Can I Put a Frozen Pork Roast in the Crockpot?

A pork roast is a delicious cut of pork that can be made with a few different cooking methods. Crockpots are one of those methods. But what if the pork roast isn’t completely defrosted, or maybe we forgot to thaw it at all? Can I put a frozen pork roast in the crockpot?

Can I put a frozen pork roast in the crockpot? Knowing the answer can help your meal prep when cooking pork roast dinner recipes. We have all been there. We had a busy evening; maybe we had to feed the whole family, and things got lost in time.

And didn’t have enough time to put meat in the fridge from the freezer for the next day. Unfortunately, we only had a frozen pork loin in the freezer, and that definitely won’t defrost in the fridge in time for tonight’s dinner.

There just isn’t enough prep time in the day to get the job done. But times have changed since we had to defrost all meat in the fridge. People have found safe ways to cook frozen meat that produces delicious meals.

One of these methods is in an Instant Pot. But what about crockpots? Crockpots cook food with low heat over a longer cooking time. This allows people to start their simple recipe in the morning and then go about their day.

They return home to slow cooker meals that are ready to serve and enjoy. But this means we would need to defrost the meat the night before so that it’s ready to put in the crockpot in the morning. But what if the meat is still frozen?

What if the boneless pork loin isn’t ready to start cooking? Can I put a frozen pork roast in a crockpot? Pork roasts, also known as pork loin or center cut roast, are the same cut of meat we get pork chops from.

A slow cooker pork tenderloin recipe will give you all of the information you need, but they also start the same way: thaw the meat before making a juicy pork loin roast. It doesn’t matter if the recipe is for a crock pot pork roast, crock pot pork loin, or any of the many different cuts of pork; they all start with thawed meat.

But maybe we can bend the rules and get great results.

Can I Put a Frozen Pork Roast in the Crockpot?

We all want the same thing from our slow cooker recipes: tender pork that goes down as a delicious pork roast in the family dinner history books. The best way to get that done is by cooking your pork.

Pork is a fragile cut of meat that needs to be cooked to the exact temperature. Undercooking fresh pork can easily result in sickness while overcooking pork recipes will dry them almost immediately. And no one wants to talk about dry cuts of pork.

Slow cooking the meat is always a good idea because it gives you full control over the internal temperature of the meat. Even an easy recipe can result in dry or undercooked pork.

Crockpots are designed specifically to cook low and slow. It is easy to see why there are so many crockpot recipes for pork roasts. You can even turn your pork roast into a delicious pulled pork recipe using a crockpot, and we all know how versatile pulled pork can be. But what if the meat is frozen?

Slow Cooker Pork Loin Recipe

Can I put a frozen pork roast in the crockpot? Unfortunately, the answer is no. There are plenty of recipes out there that call for frozen meat. Smaller cuts of pork shoulder, like pork chops, may be safer.

However, we have to consider the pork roast size and the cooking method crockpots utilize to provide us with delicious family-favorite recipes. Crockpots have longer cooking times, which helps us organize our time better.

But this means everything is cooked at a lower temperature. Crockpot cooking may be your favorite way to cook food with minimal effort. And most food will do just fine with this lower temperature.

It has become an easy way to toss together a dinner in the morning when you have the time and enjoy the meal later when you’re short on time. But cooking big chunks of frozen meat this way is simply not safe.

Food-Borne Illness

Can I put a frozen pork roast in the crockpot? No, and the only reason is food-borne illness. Meat is capable of bacteria growth. The type of meat doesn’t matter; lean meats and fatty meats can all grow bacteria.

However, the bacteria need specific environments to grow. We freeze meat so that it will be safe to eat for a longer period of time. Of course, we still need to defrost the meat. But the safest way to defrost any cut of meat is to keep it in the fridge overnight.

Keeping the meat cold enough so that bacteria don’t grow is the name of the game. That isn’t to say that meat can sit at room temperature at all. In fact, some meat benefits from getting down to room temp before hitting the high heat of a cooking method. It all comes down to timing.

Why Can’t I Cook Frozen Pork Roast in a Slow Cooker?

Can I put a frozen pork roast in the crockpot? No, because the slow cookers use a low cooking temperature over a longer period of time. A crockpot will need to defrost the meat first and then start cooking it.

However, this means the internal temperature of the meat will sit at room temperature for far too long. That temp will allow bacteria to grow and could cause food-borne illnesses.

Of course, this is just a possibility, so some people say it is okay. Eventually, the meat will get up to the proper temperature, which could kill off some of the bacteria. But pork roast is a thick meat cut, so the damage will have been done.

In fact, the internal temperature would need to be higher to kill the bacteria than the food safety guidelines recommend. But overcooking pork will dry it out almost immediately.

We have to weigh the risks here. Do we want dry, possibly dangerous meat for dinner, or do we want to go with something different tonight that won’t be dangerous or wasteful?

​Pork Recipes to Try

Easy Pork Loin Recipes For The Slow Cooker | Thaw the meat first, and then try it out in one of these delicious pork recipes.

Delicious Instant Pot Pork Roast Recipes With Potatoes | Pork roast can also be made in an Instant Pot. This is better for those nights when you’re short on time.

Crockpot Pulled Pork Tacos Recipe | Pulled pork is still one of the more versatile options out there. You could go with BBQ or try something new.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Recipes For A Party | Crockpots are great at making pork nice and tender, perfect for pulling. Of course, it needs to be thawed, first.

Instant Pot Frozen Pork Chops | Instant Pots don’t give bacteria enough time to grow. Cooking frozen meat this way is a lot safer.