Slow Cooker Pork Roast: Perfectly done, fork-tender, moist, garlicky, pork roast with a pan sauce of sweet potatoes and peaches make up this company ready dish. And all this comes from your hand-dandy slow-cooker!
Check out all of our wonderful Sweet Potato Recipes!
I am at a loss of words.
See that pork roast up there? It’s just so… So… So… Perfect.
And the effort that went into it? It’s embarrassingly simple. It’s the kind of recipe that somehow just doesn’t seem like it should work.
When my best friend of almost twenty five years (*GASP* 25 years?) told me about the recipe, I thought, “Sounds convenient and tasty. I’ll have to give it a try!” but at no point did I think it was going to come out of the slow-cooker looking and tasting worthy of the most discerning company.
Slow Cooker Pork Roast with Peach Salsa and Sweet Potatoes all starts with a simple boneless pork roast, sprinkled all over with salt and pepper, browned on all sides in a pan*, then nestled on a bed of cubed sweet potatoes and topped with a jar of peach salsa. The lid and heat are applied for a handful of hours, and at the end of it, you get a perfectly done, fork-tender, moist, garlicky, pork roast with a pan sauce of slow-cooked sweet potatoes and peaches.
*Technically, this is optional. As Ali told me, it depends on “the time and energy available” you have when you’re making it. But as she also said, “Searing makes the meat taste much better.”
She’s right, you know. If it’s against your religion to sear meat before it goes into the slow-cooker, by all means, don’t do it, it won’t be awful, but it won’t be sublime and it won’t be as pretty. (Stepping off my soapbox now.)
And WHABANG! Hot rice goes into a bowl, spoon some sweet potatoes and peach on top, add a luscious slice of the roast pork, and top with some chopped green onions and cilantro or parsley. If you’re feeling like something a little extra special, spoon a little hot chili sesame oil or spicy Chinese black bean sauce. Or both.
Slow Cooker Pork Roast with Peach Salsa and Sweet Potatoes got enthusiastic thumbs up from everyone. EVERYONE.
Granted, I surgically removed all traces of sweet potatoes and peaches from the no-veg contingent’s servings, but still… EVERYONE. That’s no small potatoes (sweet or otherwise).
Looking for more excellent pork recipes? Try our Slow-Cooker Italian Pork, Chinese Barbecue Pork (Char Siu), Honey Mustard Pulled Pork Sliders,and Tequila Lime Pork Tenderloin!
And if you want more great slow cooker recipes, try out Crock Pot Beef and Noodles, Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken Tacos, and Best Slow-Cooker Mulled Cider!
Slow Cooker Pork Roast
Someone always asks whether they can use a boneless roast when I post a recipe for a bone-in cut of meat, so I’m going to assume someone will ask the opposite here. Yes.
You can use a bone-in cut. It may take a bit longer to cook, so just factor that in when you are figuring out when you’d like to eat.
PRO TIP: Taste your salsa before you use it. Is it super garlicky and spicy?
If it isn’t, you may want to boost the garlic and spice quotient in the recipe by adding a handful of peeled garlic cloves and a chopped jalapeno to the slow cooker. If you are blessed with a multitude of peach salsas from which to choose, pick one you’d like to eat straight from the jar that is super flavourful.
I use the peach salsa I put up each summer and love it. Trader Joe’s makes a DARNED fine peach salsa but it may require a few extra cloves and a minced hot pepper.
Slow Cooker Pork Roast with Peach Salsa and Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 boneless pork roast 2 to 2-1/2 pound
- kosher salt and cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon peanut canola, vegetable, or olive oil
- 5 small peeled sweet potatoes about 1-1/2 lbs, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 cups peach salsa *See notes
To Serve:
- hot cooked rice
- chopped cilantro or parsley
- finely chopped green onions
- Optional: spicy sesame oil and Spicy Chinese Black Bean Chili Sauce or Chili Garlic Sauce
Instructions
- Scatter the cubed sweet potatoes in the bottom of a slow-cooker crock. Put the lid in place and set the slow-cooker to HIGH.
