For those who don’t consume pork or simply want to try a different twist on the recipe, you can easily adapt this slow cooker garlic roast pork to feature beef. The process is quite similar, but you’ll need to choose the right cut of beef for the best results. Here are some excellent options:

• Beef Chuck Roast: This is a popular choice for slow cooking, as it boasts marbling and connective tissues that break down during the long cooking process, resulting in tender and flavorful meat.
• Beef Brisket: Known for its rich flavor and succulent texture, beef brisket becomes incredibly tender when slow-cooked, making it an excellent alternative to pork for this recipe.
• Beef Bottom Round Roast: This lean cut can still yield fantastic results in the slow cooker. When cooked low and slow, it becomes tender and full of savory goodness.
• Beef Sirloin Roast: If you prefer a leaner option, beef sirloin roast is a great choice. It offers a mild flavor that allows the garlic and onions to shine through.

How Long Will Leftovers Last?

If you have leftovers, be sure to let them cool completely, then store them in a tightly sealed container with any extra juices.

This will last in the first for two to three days. You can also freeze your leftovers, which will last two to three months.

Let the leftovers thaw in your fridge overnight, then gently reheat to ensure the meat doesn’t get tough.

Ingredients You Need

This garlic and onion roast pork in the slow cooker uses quick and simple ingredients, many of which you likely have in your pantry already.

• Pork tenderloin
• Fresh Garlic
• Yellow Onions
• Bay leaves
• Soy sauce
• Salt and pepper

How to Make Crock Pot Garlic and Onion Pork:

Peel your onion, then slice it in half. Once you remove the skin, slice the onion into half moons and place them into your crock pot.

Peel the garlic, and cut the cloves into slices. Set them aside for the moment.

For the pork, I prefer to remove the silverskin and trim it up a little, even though it usually comes pretty clean.

For the silverskin, I slide a knife under it and then use my fingers to pull it off entirely (cleaning if needed with the knife to keep more meat on the tenderloin and not pulled off with the silverskin).

Once cleaned, slit the pork throughout the meat, and shove in pieces of sliced garlic here and there. You may not use every slice of garlic, but use as many as you can.

Salt and pepper the pork, and set aside for a moment. then place the pork on top of the onions. See how you can spot the garlic peeking out of the meat?

Add any remaining garlic slices, bay leaves, soy, and water.

Cover, and cook on low for 8-10 hours. You can also do it on high for 4-6 hours, but I prefer cooking on low to really get it tender and juicy.

Once the meat finishes cooking, remove it from the crock pot, and shred it. Be sure to remove and discard the bay leaves, as well.

Pro Tip: I love my meat shredding claws. It makes fast work to shred any meat, and they are easy to use.

Return the meat to the crock pot. Prepare any sides to accompany the garlic roast pork, then serve it with the accompanying juices and onion.

Bookmark this slow cooker garlic roast pork to make again

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