This method for roast pork gets you meat that’s juicy and tender on the inside but with a nice brown crust on the outside. It works perfectly every time!
- Video: How To Roast Pork Using The Reverse Sear
- How To Roast Pork Perfectly
- Ingredients
- Getting Your Pork Roast Ready For Roasting
- Cooking The Pork Roast On Low Heat
- Let The Pork Roast Rest
- It’s Time For The REVERSE SEAR!
- Can I Make The Roast Ahead Of Time?
- Storage Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Podcast Episode: Roasting Pork Perfectly
- How to Roast Pork Perfectly
My favorite way to cook a pork roast is inspired by my favorite way to roast prime rib, which uses the reverse sear method from Serious Eats.com. To do the reverse sear, you cook the roast at a low temperature in the oven until it gets to the temperature you like. Then you let it rest for awhile. Then you put it into a really hot oven to get a nice crispy brown crust.
It might seem counter-intuitive if you’re used to searing your roast before cooking it. But I promise, it works amazingly well. So well that I’ve applied it to pork roast with the most amazing and perfect results. This is the only way that I roast pork now. The reverse sear is also my new favorite way to cook steaks. I’m pretty excited about it all!
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So, today I’m showing you how to apply this same reverse-sear technique to roasting pork. You get a soft juicy inside (nearly as soft as slow cooker pulled pork) and all kinds of good crunchy meat and fat on the outside.
Video: How To Roast Pork Using The Reverse Sear
How To Roast Pork Perfectly
This how-to is for pork roasts that have some marbling. Look for a pork butt or a pork shoulder (boneless or with bone). Don’t try it with a loin. Just don’t. If you have a pork loin instead of a butt or shoulder, go here for instructions for roasting it perfectly.
Ingredients
So now that you know that the cut of pork we’re using, you need to know the size. Between 4 and 8 pounds is ideal. Other than that, there are only a few ingredients that you need for this pork roast recipe.
I keep my seasonings simple with black pepper, garlic powder, and salt. The only other thing we need is some low-sodium chicken broth. So easy.
Getting Your Pork Roast Ready For Roasting
1) Take your pork roast out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour. Preheat the oven temperature to 300°F.
2) If your pork roast has a thick layer of fat on the outside, cut all but a thin layer away so that it’s a thinner coating.
Tip: Don’t throw this fat out. Season it lightly with salt and then put it in a single layer in a cake pan (something with edges because a lot of hot fatty liquid is going to come out of it). Roast it in the 300°F oven until some fat is rendered. Drain off the fat and keep roasting until very crispy. Check it every 30 minutes or so. When it’s crisp and lightly browned blot it on some paper towel and then break it into pieces. Try hard not to eat it all yourself.
3) In a small bowl mix together 1 teaspoon salt, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of pepper, and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of garlic powder. That’s the right amount for a 5 lb. roast. If your roast is bigger or smaller, adjust the amounts accordingly. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture all over your roast.
Cooking The Pork Roast On Low Heat
4) Put the roast in a large roasting pan, fat-side-up. Add about a half inch of low or no-salt-added chicken broth to the bottom of the pan. Roast it uncovered.
How Long Do You Roast The Pork For?
You’re not aiming for a medium-rare pork here. You want that really tender meat like for pulled pork. But you don’t want it to be so tender that it actually pulls when you try to slice it. Aim for about 180°F internal temperature. That will be about 40 minutes per pound at 300°F.
Tip: Use an instant read thermometer to check it after 25 minutes per pound and then again every 5 minutes per pound after that. So if you have a 5 pound roast, you’ll check it after 125 minutes (about 2 hours) and then every 25 minutes or so after that. It will probably take 3 and 1/2 hours to get to 180°F.
5) When the broth evaporates and has left a light brown layer on the bottom of the pan, add more (or add water). Be sure to add enough liquid so that it goes back up the sides of the pan. This is to dissolve any brownings on the sides of the pan from the previous round of broth. You want all of this brown flavor in your eventual gravy.
6) Put the roast back into the oven. When the liquid level gets low again, add more liquid again.
