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Home » Blog » Kitchen Tips » Can You Cook A Frozen Pork Roast in the Slow Cooker?

Can You Cook A Frozen Pork Roast in the Slow Cooker?

Published: Nov 1, 2022 · Modified: Jan 27, 2023 by Marlene Wallace ·

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our full Disclosure Policy for details.

Slow cooker meals are a great choice when it comes to weeknight dinners. You put your ingredients into the crockpot in the morning, set to cook and dinner is already waiting for you when you come home from work or school. In this post we are taking a closer look at how a slow cooker works, its advantages and if it is safe to cook frozen meat in the slow cooker.

Table of Contents

  • How Does A Slow Cooker work?
  • Advantages Of Cooking A Roast In the Crockpot
  • Favorite Pork Recipes
  • Can You Cook Frozen Meat In The Slow Cooker?
  • What Is The Best Way To Cook Frozen Meat?
  • Recommended Tools
  • Stef says….
  • How To Be Food Safe With A Crockpot
  • Favorite Crockpot Recipes
  • How To Quickly Defrost Meat
  • Common Questions
  • Andrea says….
shredded pork roast on a plate
Pork Roast In Instant Pot Recipe

How Does A Slow Cooker work?

Slow Cookers, also known as crockpots, are countertop appliances that slowly cook one pot meals at very low temperatures. They usually have three settings, LOW, HIGH and WARM. The heat in a crockpot, usually between 170°F and 280°F, comes directly from the pot. Similar to a dutch oven on the stovetop, the heat starts at the bottom and then comes up the sides of the crockpot. Additionally, there are newer digital slow cookers as well, which you can program to start cooking whenever you like. After the cooking process is done, they automatically switch to the warm setting. Therefore keeping your food warm, until you are ready to eat.

Advantages Of Cooking A Roast In the Crockpot

Here are some reasons why we love cooking with a crockpot:

  • Perfectly Cooks Less Expensive Cuts Of Meat: Cooking lean and tougher cuts of meat in the slow cooker makes them tender, juicy and delicious.
  • Less Mess: Crockpot meals are essentially one pot meals.
  • Hands-Off Cooking: Simply add all ingredients to the crockpot, set and return to a fully cooked meal.
  • More Efficient: Slow cookers use less electricity than regular ovens.
  • Brings Out The Flavor Of Food: Crockpots cook at very low temperatures, therefore giving flavors time to develop.
  • Saves Money: Slow cookers save money by using less electricity as well as making it possible to cook cheaper cuts of meat to tender perfection. Moreover they keep you from eating out or ordering take-out when a cooked meal is already waiting when you come home from work.

Favorite Pork Recipes

  • instant pot pork roast on a platter with vegetables

    Instant Pot Pork Roast

  • Pulled pork sliders stacked.

    Pulled Pork Sliders (Instant Pot, Slow Cooker or Oven Roasted)

  • carnitas in tongs

    Instant Pot Carnitas

Can You Cook Frozen Meat In The Slow Cooker?

The short answer to this question is: NO! Unfortunately the USDA does not recommend cooking frozen meat in the slow cooker, because there would be too much opportunity for harmful bacteria growth.

As mentioned above, a crock-pot (slow cooker) cooks at very low temperatures, and because of that frozen meat would take too long to reach cooking temperature when it goes into the slow cooker frozen. The time until food reaches the safe temperature of 145ºF is also called the “danger zone”, it is between 41ºF and 140ºF.

Disease causing bacteria grows extremely fast during this period in the moist and low temperature environment of a crockpot. The USDA recommends no more than 2 hours to get food out of the danger zone. A frozen roast starts cooking at 0ºF and will definitely not reach a food safe temperature within 2 hours of cook time. It would thus give bacteria an opportunity to multiply, making the meat unsafe to eat and possibly causing foodborne illnesses.

Slow cooking is not the way you want to cook frozen meat. The lower temperatures are a breeding ground for e. coli and other bacteria. Food safety guidelines would recommend not cooking any frozen piece of meat in a slow cooker. Avoid cooking partially-frozen pork slowly as well.

What Is The Best Way To Cook Frozen Meat?

Our favorite way to cook frozen meat is in the electric pressure cooker. You don’t have to worry about bacterial growth and food-borne illnesses. You can cook frozen pork loin, frozen pork roast, frozen pork chops or any cut of frozen chicken or beef in the Instant Pot pressure cooker. The pressure cooker does an excellent job of breaking down the connective tissues and making tender meat. It just takes a few minutes more than fresh meat and fresh pork.

Try these recipes with your frozen pork and save the slow cooker recipes for defrosted pork:

Pork Roast: If you are a big fan of pot roasts, then you will love our most delicious Instant Pot Pork Roast. This fork tender and flavorful pork roast only takes 5 minutes to prep and it comes with perfectly cooked potatoes and carrots and the most delicious balsamic gravy. This is the most delicious pork roast you’ll ever make.

