Slow Cooker Italian Pork Roast with Wine Recipe

This slow cooker Italian Pork roast with win recipe will be your new weeknight go to! A pork butt braised with carrots and onions in a rich red wine broth. This pork is incredibly tender after hours in the crockpot, it shreds easily with a fork. Serve pork and carrots over mashed potatoes or polenta with lots of the red wine sauce. Make a big batch of this on Sunday and have pot roast for the whole week. Pork butt can be inexpensive making this great for a gathering or large family meal.

Highlights of this recipe and why you’ll love it:

• Dump and go: this slow cooker recipe couldn’t be any easier! Simply brown the pork butt and use the dripping to make a sauce. Prep the carrots and onion, add those to the crockpot with the seared pork butt, top everything with the red wine pan sauce and let cook on high for 6 hours. Once done, the pork will be fork tender and fall apart effortlessly. Serve over potatoes, grits, or cauliflower mash.
• Family favorite: kids and adults will love this meal. It’s protein packed and full of flavor but still mild enough to satisfy everyone. Shredded pork can be made into sandwiches, tacos, or used on pizzas and grilled cheese’.
• Budget friendly: pork butt is an affordable cut of meat that can stretch a long way. The fat helps keep this super tender so it doesn’t dry out. Pork shoulders and pork butts are also easy to find in stores. This recipe is made will simple ingredients, many you probably already have on hand!
• Great for leftovers: leftover pork can be stored and kept in the freezer for 1-2 months. Or keep it in the fridge and mix into mac n cheese, pasta, or used in tacos and quesadillas.
• Customizable: This can be customized as desired, add in different vegetables as desired. You can also omit the wine if desired and add additional flavorings to the pan sauce.

This is a perfect dish for hectic weekends or weeknights, the whole family will love this one. Serve with these different side dishes – Easy One-Pan Scalloped Sweet Potatoes, Easy Potato Au Gratin, Simple Green Bean Almondine with Bacon, or Green Bean Casserole From Scratch! These Air Fryer New York Frozen Garlic Knots Recipe are a great side dish idea as well.

Ingredients list and Substitutions:

• Boneless pork butt: I like this cut because it is budget friendly and gets super tender. You could also use pork shoulder.
• Fennel seeds: whole fennel seeds are preferred, or use ground fennel.
• Oregano: dried oregano is best for this, can substitute other dried herbs as desired, such as thyme or parsley.
• Dried rosemary: dried is best, or use fresh rosemary and chop finely. Or use a premade mix of Italian spices or an Italian seasoning blend.
• Red pepper flakes: can omit if desired, adds nice flavor to the pork butt.
• Kosher salt: any type of salt will work, Celtic salt or Himalayan salt is best.
• Black peppercorns: I like to use whole peppercorns and grind them myself. Can substitute pre-ground black pepper.
• Extra virgin oil: any kind of oil will work, canola oil, avocado oil, or vegetable oil.
• Garlic cloves: fresh garlic works best in this recipe, or use jarred minced garlic.
• Chicken broth or stock: any stock works for this recipe. Use beef stock, chicken bone broth, beef bone broth, or vegetable broth.
• Red wine: can omit if desired, any type of red wine will work or use white wine. This deglazes the pan and makes a rich, flavorful sauce.
• Whole carrots: I use large carrots, that I peel and chop into large chunks.
• Red onion: any kind of onion will work, use yellow onion or white onion. Or omit if desired.
• Fresh herbs: I like a mix of fresh thyme and oregano, any herbs will work!

How to make Slow Cooker Italian Red Wine Pork Roast (with step by step instructions):

Quick overview:

• Season and sear pork butt
• Prep veggies
• Make pan sauce
• Add everything to the crock pot and let cook on high
• Once done, shred and enjoy

1. Combine seasoning in a small bowl and sprinkle over pork.

2. Rub pork loin evenly, coating all sides of the pork.

3. Brown all sides of the pork in a large sauté pan or large skillet.

4. After browning the pork, make the red wine sauce using the pan scraps.

5. Dice onions, carrots, and garlic. Prepare fresh herbs if using any. I like to leave my veggies in larger chunks.

6. Add chopped veggies to the bottom of the crockpot, add the browned pork but on top of the veggies.

7. Pour the red wine sauce over the top, making sure everything is covered.

8. Cover and cook for 6-7 hours on high. Shred pork with a fork and enjoy!

If you like this Slow Cooker Italian Pork Roast with Wine Recipe, you’ll love these other easy recipes…

Easy PF Chang’s Ginger Broccoli Chicken Recipe

Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Honey Soy Pork Bowls

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs with Cauliflower Mash

Meal Prep Garlic Pork Tenderloin with Orzo

Instant Pot Apple Cider Pork Loin

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup

Tools I used for this slow cooker pork roast:

• Crock pot – A classic, versatile kitchen appliance! This is a smaller crockpot, perfect for 1 or 2 people. I like this one because it’s neutral and compact!
• Le Creuset 5 1/2-Qt. Dutch Oven – my favorite Dutch oven for braising large cuts of meat, enamel cast iron is also a great conductor of even heat.
• Tongs – A must kitchen utensil for searing meat
• USA Pan Half Sheet Pan – my go-to sheet pans, these are truly non-stick and clean up nicely. I like to use these to set my pork on after searing.

This crock pot pork roast will work with a beef roast as well, this crockpot meal is a great option for fall-apart pork. Great for Sunday dinner with green beans, a side of broccoli, or spaghetti squash.

Recipe FAQ’s for the pork roast recipe:

What cut of pork is best for the slow cooker?

I like a pork shoulder or pork butt the best for the crockpot, it is a large cut with enough fat to stay tender and juicy. Pork spare ribs, loin, tenderloins, and pork belly can all be cooked in the crock pot.

Do you put water in the crockpot with pork?

You need to add some type of liquid to the crockpot to keep the pork tender and juicy. Water doesn’t add any flavor, I prefer to add in a flavorful braising liquid like this rich pan sauce with red wine. Even just adding in a rich bone broth or stock can add extra flavors. Bay leaves, peppercorns, and other seasonings can add easy flavor as well.

Can you overcook pork in the crockpot?

It’s pretty hard to over cook pork in the crockpot, the longer this cooks, the more tender it becomes. 6 hours would be the minimum amount of time I would cook this pork pot roast, 11-12 hours would be about the maximum time I would let this sit in the crockpot. Pork needs an internal temperature of 155 degrees F.

This tender roast recipe is great for special occasions or guests! An easy way to make your favorite pork roast. Looking for a cocktail as well, serve this with a Easy Cranberry Orange Whiskey Sour Cocktail Recipe, Carrabba’s Pomegranate Martini Cocktail Recipe, or Cinnamon Pear Gin Fizz.