How long to cook 3lb pork roast in crock pot

This easy Slow Cooker Pork Loin roast recipe includes a flavorful garlic herb rub, and is slow cooker in apple juice for extra flavor! It is fall apart tender with minimal effort!

1. About this Slow Cooker Pork Loin Roast recipe
2. What is the difference between pork loin and pork tenderloin?
3. How to make Slow Cooker Pork Loin:
4. Slow Cooker Pork Loin FAQs
5. What to make with leftover pulled pork:
6. Slow Cooker Pork Loin Roast recipe Recipe

I know. It seems kind of boring.

But I’ve been making this Slow Cooker Pork Loin recipe at least once a month for a year or two. And it’s so good, and so tender.

Plus, I’ve finally got my dry rub down and ready to share!

The seasoning here is similar to my dry rub on this Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin, but there’s so much more area to cover when you’re making a crockpot pork roast.

I love to pick up a couple boneless pork loins when they go on sale and stash them in the freezer for those weeks I need an easy, hearty meal with minimal effort. Plus, there’s so much you can do with leftover pork loin!

You can really just throw the pork loin in the crockpot with some water and salt and pepper and it will come out just fine, especially considering you only spent about 2 minutes getting it ready.

But if you want to take it up a notch? You’ve got to try this dry rub for pork roast. It would be so easy to make a big batch and store in an old spice jar to make the prep for this crockpot pork loin even simpler.

But even if you don’t, it’s still only going to take about 5-10 minutes of your time in the morning and you’ll have easy meals for the rest of the week! My average pork loin is about 5 lbs, so there’s lots to go around and it freezes perfectly, too!

Serve it with some Roasted Potatoes and Carrots, Garlic Bread and Easy Broccoli Salad for a meal the family will love!

What is the difference between pork loin and pork tenderloin?

Since my Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin and Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin have been so popular, I’ve gotten a lot of questions or comments about cooking pork loin.

I think a lot of people make the mistake of assuming they’re interchangeable when they are definitely not, so I wanted to include my recipe for pork loin over here on The Recipe Rebel, too! (Since it’s one of our favorites anyway!)

A pork tenderloin is much smaller than pork loin, it usually weights around 1-1.5 lbs, whereas the pork loin I used for this recipe was 5 lbs. You can see why the recipes can’t be used interchangeably — pork loin requires much more seasoning and much more cook time.

You can read more about the differences between pork loin and pork tenderloin here.

How to make Slow Cooker Pork Loin:

• Low and slow. Although you can cook a pork loin on high in the slow cooker, I definitely prefer low heat for a longer period of time. It breaks down the meat until it easily falls apart!
• Season well. The pork loin is a large cut of meat, so I like to give it a solid coating of the dry rub before cooking. It can soak up a ton of flavor!
• Fresh or frozen. If you want something that cooks over a longer period of time, try putting the pork loin in frozen. If you want the rub to adhere to the meat, you will need to let it thaw at room temperature for an hour or two so the outer layer has thawed. Season and cook for 9-10 hours on low (up to 11 is fine — it won’t hurt it!).

Slow Cooker Pork Loin FAQs

How long do I cook pork loin in the crockpot?

You can cook your pork loin (or pork roast) on low for about 8 hours or high for about 5 hours. The exact cook time will depend on the size of the pork loin and the cooking temperature of your slow cooker.

What is the correct internal temperature for pork loin?

Pork is cooked when it reaches 145 degrees F. The best way to tell if meat is done is by using a meat thermometer — this way we get perfectly cooked, still juicy meat and not overcooked pork!

What if I don’t have apple juice?

I love using apple juice to cook my pork loin — apples and pork go so well together! If you don’t have apple juice, you can use chicken or vegetable broth, cranberry juice, pineapple juice, or even Root Beer! Feel free to get creative.

Do I need to sear my pork loin before slow cooking?

Searing a pork loin before placing it in the crockpot can result in a beautiful crust and add flavor. I don’t always sear my pork first because life is busy, and I’ve found that we love this crockpot pork loin just as much either way, so I usually skip that step and save myself having to wash a giant pan 😉

What to make with leftover pulled pork:

One of the reasons I love this Slow Cooker Pork Loin is because it shreds so easily, and there are a ton of ways to reinvent leftover pulled pork.

• Freeze it! Leftover cooked, shredded pork can be frozen plain or in barbecue sauce. It will keep for up to 3 months.
• As a pizza topping for regular or mini naan pizzas.
• Add it to pasta.
• Make a pulled pork grilled cheese.
• Top a salad with it.
• And on and on and on the list goes. What are your favorite things to do with it?

• ▢ 5 lbs pork loin
• ▢ 1 ½ tablespoons seasoning salt
• ▢ 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried mustard
• ▢ 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 1 cup unsweetened apple juice

• Trim fat off around pork loin if desired.

• Combine seasoning salt (if you are reducing your salt intake, use only 1 tablespoon), garlic powder, Italian seasoning, mustard, onion powder and pepper. Rub all over pork loin.

• Place pork loin in 4-6 quart slow cooker and add apple juice. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours (or high for 4 hours). *See notes below to cook from frozen.

• Shred pork or remove from slow cooker and cool for 15-20 minutes to slice. 

• Optional: add barbecue sauce or other sauces and serve as desired.

If you want something that cooks over a longer period of time, try putting the pork loin in frozen. If you want the rub to adhere to the meat, you will need to let it thaw at room temperature for an hour or two so the outer layer has thawed. Season and cook for 10 hours on low (up to 11 is fine — it won’t hurt it!).

Calories: 157cal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 579mg | Potassium: 444mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.7mg

Keywords crockpot pork loin, easy pork loin, frozen pork loin, pork loin in slow cooker, slow cooker pork

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