Sponsored by America’s Test Kitchen, I received compensation for this post but all opinions are mine.
Slow Cooker Cider Braised Pork Roast is a wonderful fall meal that has a delicious cider and apple butter gravy.
Not very often do I get to review a slow cooker cookbook. I was very excited to pick something out of this new cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen called The Complete Slow Cooker and share it with you. This recipe for Slow Cooker Cider Braised Pork Roast caught my eye right away. It’s a recipe I’ve never seen before and had to try. This time of year, I’m all about using as much apple cider and apple butter in my cooking as possible!
The book has about 400 recipes in it from appetizers to desserts. Every recipe has so much detail, with each recipe you will find that it has a ‘why this recipe works’ paragraph. I loved that information in the book, to me it explains the thinking process of the recipe and explains why some steps are necessary. Another great feature about the book is a section on the best slow cookers, the most recommended slow cooker is the Kitchen-Aid, which I got to use for this recipe. There is also a section on top-secret slow cooking tips such as how to add pasta to the slow cooker and picking the best cut of meat.
The recipe takes a large pork butt and has you cut it in half then tie it with twine. I’ve never done this with pork before. The tying of the roast makes for a beautiful presentation since this helps the meat slice more uniform. If you skip this step then you probably will have to serve this pork shredded, which still will be delicious!
The first step is to brown the roast, then remove to a plate. Then onions and garlic are browned in the skillet then a roux is made with the oil left in the pan then adding flour and apple cider. Then that roux is added to the slow cooker and apple butter is stirred in. The roasts are added on top of that mixture. I cooked my roast for 7 hours on high, though the recipes states you can cook on low for 9-10 hours instead.
The gravy was a little sweet but still savory, great over the pork and mashed potatoes.
What do you think of this recipe? I enjoyed trying a new recipe that is out of my comfort zone and loved how well-tested the recipe is. I think you will enjoy other recipes from the book as well. You can get your copy of America’s Test Kitchen, The Complete Slow Cooker cookbook, here.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker- 6 quart or larger
Ingredients
- 4½ lbs boneless pork butt roast 4-5 lb roast; trimmed and halved
- ¾ tsp Salt divided; to taste
- ¼ tsp pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup onion (1 medium); chopped
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- ½ cup apple cider
- ½ cup apple butter
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp cider vinegar
Instructions
- Pat the pork dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
- Tie 3 pieces of kitchen twine around each piece of pork to create 2 evenly shaped roasts.
- Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.
- Brown roasts on all sides, 7 to 10 minutesp; transfer to plate.
- Add onion and ½ teaspoon salt to fat left in skillet and cook over medium heat until onion is softened and lightly browned, 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in flour, garlic, and thyme sprigs and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Slowly whisk in apple cider, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps; transfer to slow cooker.
- Stir in apple butter and bay leaves into slow cooker.
- Nestle roasts into cooker, adding any accumulated juices.
- Cover and cook until pork is tender and fork slips easily in and out of meat [9-10 hours on LOW or 6-7 hours on HIGH.]
- Transfer roasts to carving board tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 20 minutes.
- Strain sauce into a fat separator and let sit for 5 minutes; discard solids.
- Combine defatted sauce and vinegar in bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove twine from roasts, slice meat against the grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices, and arrange on serving dish.
- Spoon 1 cup sauce over meat and serve, passing remaining sauce.
- Serve and enjoy.
Since you said the sauce/gravy was a bit sweet – I cut the apple butter down to 1/4 cup and it made a big difference. I also used a 2 – 3 pound Sirloin pork roast that I got at Costco. And I thickened the gravy with a slurry of 1/4 water with 1 heaping Tablespoon Corn Starch. Great meal. Will diffidently make again. Great sandwiches too. Thanks for sharing.
Beautiful Fall meal. Being a fan of pork roast – this is a must try. And I appreciate the comment from Kathi. I’m all about not too much sweet and sandwiches. 🙂
This looks & sounds amazing, perfect for fall. I can’t wait to try it out!
The pictures look mouth watering, cannot wait to try this and I bet this will be a winner with hubby and the kids. Pork roast is one of my favourite meals, thanks for the post
I have a new 5 qt. enamel coated cast iron braiser. I wonder if I could braise the roasts, remove them and then finish the recipe in the braiser on low on stove top? Any thoughts?
I’d finish in the oven if I didn’t have a crock pot