Name: Slow-Cooker Southwestern Pork Roast
Total time: 7 h
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon chili powder; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; Salt and pepper; 1 (4- to 5-pound) boneless pork butt roast, trimmed and halved; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 2 onions, chopped; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce; 2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce; 3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

Why This Recipe Works

To put a Southwestern spin on a slow-cooker pork roast, we started with a well-marbled pork shoulder and seasoned it liberally with chili powder, oregano, salt, and pepper. We quickly seared in the flavor and achieved a well-browned crust before transferring the pork to the slow cooker. We also added some of the spices to a mixture of canned tomato sauce and spicy chipotle chile to make a boldly flavored braising liquid. Cooking the onion and spices in rendered pork fat gave our sauce deeper, more complex flavors.

Before You Begin

Pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt in the supermarket.

Instructions

1. Combine chili powder, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in bowl. Pat pork dry with paper towels and rub with half of spice mixture. Tie 3 pieces of kitchen twine around each piece of pork to create 2 evenly shaped roasts. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown roasts on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes; transfer to plate.

Add onions to fat left in skillet and cook over medium heat until softened and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in flour and remaining spice mixture and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in tomato sauce and chipotle, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps; transfer to slow cooker.

Nestle roasts into slow cooker, adding any accumulated juices. Cover and cook until pork is tender and fork slips easily in and out of meat, 9 to 10 hours on low or 6 to 7 hours on high.

Transfer roasts to carving board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 20 minutes.

Strain sauce into fat separator, reserving solids, and let sit for 5 minutes. Combine defatted sauce, reserved solids, and cilantro in bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove twine from roasts, slice meat against grain into ½-inch-thick slices, and arrange on serving dish. Spoon 1 cup sauce over meat and serve, passing remaining sauce separately.