- Sprinkle the pork roast generously with kosher salt and cracked black pepper on all sides.
- Place a heavy-bottomed stainless steel or cast-iron skillet over high heat. Swirl the oil over the bottom of the pan. Carefully place the pork roast in the hot pan and do not move it until it releases easily from the pan and is deep golden brown on the side that just cooked. Rotate the roast to an un-browned area and repeat. Do this until you have browned the entire surface of the pork roast. Use tongs to set the pork roast on top of the cubed sweet potatoes. Pour the peach salsa over the top, put the lid in place, and cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours or LOW for 7-9 hours. The pork roast is done when it measures 145°F on an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roast.
To Serve:
- Slice the pork roast in 1-inch thick chops. To plate the dish, add some hot, cooked rice to each bowl, spoon some of the sweet potato and peach salsa with pan juices over the rice, and top with green onions, cilantro or parsley, and -if using- spicy sesame oil and chili sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
This post originally published February 8, 2014.
Angie says
I only had a pork butt roast and pineapple peach salsa. Even with these substitutions, this recipe rocks. It was absolutely delicious and kind of reminded me of sweet and sour dishes. Definitely a keeper!! Thank you for the recipe.
Rebecca says
Thank you so much for taking the time to rate the recipe and let me know you love it, Angie. Those subs sound delicious!
Marguerite says
I was disappointed there was no recipe for peach salsa as I don’t buy prepared products so onward for a recipe for peach salsa. But a nice combo
Rebecca says
Hi Marguerite- At this point, I’ll take any peach product I can considering they don’t grow well around me. If you’re lucky enough to have peaches grow around you, please refer to the Ball Blue Book of Home Canning for a solid peach salsa which is what I used here. Otherwise, just take a good one made by a friend and understand that it is a great recipe whether you purchase a prepared product or make your own.
Suzy Bruce says
I have recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Does this recipe pass the blood sugar test?
Rebecca says
Hi Suzy- Sorry to hear that. You may want to discuss what dietary restrictions you should be considering with your doctor. There is nutritional information on the printable recipe card, but I’m not sure what your doctor wants you to do specifically.
Joanne Schultz says
I just moved to a new home, and purchased a crockpot and rice cooker. I saw this recipe and thought it would be perfect for my 1st crockpot meal in this house. I got peach salsa from Harris Teeter. It tasted more tomatoey than peach 🙁 and I expected a wonderful peachy aroma while it was cooking but that didn’t happen. Wen my sister came into the house, she did say it smelled really good. I did add 5 cloves of garlic but I really couldn’t taste the garlic at all . But the adding of the spicy sesame oil – that was a wonderful idea – we really like heat!
My sister said that she bet this would be great wrapped up in a tortilla and heated, so I gave her some to bring home to use that way.
Anyway, thanks for making my first crockpot meal in my house a success!!
Rebecca says
Thanks, Joanne! I’m so glad you liked it!
Sabrina says
Can’t wait to try this!
laura says
I only have pork chops on hand so will try it with those, adjusting cooking time. Can’t wait to taste!
Kim says
I didn’t love this, but it wasn’t bad. I think the salsa I bought was not flavorful enough because the end result was bland. The potatoes also got too mushy so we had mashed sweet potatoes. I think I’d try it again but make it as a stove top/oven version.
Rebecca says
Hi Kim- If your peach salsa is too mild you can give it a little extra oomph with some extra garlic cloves and a minced jalapeno or two! As for the mushy sweet potatoes, that could’ve been the sweet potatoes themselves or possibly the size of the cut on them. Mine were definitely tender, but not to the point of mash. If you’d like to try it in the slow cooker again, I’d advise cutting them slightly larger and augmenting your salsa!