Let The Pork Roast Rest
7) When the roast gets to 180°F, take the roast out of the oven and let it rest for 30-40 minutes. It will be fine for up to an hour. There is no need to cover it during resting time. This is important because this is the only time the roast will rest. Don’t skip this step.
You’re probably wondering if the roast is going to get cold during this long rest. It actually stays warm inside for a long time though. Also, you’re going to be putting the roast back into the oven for a bit and that will reheat it. Finally, it’s my general opinion that once you carve a roast, those slices tend to cool down pretty quickly no matter what you’ve done. The key is to have a lot of really hot gravy to pour over it all. That makes it all warm and delicious!
Tip: Use this resting time to finish off your other side dishes and make the gravy using that gorgeous brown liquid from your roasting pan. Here’s my method for making a perfect gravy using drippings like the ones you have from this roast.
It’s Time For The REVERSE SEAR!
8) Preheat the oven to 475°F.
9) Put the roast onto a clean baking sheet, or rinse out the roasting pan it was previously in and use that. Put it into the hot oven for 13-17 minutes, uncovered. You want the outside to get really nice and brown and the fat to get crunchy.
10) Carve immediately and serve. Don’t rest it when you take it out. It already rested earlier. Just get carving and eating!
Tip: Use an inexpensive electric carving knife like this one to carve roasts. It shreds the meat less and you can get thin slices with an even thickness.
Isn’t that the coolest way to roast pork? It’s low and slow so that it’s tender and juicy, just the way you want it. And the outside is all brown and crunchy and full of flavor. I’m never going to roast pork another way.
Can I Make The Roast Ahead Of Time?
YES! My parents’ restaurants used to do a lot of catering when I was a teenager, and so I did a lot of catering alongside them. What we used to do for turkeys is exactly what you should do for this roast pork recipe if you have a crowd coming over.
A day ahead, roast the pork. Follow the instructions above and roast it slowly at 300°F, then let it rest, then do the reverse sear, but then let it rest again. Let it rest until it’s cooled down quite a bit.
Next you want to refrigerate it whole until chilled. This makes it really easy to get nice even slices because slicing it cold there are less juices flowing and everything holds together better.
Use an inexpensive electric knife, if you have one, to get nice thin slices. A carving knife works too just not as well and it gets tiring if you’re doing a lot of slicing.
Arrange the slices in a single slightly overlapping layer on a large sheet pan. 40 minutes before you’re serving dinner, dribble water or chicken stock over the pork slices.
You want about 1 drop of water for every 3-4 slices. Very little water, really. But the water is going to heat and steam and keep the roast juicy. Next, cover the sheet pan with foil and then put it into the oven at 300°F until just heated through, about 25-30 minutes. Serve.
If you want to keep several trays of meat warm while serving, you can do that. Heat the trays all together in the oven at 300°F for 30 minutes. Then drop the heat down to 200°F so that you’re just keeping them warm and not at risk of them actually cooking or starting to dry out.
Storage Tips
I like to carve the entire roast and store it in the fridge in slices. The slices are easier to grab to use than having to haul out the whole roast and cut it every time. Put the slices in a sealed container. They’ll keep for 3-4 days in the fridge. Or you can put them in a freezer bag and freeze them for a month.
Frequently Asked Questions
I answer a lot of questions in the comment section at the bottom so do read those, but here’s a summary of the most frequently asked questions.
As long as the roasts are not touching and there is room for air to circulate between them, the roasting time does not need to be adjusted. Weigh each roast on its own and determine how long it will take. The cooking times for each roast will be independent of the other roast there.
Here is my tutorial for making gravy. This recipe uses the liquid from the roasting pan. If you want to make the gravy ahead of time, you totally can. Use this recipe for making gravy without drippings. Then, if you want to, you can add some of the liquid from the roasting pan while the roast is resting.
Yes, you can use a brine or a marinade. I honestly don’t think it’s needed for the tender juicy cuts used here though(the butt and shoulder). It’s more beneficial when doing a leaner cut like a loin or tenderloin. If you do brine the roast, you won’t be able to use the liquids that drip out of it during roasting. They’ll be too salty. You’ll need to use the Gravy without Drippings recipe.
