This easydinner party main dishfeatures three of my favorite little helpers:anchovies, the food processor, and theslow cooker. I sneak anchovies into as many things as I can to boost and funk up flavors (just as long as there aren’t vegetarians at my table). The food processor used here can be amini prep(in fact, I prefer my mini prep for this) or a full size—either way it turns the task of making a flavor-packed paste to rub all over the pork roast a day or two in advance into a breeze.
The slow cooker is my favorite tool for cooking big hunks of meat without turning on the oven and heating the kitchen in the summer. I’m sorry to all you Instant Pot fans out there, but I just love my slow cooker. I like that I can open it up and poke at the meat and know exactly what’s happening. I use a 4-quart slow cooker for this recipe because it’s the only one I have and the pork roast just barely fits into it, which means the pork very quickly gets submerged in a bath of its own fat—a good thing for a pork roast to do. But you can use whatever size you have.
Serve this easy slow-cooker pork with myPickled Peppercorn Vinaigrettedrizzled over the top.
Ingredients
Serves 8–10
Step 1
The night before or up to 2 days before cooking, pulse the anchovies, garlic, mustard, salt, sugar, pepper, and allspice in the jar of a food processor until a thick paste forms. Rub that paste all over your tied pork roast, pushing it between the cracks as much as possible. (If you care about how your hands smell, you might want to wear gloves for this process.)
Step 2
If you have room to store the insert of your slow cooker in the fridge, tuck the rubbed roast into it, cover it, and refrigerate. If there’s just no room, seal it into a resealable plastic bag and then refrigerate. Let it sit at least overnight or up to 2 days so that the salt and seasonings in the paste have a chance to penetrate the meat to tenderize and flavor it.
Step 3
Place the insert and the pork into your slow cooker set to low, cover, and cook until the meat is fork-tender but not completely falling apart, 7 to 7½ hours. (If it’s done cooking before you’re ready for it, simply remove it from the cooker, wrap it tightly in foil, and let it sit for up to 2 hours, then re-warm—still wrapped—in a 300°F oven before slicing.)
Step 4
Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the butcher’s twine, then slice and transfer to a serving platter. Drizzle vinaigrette over the top, or strain some of the juice out of the slow cooker, drizzle that over the top instead, and toss a flurry of chopped herbs over the top to make it pretty.
To roast pork in the oven, place the pork in a large Dutch oven, cover, and roast in a 300°F oven, basting occasionally, until the meat is fork-tender, 6 to 7 hours.
Leave a Review
Reviews (4)
Back to TopThe fact that she says “as long as there aren’t vegetarians at my table” leads me to believe she is very conscious about food allergies. In any event, if you have a food allergy, don’t you bring it up before stuffing your face—I’ve thrown many parties over my 66 years, and many people will say they have an allergy upon asking about a dish before they indulge and if it is a dinner party, I always ask at the time plans are firmed up if there are any dietary restrictions.
Lori
Houston, Tx
5/18/2022
Anna Stockwell!~ YOU ROCK!! I made this today and cannot express how fabulous it is! I cooked mine for 8 hours- Tied the roast to begin with which is key. Thank you. The Pickled Green Peppercorn vinaigrette is Outstanding. Served it with a green salad drizzled with some more of the dressing. I tried the juice but it was a tad too salty for me, although the meat was not- perfectly seasoned. I entertain often so this will SO go into my favs! Thank you so much!
Lisa Renner
5/2/2022
Ah, Adrian, they do let people know they're adding fish to the dish. "6 anchovy fillets" is the first ingredient. Pretty sure people who die from eating fish are pretty good at knowing their fish. *roll*
Jeremy C
Idaho Falls, ID
4/27/2022
Please let people know that you're adding fish to your dishes. You might end up killing a person that's allergic to fish and shellfish
Adrian
Chicago
4/26/2022
This was delicious. Used a bone-in Boston butt, salted 2 days before and then the rub 24 hrs. Super flavorful and every bite was well seasoned.
KP
Vermont
9/30/2023
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