Slow-cookers have acquired a bum rap for turning out bland, homogenous, texturally-lacking food. Why-oh-why do people have this misconception? I want to whisper a little theory because it’s not a very popular one…
I think it’s because people thing you can dump any old thing in there along with a can or two of condensed cream of something soup and it’ll magically turn out a delightful meal. There’s a little more to it than that. Not much, mind you, but a lot of folks balk when you say such a thing.
The truth is that like most other things in life, you get out of it what you put into it. If you start with frozen chicken breasts and a can of cream of mushroom soup, you’re going to get a nice, shreddy, cafeteria style food.
If you start with a fresh pork loin, some chopped sweet potatoes, and a little attention to detail, you’re going to end up with something that is worthy of being served to company. I suppose my life analogy falls apart a bit there, much like boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the slow-cooker. Ba-dum-bum!
The point remains. Fresh foods going into the slow-cooker equal fresh tasting foods coming out of it. There’s a little science to it, too…
Not all fresh foods make it through the slow-cooking process equally. A good rule of thumb is that if it tastes good in something you’d stew, braise, roast, or otherwise cook for a long period of time in anything else, it’ll probably work well in the slow-cooker.
Whether you’re cooking for Sunday dinner, a family get together, or looking to make an average weeknight a little more special, this one-step-beyond-open-and-dump but fifty levels better Slow-Cooker Five Spice Pork Roast will help reduce your time in the kitchen while still turning out impressive and tasty vittles.
Take advantage of the earthiness and depth of flavor of Chinese Five-Spice Powder to give this easy but elegant pork roast a little special something. As the pork loin roasts, the fat and juices baste the sweet potatoes which serve almost as a rack to keep the roast elevated off of the floor of the slow-cooker. This simple trick improves the texture of the slow-cooked pork.
Cook’s Notes
This recipe is geared to take advantage of that budget-friendly cut of pork: Boneless Pork Loin. You can snap up one enormous pork loin when it goes on sale and lob it into meal-sized portions then wrap the portions you won’t use tightly and freeze for future meals.
This recipe comes courtesy of my best friend’s sister-in-law, Robin. Robin is a WIZARD at using small amounts of protein to feed large amounts of people and this is her brainchild. Maybe 2 pounds of meat doesn’t sound like a small amount of meat to you, but for a family of 7, having 2 pounds fill us all up is nothing short of a miracle! Thank you, Robin!
The sweet potatoes serve two purposes here. First, they act as a baking rack. The pork is perched on top of the potatoes as it cooks, making it easier for the air to circulate around the meat.
This, in turn, helps prevent one of the frequent unpleasant side-effects of slow-cooking: sogginess. The fats and juices from the pork baste the sweet potatoes, making them delicious!
Second, the presence of the sweet potatoes makes this quite close to a one-pot meal. A rice-cooker or pot full of rice on the stove and some hot sauce is all that’s needed to complete your meal.
We utterly adore Spicy Chinese Chili Crisp on this dish, but we’ve also loved it with Chili Garlic Sauce or Chinese Black Bean Garlic Sauce. In short… put something spicy on top and it sings!
Connect with Foodie with Family
facebook | pinterest | instagram | twitter
Looking for a spectacular and spectacularly easy side dish to serve with this pork roast? Try our Rice Noodle Stir Fry!
Slow-Cooker Five Spice Pork Roast
Rate RecipeIngredients
- 1 boneless pork roast 2 to 2-1/2 pound
- 1 tablespoon Chinese Five Spice Powder
- 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
For serving:
- hot cooked rice
- chopped cilantro or parsley
- finely chopped green onions
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 Chinese Five Spice powder, kosher salt, and cracked black pepper on all sides. Rub it into the roast.
- 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. 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:
- Remove the pork roast from the slow-cooker to a cutting board, lightly tent with foil, and let it stand for 8 minutes before slicing. 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 pan juices over the rice, and top with green onions, cilantro or parsley, and -if using- spicy sesame oil and chili sauce.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
did you make this recipe?
Make sure to tag @foodiewithfam on Instagram and #hashtag it #foodiewithfamily so I can check it out!
Don’t forget that Not Your Mama’s Canning Book: Modern Canned Goods and What to Make with Them is available for Pre-Order through these fine retailers!
This post originally published July 24, 2014.
Reader's Thoughts...
lily says
This recipe did not turn out well for me. There’s no liquid in the pot and the meat was bone dry. Back to can of soup over meat in a slow cooker for me 🙁
Rebecca says
I’m very sorry to hear that, Lily. It almost sounds like your slow cooker lid was ajar in the cooking process for it to turn out dry. If you’re looking for super moist meat, you can always substitute in a bone-in pork roast. Those are always more moist. Keep on keepin’ on!
Buck Reed says
Lovely dish and delicious “spice pork roast”.