Yes. But then skip adding the liquid to the pan. You want the vegetables to roast, not boil. Arrange potatoes or other root vegetables around the roast in a single layer for the last hour of cooking. While the roast rests, you can put the veggies in a low oven to keep them warm, or you can let them keep roasting at a higher temperature to get a crust on them. Note that you won’t get any drippings for gravy since the vegetables will soak up all the fat and juices from the roast. That’s not a bad thing at all. Just go ahead and do the Gravy without Drippings mentioned above.
Once you have the leftovers, you can do all kinds of things with them. You can use them anywhere you’d use cooked chicken. Put them on a salad or in a sandwich or wrap. They’re great on a bun with BBQ sauce, like pulled pork sort of. You can mix them with any pasta sauce and serve with pasta. It’s great chopped up and put with rice, like Chinese fried rice, or even white rice with peas and pork. The possibilities are endless!
Podcast Episode: Roasting Pork Perfectly
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make this amazingly perfect Roast Pork Recipe, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
PrintHow to Roast Pork Perfectly
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 6–12 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Roast
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
This is a method for how to roast pork so that it is juicy and tender on the inside and has a gorgeous brown crust on the outside. It works perfectly every time! Note: If you have a pork loin instead, get instructions for cooking it over here.
Ingredients
- a boneless or bone in pork butt or pork shoulder (4-8 pounds is ideal)
- 1 and 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1 and 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- low or no-sodium chicken broth
Instructions
- Take your pork roast out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour. Preheat oven to 300°F.
- If your pork roast has a thick layer of fat on the outside, cut about half of it away so that it’s a thinner layer. You can throw this out. Or, the best thing to do, is to turn it into a snack to have while your pork is roasting. Put the fat that you removed from the roast in a single layer on its own cake pan. Use a pan with edges because a lot of hot fatty liquid is going to come out of it. Season it lightly with salt. Roast the layer of fat in the 300F oven until it’s brown and very crispy. Check it often. Blot it on kitchen towel. Break it into pieces and offer it as nibbles to anyone who is lured into your kitchen by the roasting pork smells.
- Meanwhile, mix the pepper, garlic powder, and salt in a small bowl and then sprinkle liberally all over the roast.
- Put the roast in a large roasting pan, fat-side-up. You do not need to use a rack in the pan.
- Add about half an inch of low or no-sodium chicken broth to the bottom of the pan. Put it into the oven, uncovered.
- Cook for 40 minutes per pound or until an instant read thermometer reaches 180F. This may seem high for pork but your goal is really tender, slow-cooked pork, almost like the texture of pulled pork.
- If at any point most of the broth has evaporated, add more. Add enough to cover any brownings on the side of the pan from where the previous broth evaporated away. This will dissolve those brownings and flavor your gravy.
- Take the roast out of the oven. Transfer it to a plate so that you can get at the roasting pan and make your gravy. Let the roast rest for 30-40 minutes. This is important because this is the only time the roast will rest. The roast does not need to be covered during resting time. Use this time to make your gravy. (Here’s how to make gravy using the flavorful broth from the bottom of the roasting pan) and to finish off your other side dishes and set the table.
- Preheat the oven to 475F.
- Once the roast has rested, and the oven has preheated, and once you have everything else for your dinner just about ready, put the roast into a clean roasting pan or onto a baking sheet, uncovered, and put it into the hot oven for 13-17 minutes. You want the outside to get nice and brown.
- When it’s really nice and browned, take the roast out of the oven and immediately carve it* and serve it. Do not let it rest now since it has already rested.
Love this recipe? I’d appreciate it if you could scroll down and add a *5 star rating* to help others know they’ll love it as well!
Notes
*Tip: Use an inexpensive electric carving knife like this one to carve roasts. It shreds the meat less and you can get thin slices with an even thickness.
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click on one and buy something, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. All opinions are my own.
This post originally appeared in December 2014 and was revised and republished in October 2022.
