Ingredients
3 to 3 1/2 lb boneless pork loin roast (not tenderloin)
1 (12 oz) bottle dark stout beer
2 (1 oz each) packets dry onion soup mix
Directions
Pat the pork loin dry with paper towels. If there is a thick fat cap on top, leave most of it on for flavor but trim any overly hard or excess fat from the sides.
Place the pork loin in the bottom of a large slow cooker, fat side up. This lets the fat slowly baste the meat as it cooks, just like it would in a tavern oven.
In a bowl or large measuring cup, pour in the dark stout beer. Sprinkle in the dry onion soup mix and stir with a fork until the soup mix is mostly dissolved and the liquid looks dark and speckled.
Pour the stout and onion soup mixture evenly over and around the pork loin in the slow cooker, making sure some of the mixture coats the top of the roast.
Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours, or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, until the pork is very tender and easily slices with a sharp knife. The meat should be cooked through but still juicy, and the cooking liquid will be a rich, dark brown gravy.
When the pork is done, carefully lift the roast out of the slow cooker and transfer it to a cutting board. Let it rest for about 10 minutes so the juices settle, which helps keep the slices moist.
While the pork rests, skim off any excess fat from the top of the cooking liquid in the slow cooker with a spoon. If you prefer a slightly thicker gravy, you can remove the lid and let the sauce bubble on HIGH for 10 to 15 minutes, or simply serve it as is for a more tavern-style, pourable gravy.
Slice the pork loin into thick slices, about 1/2 inch each. Arrange the slices on a white oval serving platter, slightly overlapping, so you can see the juicy center and caramelized edges.
Ladle the dark stout gravy generously over the sliced pork, letting it pool around the meat so it looks like it’s swimming in that rich, glossy sauce. Serve hot, passing extra gravy at the table.
Variations & Tips
For a slightly sweeter tavern-style flavor, you can use a chocolate stout or an oatmeal stout, which will give the gravy a rounder, almost molasses-like note without adding any extra ingredients. If your family prefers a bit more salt, choose a regular (not low-sodium) onion soup mix; for a milder taste, use one packet instead of two and stretch the flavor with an extra splash of stout. To make the edges even more caramelized, brown the pork loin in a hot skillet on all sides before placing it in the slow cooker—this doesn’t add ingredients, just an extra step and a richer, pub-oven flavor. Leftovers reheat beautifully in their own gravy; tuck slices into crusty rolls and spoon on some of the dark stout sauce for a warm sandwich that tastes like it came from a small-town bar kitchen. You can also shred the meat right in the gravy instead of slicing it, turning it into a pulled-pork style dish that’s perfect over mashed potatoes or open-faced on toast, just the way my uncle used to stretch a roast to feed a few extra hungry folks