Pulled Pork Sliders: Use a defrosted or frozen pork shoulder roast or pork butt roast to make this easy recipe for BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders. With just a few ingredients for a delicious dry rub and your favorite BBQ sauce you’ll have tasty pulled BBQ pork to make a pork sandwich!

Carnitas: Use a defrosted or frozen pork shoulder roast, pork shoulder butt roast or even a pork tenderloin (boneless pork loin) to make these delicious Instant Pot Pork Carnitas. You will not believe how much flavor this great recipe has! These are a family favorite!

Recommended Tools

Links to our favorite tools are affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link we may get a tiny portion of the sale.

Crockpot — This recipe requires a slow cooker. We use a 6 qt. basic Crockpot brand slow cooker. It works wonderfully. If you’re planning to take your Crockpot to potlucks you’ll want to check out this one that has a locking lid. A slow cooker has an inner pot called the crock. Neither the crock nor the lid are oven safe on most machines. Do not put them in the oven.

Instant Pot– One cooking method for this recipe is an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker. This Instant Pot isn’t the fanciest you can buy but we love it and it will work for most people’s needs. If you’re looking for one with all the bells and whistles, this 10-in-1 Instant Pot is amazing.

WHAT TO MAKE NEXT: These Crockpot Baked Potatoes are so easy you just set it and forget it. A few hours later, you’ve got the soft, pillowy potatoes of your dreams. 

Stef says….

Did you know that you can also make jam in the slow cooker? With Crockpot Strawberry Raspberry Jam, you won’t need to stand over the stovetop to make a delicious batch of homemade jam! This recipe is super easy and incredibly delicious!

How To Be Food Safe With A Crockpot

Follow these tips to make sure your slow cooker dinner is not only delicious, but also safe to eat.

  • Tip: Keep your crockpot and work surface clean. For easier cleanup, you can use slow cooker liners.
  • Tip: Make sure your meat is fully defrosted. This ensures even cooking and prevents bacteria from growing.
  • Tip: Keep meat refrigerated until you are ready to turn on the slow cooker.

Favorite Crockpot Recipes

  • crock pot chipotle chicken tacos

    Crock Pot Chipotle Chicken Tacos

  • Bowl of ham and bean soup.

    Crockpot Ham and Bean Soup Recipe

  • wooden spoon scooping crockpot olive garden chicken pasta

    Crockpot Olive Garden Chicken Pasta (Viral TikTok Recipe)

  • Chip dipping into cheesy buffalo chicken dip in a white crockpot.

    Buffalo Chicken Dip Crockpot Recipe

How To Quickly Defrost Meat

We all know the best way to defrost a frozen pork roast is overnight in the refrigerator. But in case you have forgotten to take out the meat you wanted to cook from the freezer ahead of time, here are some tips on how to quickly and safely defrost meat.

IN COLD WATER: Put your frozen meat into a sealable ziploc bag and make sure to squeeze out as much air as possible. Then submerge the bag in a bowl filled with cold water. Change the water about every 30 minutes to make sure it stays cold. Depending on size, your meat should be thawed in 1-3 hours.

IN THE MICROWAVE: Most microwave ovens have a defrost setting. Some even let you enter the weight of your meat to calculate the perfect defrosting time. In case your microwave does not have a defrost mode, turn your microwave to the lowest setting and microwave the frozen meat in short increments until thawed. With the microwave there is a fine line between thawing and cooking. Keep checking on the status of your meat and reposition it if necessary for even defrosting.

Common Questions

Is it safe to defrost meat on the counter?

We do not recommend thawing meat on the counter. According to the USDA thawed meat should never spend more than 2 hours at room temperature, because this gives bacteria the chance to multiply rapidly. Therefore the meat might no longer be safe to eat. Thawing meat on the counter would take longer than the recommended 2 hours.

What is the best cut of pork to use for pork roast?

We recommend using either a pork shoulder or pork butt roast. Both cuts have an ideal fat/lean ratio and produce juicy and flavorful roasts. We do not recommend using pork loin, if you are planning on cooking it in the pressure cooker. Pork loin (same thing as pork loin roast) is a very lean cut of meat and can overcook very easily in the Instant Pot. To avoid dry and overcooked pork loin roast, cook it in the oven instead.

At what temperature is a pork roast safe to eat?

A pork pot roast‘s internal temperature has to reach at least 145ºF to be safe to eat. Check the temperature with a meat thermometer at the end of the cooking time. If your roast hasn’t reached 145ºF yet, adjust cooking time accordingly.

Andrea says….

Not only are slow cookers great to make whole dinners, I also love using them for cooking amazing side dishes. Making Healthy Crockpot Side Dishes is easy and it saves more room on the stovetop and in the oven.

WHAT TO MAKE NEXT: Another one of our favorite slow cooker meals is delicious and flavor packed Shredded Chipotle Chicken. This makes great chicken to put on tacos, burritos, enchiladas, salads and more.

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