Howard Timmins says
If the sweet potatoes become to mushy, try putting the sweet potatoes in the crock pot
at the half way point of cook time. I haven’t made this recipe yet but will try soon. That
is what I would try, putting sweet potatoes in half way through cook time or just in time
for the potatoes to be cooked through and stay firm.
Brooke says
Hi! I’m planning to make this recipe since I just went peach picking and have tons of peaches. Do you have the peach salsa recipe you could link for me so I can make my own? I can’t seem to find it! Looking forward to making this!
Rebecca says
Hi Brooke-
The peach salsa recipe I use is very much like the one from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preservation. It’s a good one! I don’t think I’ve ever actually published my peach salsa recipe. I should!
diane says
I bought some Apple Salsa and might try that. What do you think?
Rebecca says
That sounds delicious! It’s hard to go wrong with pork and apples! It’ll be a different end product, but equally delicious, I think. And apple salsa? DO TELL! Where’d you get that?
sue says
How many should this serve?
Rebecca says
Hi Sue- I don’t usually include serving information because I’m not a nutritionist. I can tell you it fed our family of 7 with leftovers for my husband and I to eat for lunch the next day! 😀 If you’d like federal nutrition and serving breakdowns, you can Google “nutritional calculator and serving guidelines” and there is a great deal of free information and wonderful resources available.
Cliff says
This looks wonderful. I salivated just reading the recipe. Unfortunately, unless you provide the nutritional content (grams of cholesterol and fat, calories, fiber, etc.) I can’t make it due to my heart condition. Would it be possible to include these stats with the recipe? Many thanks.
Rebecca says
Hi Cliff! Thanks for getting in touch! I have bad news and good news. I’ll get the bad news out of the way first. I don’t crunch the nutritional numbers here because I’m not a nutritionist and I’m hesitant into getting into publishing those for legal reasons. The good news (and it’s very good news because it’ll likely broaden many horizons for you!) is that if you Google “nutritional calculator” you will find many free, fabulous online nutritional calculators. All you have to do is input the recipe in the calculator and it’ll tally up the nutritional stats for you! My intuition is that this meal is going to be very heart healthy, what with the sweet potatoes, lean pork, and peach salsa. Those are all excellent heart foods. As for the actual numbers though? I’ll leave that to the experts!
Dave DeHart says
Cooking this ATT. Smells awesome. Added a bit of chopped jalapeño for heat. Tasted a minute ago. Wow! Can’t wait for another hour to go by. Thanks for this exceptionally simple recipe.
Nancy says
I have a7 1/2# boneless pork “shoulder butt”. I think that pig was strange anatomically, but at any rate do you think I can triple the recipe and still get good results? I’m serving eight and therefore was talked out of pork loin because none would be big enough. Your recipe sounds great!
Rebecca says
Thanks, Nancy! It’s a different cut of the pick (obviously, right?) and I haven’t tested it for cooking time, so I can’t say a firm yes or no. The shoulder has a lot more connective tissue in it, so it may have to cook longer and it might not slice as prettily at the end of things, but I imagine it’ll still taste good!
Catherine Sand says
Happy New Year Rebecca!! Just finished searing and in the crockpot!!! My 23 yr old home from college twin boys are drooling!! I used a 3lb. pork roast, put it on high and am hoping the sweet potatoes don’t get to mushy! Thanks for a easy but elegantly looking New Years Day meal!!!!
Kristen says
Have you tried freezing this? I was thinking of making this as a freezer meal. Sounds delicious.
Sara says
This looks amazing! Do you think there is anyway I could prepare it all and then freeze it?
Jean says
Made this tonight, and we loved it! Definitely going to be serving this on a regular basis. Pretty sure it would also be delicious with apple or cherry salsa.
Tammy says
I’d love your peach salsa recipe. We don’t have a Trader Joes nearby and all the recipes I’ve searched on line don’t call for garlic added.
Thank you