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Sweet, tangy balsamic vinegar, rich brown sugar, a few herbs and spices covering a lean pork roast, all cooked low and slow for a few hours make a main dish masterpiece. Served with your favorite sides, you’ll soon be saying – yes, more, please!
Whether you’re making my Crock Pot Chicken Thighs or Slow Cooker Shredded Mexican Beef, you’ll love the deep, rich flavors produced by cooking food low and slow. This Pork Roast has those same flavors and more!
Updated on 11/5/2021
Last week, while doing an early morning grocery run, I came across a great buy on pork roast. I snatched up a couple and decided to cook one that day. I had an idea of what I wanted the end result to be regarding flavors and opted for the slow cooking method since I had a busy day ahead of me.
After a few hours of cooking, my kitchen was full of great aromas, and it was time to get working on my glaze. Since I’m a big fan of balsamic vinegar, I knew it would be one of my ingredients. With the addition of brown sugar and soy sauce, I’d put together the best glaze ever and the result was ah-maz-ing!
Ingredients For This Recipe
- Pork Roast
- Onions
- Vegetable Stock
- Garlic Powder
- Dried Thyme
- Brown Sugar
- Soy Sauce
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Kosher Salt
- Fresh Cracked
Equipment I Use For This Recipe
To cook the pork roast, I use an 8-quart slow cooker. I also use a heavy bottom saucepan to make the sauce.
What Makes This Recipe To Delicious?
The ultimate success of this dish comes by putting the roast in the oven for glazing. Here’s how to make the glaze:
- 30 minutes before the roast is done, mix together brown sugar, water, soy sauce and balsamic vinegar in a small pot.
- On medium low heat, bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce by about â…“ or until slightly thick.
- Set glaze aside.
How Long Do I Cook The Pork Roast?
You can cook this recipe either on low or high in the crock pot.
- On LOW – 6 to 7 hours
- On HIGH – 4 to 5 hours
How To Store Leftovers
Store any leftover in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. This recipe also freezes well. Place the leftover pork along with the glaze in a freezer safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
What To Serve With Balsamic Brown Sugar Pork Roast
Now comes the good part. Serving this delicious roast! This easy-to-prepare main dish is great for Sunday Supper and perfect when you are entertaining. But remember, it’s a set it and forget it recipe, so it’s ideal for a weeknight meal.
- I like to serve glazed pork roast with Scalloped Potatoes and Roasted Broccoli. This is the ultimate in simple yet elegant home cooking.
- This roast makes a great addition to a Thanksgiving buffet. It’s terrific served with Roasted Butternut Squash With Bacon, Green Beans and Skillet Cinnamon Apples.
- For a family weeknight meal, serve the slow cooked pork roast with Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes and Broccoli Cauliflower Salad.
More Slow Cooker Recipes You’ll Love!
- Crock Pot Vegetable Beef Soup
- Crock Pot Bourbon Meatballs
- Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan
- Slow Cooker Busy Day Pot Roast
- Crock Pot Mississippi Chicken Sliders
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2-3 pound pork roast
- 1 medium onion – sliced
- ¾ cup stock – vegetable or chicken
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
Instructions
- Layer sliced onion in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place pork roast on top of onions.
- Mix together salt, pepper, garlic powder, and thyme – sprinkle on the roast.
- Pour stock carefully around the side of the roast.
- Cook on LOW for 5-6 hours, or high for 4-5.
- 30 minutes before the roast is done, mix together brown sugar, water, soy sauce, and balsamic vinegar in a small pot. On medium-low heat, bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce by about â…“ or until slightly thick. Set glaze aside.
- When roast is done, take out of slow cooker and place in a roasting pan.
- Heat oven to 450 degrees.
- Pour â…“ of the glaze over the roast and place in the oven. Continue to glaze roast every 5 minutes until glaze is used up.
- Take roast out of oven, loosely tent with foil and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Slice or shred with a fork. Serve with extra drippings.
Want To Know More About Slow Cooking?
If you are new to cooking with a Crock Pot or just don’t know where to start, I’ve got something to help. I’ve put together a helpful guide with tips and recipes to get you using a slow cooker like a pro!
This is one of our favorites! The roast comes out so tender, and the brown sugar/balsamic glaze is incredible! Pinned and posted!
looks good and sounds delicious…..cooking as i type and i will try to let you know how it turns out. the weekend is the only time i actually get to cook a sit down meal for hubby and myself so really looking forward to this. ty
I will be serving this for Christmas this year. I am really excited to try it and from the comments and the picture it looks like it will be a hit.
What can I use in place of the balsamic vinaigrette?? I only have white vinegar
Hey there Elizabeth!
Thank you so much for your interest in the recipe, that’s a great question! I wouldn’t necessarily use white vinegar because it doesn’t have a high enough sugar content to reduce properly in the sauce. If you can’t find any balsamic at the store, you can try using red wine vinegar instead. If you use red wine vinegar, the sauce probably won’t thicken up as well, but the flavor will still work. I hope this helps, let me know how it turns out if you end up making it! Thank you for your support!
~Donya
I’m going to make this for Christmas dinner. Thanks for the recipe!
Hey there Deb!
My goodness, I am honored to have a recipe at your Christmas dinner table! This roast definitely will not disappoint, it is tender, delicious, and honestly pretty easy to make. I hope y’all enjoy, please let me know how it turns out!
~Donya
Hi, I'm Barbara. This recipe sounds delicious, and I would love to try it this weekend. I have a question, though. What kind of pork roast are you using: a pork loin, pork shoulder, or something else?
Barbara, I used a pork loin that was tied. I hope it works out for you – please update me! Have a wonderful day.xo,~Donya
Thad this the other night for my family…. We have every kind of picky eater in this house and I had enough leftovers for MAYBE someone to snack on the next day. Definitely a keeper! Thank you!
Thanks for stopping by and for your kind words. I am tickled that you and your family liked this recipe!xo,~Donya