Regards
Buck
Snapback Caps says
I keep telling a friend, ‘slow cooking’ does not mean ‘no cooking’. This looks like it will be wildly successful at our house.
Shilpa Malhotra says
Sounds delicious!Mmmmmm, that looks EXTREMELY tasty.
Roshani Khanna says
This looks amazing. I can’t wait to try these.
Sofie says
I wish I could tast images.
It looks that delicious!
Amelie Moore says
Made it tonight, it came out quite tasty. Definitely in the “make again” category.
Rebecca says
Hi Amelie! I’m so glad you liked it!
Colleen says
Rebecca, my family absolutely loved this recipe!! Once I was able to find the Chinese 5-Spice at my grocery store (sadly, I could not find all of the ingredients to make my own), I couldn’t wait to try it…so without 6 extra hours to throw this in the crock pot, I turned to my trusty cast iron skillet. First, I seared the port tenderloin on all sides, removed to a serving platter and covered with foil. Next, I added a little extra olive oil, tossed in the cubed sweet potatoes, and stirred them around a bit. I popped those into a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes; removed them from the oven, topped the sweet potatoes with my pork tenderloin, covered with a tight lid, and returned to a 300 degree oven for 1 hour. Not only did the kitchen smell wonderful, but the pork was fork-tender, and the sweet potatoes were not mush but were still very soft! Topped this with cilantro and a spicy-sweet chili sauce
I was a bit more than curious when I saw that this was to be served over rice (potatoes and rice???), but somehow it works! I will definitely be adding this to our list of “favorites” and repeating often.
Rebecca says
That is some seriously wonderful feedback on the recipe, Colleen! I’m so glad your family loves it like we do!
Crystal Barrett says
My slow cooker is my best friend! Easy, don’t have to keep an eye out, makes meat tender, and always delicious! I think people just don’t know how to cook with it when they associate it to bland and boring. This is going to my list of slow cooker meals for sure! Looks fabulous! Thank you for sharing!
Marjory @ Dinner-Mom says
This looks incredibly delicious! Love the crock pot. It’s a miracle appliance!
Aly ~ Cooking In Stilettos says
My slow cooker gets a work-out year round. I LOVE this idea and the sweet potatoes as a rack for the pork – perfection!
Lauren @ Healthy Delicious says
Yes! Slow cookers are good for so much more than just soups and chili. This pork long looks incredible. Bookmarking it for this fall (when I’ll be working crazy hours and will rely heavily on my slow cooker to keep me fed)
Kim Beaulieu says
I’ll be right over. Seriously. I hope you saved a giant bowl for me.
Stephanie @ Back For Seconds says
I love using my slow cooker! This looks like a fantastic meal!
Annylem says
What is Chinese 5 spice powder? Can I find it in the grocery store? Same question on the sauces you mention. Are they grocery store fodder or are they your own creations that you have a link to a recipe somewhere?
Rebecca says
You CAN indeed buy 5 spice at the store, but I think the flavour is significantly better when made from scratch. Here’s a link to a post where I show you how to do that. https://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/06/17/chinese-barbecued-pork-char-siu-homemade-five-spice-and-an-ipad-giveaway/ And while I know it’s possible to make Spicy Chili Crisp at home, I’ve never done it. I buy it at my local Asian market OR via Amazon. There’s a link to it in this post: https://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/08/13/mapo-dofu-chinese-spicy-pork-with-tofu/
Additionally, Chili Garlic sauce can be bought at most moderately stocked grocery stores. You can also use Sambal Oelek (These are usually sold in the Asian foods section of the grocery store and are in small clear jars (sometimes with a green plastic cap) so you can see the bright red chili garlic sauce in them.
Rebecca says
Whoopsie- I thought the Chili Crisp link was in the Mapo Dofu post. I looked afterward and found it wasn’t. Here’s an Amazon link to it so you can see the jar. Lao Gan Ma Chili Crisp Sauce
Matt Robinson says
You’re killin’ me today, this looks incredible and I love the flavors!!
Robby says
As I keep telling a friend, ‘slow cooking’ does not mean ‘no cooking’. This looks like it will be wildly successful at our house. Now, for the uninformed, can you tell me more about Spicy Chinese Chili Crisp? The name alone makes me want some.
The Food Hunter says
looks delicious!
Kim (Feed Me, Seymour) says
I am so, so glad you shared this and dissolved the myth of slow cooker food! People need to get creative (and also, put down the can of condensed soup. Forever). This dish is definitely one that I’d eat in a heart beat!
Aimee @ ShugarySweets says
I hate it when people equate slow cooker to boring. I love using my slow cooker and this recipe is going to be happening soon!!! YUM
Terry says
Hi, I have a little 1.5 qt slow cooker and love it! Cooking for one, of course.