John says
I made this on a recent Sunday with a 1/2 pork butt that weighed just under 5 lbs. Followed the recipes exactly as written (made the gravy too). Roast slow, rest, then sear is new to me. I can only say the results were terrific. Foolproof way to cook this cut of pork and the results are delicious. The gravy recipe is a great master recipe. Will be making this a few times a year. Thanks so much.
Christine Pittman says
That’s fantastic, John! You are very welcome and I’m happy to hear it’ll be a repeat recipe for you.
Renee Hultgren says
I am making this today to take to a friend who is homebound because he just had back surgery. What is the best way to make it so that I can take it to him and it will stlil be juicy. He lives about 20 minutes from me. I will be cooking the roast with vegtables, so had thought about just doing the whole recipe (both heating times) then putting foil over the pan and taking it to him. But I’m not sure if i let it rest after it’s been in the 475 degree oven if it will dry out on the way over there. I want to leave it in the pan with the vegatables for them so it looks nice. Any thoughts or suggestions you have would be very helpful and greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.
Christine Pittman says
That’s so nice of you, Renee! You could take it over there covered in foil after fully cooking it, and take over some delicious gravy too if you’re worried about it drying out a little. Another option would be to drive it over during the 30-40 minute rest time and then finish it in the oven at their house when you get there. Then they are able to enjoy it hot from the oven!
Tammy Samsel says
This was delicious. I only had a 1 1/2 lb roast so I cooked it at 300 for 1hr and 15 mins. My thermometer isn’t working and I was afraid that it would be under cooked. When it was done cooking for the the second time and I cut into it there was no pink so I felt that it was cooked well enough. When I tasted it I thought it had to be under cooked because I never had pork so tender and juicy! My pork roasts are usually dry and need gravy or BBQ sauce in order to swallow. This is how pork is supposed to taste.:)
Great recipe, so glad I found it. Thanks
Christine Pittman says
You’re welcome, Tammy! Glad you’re enjoying perfect pork now.
Dustin says
Delicious, easy to make, and you’re right – addictive!!?
Christine Pittman says
Thanks, Dustin! So happy you enjoyed.
Meghann S says
This was excellent. I’ve made about a billion pork shoulders in my life, but this simple process was a revelation! I made it with roasted baby potatoes, carrots and onions, and I made the gravy as suggested, but added a slug of vinegar and a tiny bit of apple cider. Served with homemade rolls. My 12 year old son gobbled up most of the crispy pork rinds (a wonderful addition) before we sat down to eat:). So satisfying! We are all looking forward to leftovers, too. Thanks a million for this awesome recipe!
Christine Pittman says
You’re so welcome, Meghann! That all sounds wonderful.
dwayne l cane says
the pork came out prefect plus i had some port wine left over from thankgiving and the gravy came out as wonderfull as the pork i invited a friend uver to enjoy the meal she rather sleep her mistake but willalways use this recipe
Christine Pittman says
Glad you enjoyed, Dwayne!
Auntie Lynnie says
Question – and I can’t wait to try this recipe BTW, I have a 7.5lb pork shoulder/butt roast (boneless) with not much fat, if any, on top. Should I layer it with fat/suet before roasting? Thank you so very much! I cannot wait to throw this in the oven!!!
Christine Pittman says
I don’t think you need to, Lynnie, but you absolutely can. I’ve done it both ways, and not noticed a huge difference.
Annie T Neroda says
I made this for a family get together today. I used a 5 lb. boneless pork shoulder and seasoned it with a homemade pork rub from the Garland’s Lodge cookbook. I had to let it rest an hour and a half before the final crisping at 475 degrees, because it takes an hour to drive over to my brother’s house. I did the final step at his house — and that didn’t hurt anything. First, my brother said it was the best pork roast he ever tasted — then he corrected himself and said it was the best meal he had ever eaten. I served it with scalloped potatoes and Jonathan applesauce. I completely skipped the gravy, and nobody missed it — it really didn’t need any because it came out so moist. I’ll never do a pork roast any other way.
Christine Pittman says
Wow, that’s wonderful, Annie! Thank you for sharing with us.
