Published May 25, 2020

Last Christmas, my sister bought me a beautiful black and copper Crux Slow Cooker.

Growing up, my family never cooked using a slow-cooker. My dad (a retired fireman), didn’t like the idea of leaving something plugged in the kitchen while you were distracted or away from home.

Since I’m home during quarantine, I decided to buy some boneless pork shoulder to make a slow cooker recipe.

Ingredients for Boneless Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder

Selecting My Ingredients

I created this recipe using ingredients I like. Since the pork shoulder would be resting in the slow cooker on low, I decided to lay it over a bed of onions, carrots, garlic, and vegetable broth. Feel free to add more or less of these ingredients depending on your preferences.

I made sure not to have too much liquid in the bottom of the pot, as I was not making a soup. The vegetable broth was additional flavor/a potential sauce.

Pork Shoulder Seasoning

I wanted a garlicky flavor to my recipe, so I put three garlic cloves throughout the crock pot. I know that paprika and rosemary are classic pork pairings (at least when I cook), so I sprinkled each side of the pork with a layer of spices.

I also added Italian seasoning, because the more flavor the better. I didn’t measure when I seasoned the meat, so use your judgement. You can add more or less as you season each side of the pork.

Instructions for Boneless Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder

How do I know when my pork shoulder is done?

The internet has a variety of answers when it comes to cooking (especially smoking and BBQ-ing) pork. I’ve read articles that claim you can’t eat pork unless it’s 195-degrees, while other articles say that 145-degrees is edible. It’s confusing to know what the right answer is. The temperature that I removed my pork at was 180-degrees.

Here’s a few notes from my recipe to keep in mind:

1. My pork shoulder was tiny, less than 2 inches thick, so I knew that it couldn’t be raw inside if I cooked it to 180-degrees.

2. I cooked my pork — at a minimum — for 7-8 hours, alternating the time from low to high heat.

3. When I took it out of the pot to serve, it nearly fell through my fork, it was so soft

With these reasons in mind, I thought 180-degrees was the correct temperature for my pork to be ready to serve.

If you have a humongous pork shoulder (10+ pounds) and more than 2 inches thick, the internal temperature would have to be higher so it is soft enough to pull apart and be edible.

Making the Gravy

I originally planned on serving the slow cooker pork shoulder with the thin vegetable “broth” in the bottom of the pan, which is why I didn’t film how to make the gravy.

However, my family complained that the broth was too thin, and they wanted a pot-roast style gravy, so I used the above directions to make a thick gravy.

Make sure when you make your gravy that you gradually add your flour-Gravy Master mixture into your saucepan. Stir constantly, and watch how the slow cooker liquid thickens. You do not want to add all of your flour right away, and then end up with a clumpy, gluey gravy.

Once the gravy is thickened the way that you want, you can add your carrots and onions to reheat them.

Serving the Boneless Pork Shoulder

You can serve this pork shoulder overtop rice, polenta, or noodles.

Since I made pot-roast style gravy, I decided to make instant mashed potatoes — (yes, even a food blogger uses some shortcuts) — and Costco asparagus (roasted in the oven with breadcrumbs and olive oil).

You could even tear this pork shoulder apart and toss it in BBQ sauce for pulled pork, since it cuts like butter.

The Final Product

I was stoked with how this weeknight dinner came out!

The pork was so tender. The layer of fat dissolved into soft, buttery pieces. The pork split and fell apart while trying to cut it into slices.

The onion and garlic infused gravy was rich and thick (perfect for swiping fresh bread and butter into). The al dente breadcrumbed asparagus was a lighter vegetable to the potatoes.

I would love to make this pork again and try different sauces. I think it would’ve been as successful with the thinner drippings as well, so feel free to serve the sauce however you like best.

Recipe Score

I would give my boneless slow cooker pork shoulder a 10/10 for the following:

• Recipe Level

  • Easy: Since the slow cooker does all the work, all you have to do is add the vegetables and seasoning and set the timer.
    
    If you’ve never made homemade gravy using the pan drippings, then this recipe may be a new challenge for you. However, it is still easy to whisk together the flour and water, and gradually add the gravy flavor into your pan to make a hearty sauce.

• Ingredients

  • The pork shoulder is the only ingredient you would have to buy ahead. Feel free to substitute other vegetables and seasonings for this recipe, based on what you have available at home.

• Prep

  • Since this was my first time using my slow cooker, I had to prep the pot by boiling some water and cleaning it out. Once that was done, I was able to jump right into my recipe.

• Flavor

  • 10/10: Rich gravy, tender pork shoulder, and hearty vegetables makes for an impressive weeknight dinner
    
    

K. Martinelli Makes Boneless Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder

Thanks for Watching

Do you have a favorite slow cooker recipe? How do you make your pork shoulder? Tell me about it in the comments below or click here to find your next dinner recipe.