Pour a bottle of bright orange french dressing onto a massive raw bone-in pork roast, together with 4 simple ingredients, into slow cooker for a hearty supper that's my default when I don't know what

This is the kind of slow cooker supper I lean on when the day gets away from me and I still want the house to smell like someone’s been cooking all afternoon. It’s just a big bone-in pork roast, a bottle of bright orange French dressing, and four pantry friends that turn it into something tangy, cozy, and a little old-fashioned in the best way. Recipes like this showed up at church potlucks and farm suppers all over the Midwest when bottled dressings first became popular—simple, thrifty, and made to feed a crowd with hardly any fuss. You pour, you cover, you walk away, and by dinnertime you’ve got tender pork and plenty of sauce for ladling over potatoes.

Serve this French dressed pork piled onto creamy mashed potatoes or over buttered egg noodles so they can soak up all that tangy orange sauce. A simple side of green beans, corn, or a mixed green salad balances the richness nicely. Warm dinner rolls or thick slices of crusty bread are handy for sopping up the juices in the bottom of the slow cooker. If you like, set out a little extra black pepper and a splash of cider vinegar at the table so folks can brighten their own plate to taste.

Servings: 8

1 massive bone-in pork shoulder or pork butt roast (5–7 pounds)

Place the slow cooker crock on a stable surface, such as a white tile countertop. Scatter the sliced onion evenly over the bottom to make a bed for the meat.

Set the massive bone-in pork roast on top of the onions in the slow cooker, bone side down if possible. Tuck any overhanging meat down so the lid will fit snugly.

Sprinkle the minced garlic, kosher salt, and a good pinch of black pepper over the top and sides of the raw pork roast.

Open the can of condensed cream of mushroom soup and spoon it over the top of the roast, spreading it a bit with the back of the spoon. It does not need to be perfectly even; it will melt and mingle as it cooks.

Holding the bottle of bright orange French dressing over the slow cooker, pour the entire bottle directly onto the massive raw pork roast, letting it run over the meat and down into the onions below. This is the sauce that will baste and flavor the pork as it slowly cooks.

Cover the slow cooker with its lid. Cook on LOW for 8–10 hours, or on HIGH for 4–5 hours, until the pork is very tender and easily pulls away from the bone with a fork and the internal temperature reaches at least 190°F for shredding (minimum safe temperature is 145°F, but longer cooking makes it fall-apart tender).

Once cooked, carefully lift the bone out with tongs (it should slide right out) and discard. Use two forks to gently shred or chunk the pork right in the slow cooker, stirring it into the French dressing and mushroom sauce mixture until everything is well coated.

Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with a little more salt and black pepper if needed. Ladle the pork and sauce into shallow bowls or onto plates and serve hot with your favorite sides.

You can nudge this basic recipe in several directions while keeping the same easy pour-and-go spirit. For a little sweetness, add 1/4 cup of brown sugar or a spoonful of apricot or orange marmalade along with the French dressing. If you like a bit of heat, sprinkle in 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes before cooking. Cream of chicken or cream of celery soup can stand in for the cream of mushroom if that’s what you have on hand. A packet of dry onion soup mix can be added with the garlic and salt for extra savory depth, but reduce added salt slightly. If your roast is smaller (3–4 pounds), use the same amount of dressing but check for doneness an hour earlier; if it’s larger than 7 pounds, you may need an extra hour or so on LOW. Leftovers are wonderful piled onto toasted buns like a tangy pulled pork sandwich, or stirred into cooked egg noodles for a quick casserole-style meal. For food safety, always start with a fully thawed pork roast—frozen meat takes too long to come up through the danger zone in a slow cooker. Keep the lid on as much as possible so the temperature stays consistent. Use a meat thermometer to ensure the roast reaches at least 145°F in the center, and ideally 190–200°F for shredding. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking, store in shallow containers, and use within 3–4 days, reheating until piping hot before serving again.