Slow Cooked Dutch Oven Pork Roast

Tender slow cooked dutch oven pork roast with rice is packed with flavor! Made at home or over the campfire or on the stovetop, this dutch oven recipe for dinner can be pulled or sliced and cooked with rice together.

Pork Roast in Dutch Oven Cooking Time

This is going to take about 2 hours at 350 degrees. We’ve made an Instant Pot pork shoulder before in and yes that came out incredible, and faster too. Sometimes you want it cooked low and slow for a few hours so it’s s tender the meat just falls apart when it’s touched. 

If you want to bake Pork Roast in Oven at 375 or 350F, this is another method that works just as well. Using a cast iron pot traps the steam and allows the meat to break down and get very fork tender and delicious.

Can You Cook Pork Roast with Vegetables?

You could! If you would rather add baby potatoes and large chunks of carrots I would go with those. Sliced onions would be a good option too. Choose those that are firmer and would take a few hours to get tender and not disintegrate before the meat is fork tender.

Ours is boneless, if you have a shoulder it would just take a while longer since there is a larger bone present. Other than that I would follow the rest of the recipe as far as the sauce goes. I would leave out the rice though because it might get overdone and mushy.

This is a great one to try with a dry curry rub recipe you can use on just about any other large cut of meat for a ton of flavor. We have used it on our air fryer rump roast too.

Of course if you have your own recipe for a dry rub you’re obsessed with, you could use that too. Totally up to you. There is also a great sweetness added with diced fresh mango. 

Ingredients

1. Dutch oven – 7 quart has been a good size for us
2. 4 lb. pork roast (if larger or smaller, timing will vary)
3. Water or broth
4. Dry Rub
   • Curry powder
   • Coriander
   • Brown sugar
   • Cinnamon 
   • Paprika
   • Garlic powder
     1. throwing in a few garlic cloves when you add the rice would be good too
5. Salt and pepper to taste at the end
6. Brown rice (optional add in)
7. Mango

The first step is to mix together pork dry rub ingredients and liberally rub it all over on the top and the bottom of the meat. For bolder flavors you could use our homemade fajita seasoning in the bowl so you get a nice intense flavor on each piece of meat.

If you didn’t want the sweetness you could skip the fruit and instead put in large chunks of veggies. Quarter taters and whole carrots that have been peeled and throw those babies in at the beginning.

Do you cook pork roast fat side up or down in a Dutch oven?

You always want a nice thick flap to keep the meat moist. Even if you are going to remove once done it is best when cooking. When you set it into the pot place the fat on the top so when it cooks down it will “melt” down on to the rest of the protein.

This was our first attempt at a dutch oven pork anything. We cook this dutch oven whole chicken all the time with vegetables and it turns out so well that I thought I’d give this a whirl the other night. 

What veg goes with pulled pork?

1. Carrots in pressure cooker are fast to make and healthy
2. A side of air fryer green beans gives the meal a bit of crunch
3. Okra is a great choice that can be sauteed with butter
4. Corn on the cob in an air fryer we love with this

Just like our Instant Pot pulled pork, this is just so incredible served on slider buns is probably one of our favorite ways to eat it. Slather a bit of extra sauce on top with a side of cole slaw and OH MY.

How to Slow Cook Pork Roast in Oven

• First you’re going to heat your cast iron dutch oven over medium high heat on your stovetop and heat olive oil inside of it.
• Brown the outsides, turn the roast so all sides are “toasted”. 
• In a small bowl mix together your brown sugar, remaining water, uncooked rice and mango goes in last.
  • you don’t have to add the fruit if you don’t want to have a sweet and savory dish
  • I imagine you could replace with peeled and diced apples too
• Pour this mixture around the outside of your meat. We need to bring to a boil so the rice can cook tender and perfect.
• Put lid back on and the cast iron pot back in your oven to cook for another oven. This will finish cooking the pork and make the rice tender.
• Once done take the pot out and rest it on the top of your stovetop for 15 minutes covered. You want your meat to be really tender and resting will help with that.
• Serve rice and meat with some air fryer vegetables and Dutch Oven bread, with pan juices spooned on top for best results.
• Then open, fluff your rice and shred or slice your pork roast into servings.

What temperature should a pork roast be cooked to?

The National Pork Board recommends cooking pork chops, roasts, and tenderloin to an internal temp between 145 degrees and 160 degrees which would be medium. Allow it to rest at least 3 minutes to maintain juiciness. Larger cuts continue to cook as they rest too and typically increase 10 degrees while it sits. SO, you should remove it from the heat at 150 degrees F, followed by a 10 minute rest ideally.

How long will pulled pork last in the fridge?

Leftovers pork is the same as leftover ham or other cooked meats. The safe storage life of these cooked meats is 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.

Can you reheat shredded pork?

Yes. Just place the pulled pork in a microwave safe dish, add some liquid to keep it moist, and heat on high for two minutes. It may need a bit longer depending on how much you’re heating, you just want to get an internal temperature of 165 degrees with a meat thermometer.

What to make with leftovers

I personally like to add what I have left in a recipe to bring new life to it like our Instant Pot casserole here! I have also used this chopped up into a version of our dutch oven stew with potatoes, carrots and onions in a thick gravy, so good.