Slow Cooker Cider Braised Pork Roast
6 Comments Oct 27, 2017
Updated May 18, 2025
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Slow Cooker Cider Braised Pork Roast is the ultimate fall comfort food—tender, juicy pork slow cooked in a rich blend of apple cider, apple butter, and herbs. The flavorful gravy is sweet, savory, and perfect for spooning over mashed potatoes or crusty bread.
Sponsored by America’s Test Kitchen, I received compensation for this post but all opinions are mine
This Cider Braised Pork Roast is the ultimate fall-inspired slow cooker meal—savory, slightly sweet, and full of cozy flavor. The pork butt becomes incredibly tender as it cooks low and slow in a mix of apple cider, apple butter, fresh herbs, and garlic. A splash of cider vinegar at the end balances everything out, creating a rich, well-rounded sauce. It’s a comforting, crowd-pleasing dish that’s perfect for holidays, Sunday dinners, or any time you want a meal that feels special without a lot of fuss.
Key ingredients
This Cider Braised Pork Roast is made with a well-marbled boneless pork butt, seasoned simply with salt and pepper and seared for extra flavor. The base of the dish includes chopped onion, fresh garlic, and thyme, all simmered in a mixture of apple cider and apple butter for a sweet and savory depth. Bay leaves add an herbal note, while a splash of cider vinegar at the end balances the richness. A bit of flour helps thicken the sauce, making it perfect for spooning over slices of tender pork.
Serving Suggestions & Smart Swaps
Browning the pork before slow cooking adds rich, caramelized flavor that really deepens the final dish.
If you prefer a less sweet sauce, reduce the apple butter slightly or add more vinegar at the end to balance it out.
You can add carrots, parsnips, or even chunks of sweet potato to the slow cooker for a built-in side.
Serve this Cider Braised Pork Roast with mashed potatoes, crusty bread, or roasted veggies to soak up the flavorful cider gravy.
The Leftover pork is amazing in sandwiches—just pile it on a bun with a spoonful of that cider gravy!
Slow Cooker Cider Braised Pork Roast
How to Video
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 lbs. boneless pork butt roast, 4-5 lb roast; trimmed and halved
- 3/4 tsp. Salt, divided; to taste
- 1/4 tsp. pepper, to taste
- 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 cup onion, (1 medium); chopped
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1/2 cup apple cider
- 1/2 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 1/2 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
More Pork Recipes:
Tender and full of flavor, Crockpot Ribs and Honey Garlic Pork Loin are two slow cooker favorites—one sweet and saucy, the other rich with garlic and honey.
Mississippi Pork delivers bold, tangy flavor with pepperoncini and ranch seasoning, while Slow Cooker Pork Roast is a more classic, comforting option with vegetables and savory broth all in one.
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
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
This looks & sounds amazing, perfect for fall. I can’t wait to try it out!
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. 🙂
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.