Our Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder is perfect for any get together! Roasted low and slow in the oven till the skin is shatteringly crisp and the meat is melt in your mouth porky bliss!
We salt this particular cut of pork up to 2 days in advance, with a healthy dose of coarse Kosher sea salt. Think of it as a dry brine that helps to crisp the skin and flavor the meat. It’s not a necessary step, however, if you have time I highly suggest it.
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Tips on working with Pork Shoulder
Pork shoulder is a dream to work with, due to the location of the cut (obviously the shoulder) it gets a lot of blood flow. Which means it’s loaded with flavor and cooking it slow allows this tough cut of meat to shine. It’s also significantly cheaper than pork loin per pound.
You’ll find this cut separated into 2 primal cuts; butt (also known as Boston butt) and picnic. After years of preparing both, we’ve found that both cuts cook beautifully with the method. The butt is slightly meatier and bit more tender, but both have dynamic flavor and I’d cook with either cut.
Try to get a cut that still has the skin and bone attached, and a thick fat cap. These keep the meat moist throughout the long cook time and add major flavor too!
- Cook the pork shoulder in a 250°F/120°C oven, or on the grill over indirect heat until the internal temp reaches 180°F/82°C about 8 hours in total. So you can literally set it and forget it (almost)! The meat will become very tender and pull away from the bone easily.
- Once the pork is cooked pull it from the oven and tent with foil, allow it to rest for 1-2 hours. Then increase the oven to 500°F/260°C, return the pork to the oven and roast until the skin is crackling and crisp. Remove from the oven and allow it to rest for 20 minutes, then shred the meat from the bone with 2 forks. You can chop up the skin cracklings and add them to the pulled pork, or chomp on them as a snack!
- Season the meat to taste with Kosher salt and pepper, and top with sauce if you like. It’s amazing piled high on a soft bun, topped with slaw!
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How to make Slow Roasted Pork
Our Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder is perfect for any get together! Roasted low and slow in the oven till the skin is shatteringly crisp and the meat is melt in your mouth porky bliss!
- 1 8-12 lb whole bone-in, skin-on pork shoulder
- Kosher sea salt
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Generously salt the pork roast with coarse Kosher sea salt, place back in the fridge up to 2 days. (optional but increases flavor)
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Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 250°F/121°C. Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty foil and set a wire rack on top. Place in the oven and roast until the until you can insert a fork with no resistance, about 8 hours in total.
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Once the pork is cooked pull it from the oven and tent with foil, allow it to rest for 1-2 hours. Then increase the oven to 500°F/260°C, return the pork to the oven and roast until the skin is crackling and crisp. Remove from the oven and allow it to rest for 20 minutes, then shred the meat from the bone with 2 forks.
- Safely store leftover pork in the refrigerator 3-4 days.
- To freeze, package in flat heavy-duty freezer bags then wrap in heavy-duty foil. Will store safely 6-8 months depending on how well it's been packaged.
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10 comments
This looks yummy, particularly for the fall months coming up. The tips on getting the best cut of meat are also appreciated.
Thanks, Patrice, glad the tips were helpful too! 🙂
I love how much detail you provide in your recipes, it’s very helpful! The next time I head out to the store I’m picking up a Pork butt & going to try out! Printing the recipe right now 🙂
Awesome, Simone! I hope you love it as much as we do 🙂
Oh my goodness, I was drooling as I was reading this. Can’t wait to try this amazing roasted pork shoulder recipe. Just perfect!!!! I bet it falls off the bone after it’s slowly cooked.
Thank you so much, Sonila, it’s fall off the bone goodness! 🙂
Hi Angela! This looks amazing! Do you know if the process would be similar in a roaster (like a Traeger)? I’ve been wanting to make something like this for a long time but didn’t know how!
Thanks so much, Heather! If you’re referencing a Traeger grill then I would imagine the cooking time would be increased to about 20-30 minutes depending on the size of the squash. Let us know how it turns out!
My mouth is watering! This slow roasted pork shoulder looks spectacular. This would be something to cook on Sundays and use up during the week!
Thank you so much, Jacqueline! Definitely perfect for eating throughout the week 🙂