Marian says
I used this recipe and the reverse sear technique — which I’d never heard of before –as a jumping off point to make the best pork roast I’ve ever done in my life. I wanted to slice my roast, so I set the oven temperature to 250 and took it out when the internal temp was 145. A two and one half pound roast took almost four hours. I also added two tsp. of brown sugar to the rub. OMG. It was perfectly crispy outside, tender and juicy inside, sliced like butter. Delicious and easy. I will make this over and over. Thank you!
Christine Pittman says
Yummy! Thank you for sharing how yours turned out, Marian!
Lynda Cook says
I followed your recipe, and this was the best roast pork I have had in a long time, I like to buy the shoulder because more fat, but hubby doesn’t like pulled pork, and then I came across this recipe and just had to give it a try, well it was a hit and hubby loved it! I loved how I was able to slice it thinly with out it falling apart or shredding and the flavour was great! thanks for sharing such an awesome recipe
Christine Pittman says
You’re welcome, Lynda! I’m so glad it was a hit with your hubby!
Jackie N says
This was phenomenal. I’ve never made a pork roast before, so I tried to follow your recipe for the roast and the gravy to a T. It was perfect, and I can’t wait to make it again!
Christine Pittman says
Fantastic, Jackie! So happy you want to use the recipes again. :)
Jackie says
Hi
Where is the video for this recipe.
Christine Pittman says
I’m looking into why it may not be showing up for you, Jackie. For me, it’s currently appearing higher up in the post than where it is mentioned or in a popup along the side. If you’ve got an ad-blocker, maybe try disabling that and reloading?
Sarah says
Omg thank you, its so bloody hard to find a cook it at this temp for this long per pound. Like I already got my seasoning and sauce and don’t care about that i just need to know how to actually cook the damn thing. So thank you
Christine Pittman says
You’re welcome, Sarah! So happy that it was helpful for you.
Julia says
Do you cook the roast with skin on or remove it first?
Christine Pittman says
Julia, if your roast has a layer of fat or skin, cut that off before roasting.
Anne says
Can the roast sit on the pan or does it require a rack?
Christine Pittman says
You do not need a rack for the pan for this recipe, Anne. Enjoy!
Sharon G Hetherington says
Hello! I am your new biggest fan ever! I have roasted pork butt many times before. This time I followed your recipe exactly and man-oh-man was that delicious roast and gravy! I have always made gravy using your method but on the stove. I had my doubts but it turned out the perfect texture and taste. This recipe is my new go-to. If anyone thinks a pork butt is for pulled pork or Cuban pork only, they are missing out. It’s just as good for Sunday dinner as roast beef…maybe better! I’m excited about looking through your other recipes now.
Christine Pittman says
Thank you so much, Sharon! Thrilled to hear it’s your new to-go and hope some of our other recipes make the regular rotation too. :)
Tami Bowman says
Made this last night for Easter – roast was very dry. I have terrible luck with pork roast, was hoping this would be the key. Now I have a lot of dry meat to fingers out how to make leftovers out of, as no one had seconds last night. Instead. There were no sides left.
Christine Pittman says
So sorry to hear that, Tami. We get great results with this!
Cindy says
I will never make gravy any other way again! And I’m already praised for my gravy! I forgot to taste it at the beginning but it came out perfectly! No longer using cornstarch and constantly adjusting for thickness and flavour!
And the roast was perfect as well! Thank you!
Christine Pittman says
I’m so happy to hear that, Cindy! Glad everything was so delicious.
Kathi says
I followed this recipe to a tee and it came out perfect! Thank you for a new family favorite! The gravy was delicious and I enjoyed reading your helpful tips. Thank you!
Christine Pittman says
You’re so welcome, Kathi! So happy your whole family enjoyed!
Rory says
Would it ruin the gravy if I throw some potatoes in the roasting liquid ( and the roast) ?
Christine Pittman says
What we suggest if you want to add potatoes to the roast is to skip adding the liquid to the pan. You want the vegetables to roast, not boil. Arrange potatoes or other root vegetables around the roast in a single layer for the last hour of cooking. While the roast rests, you can put the veggies in a low oven to keep them warm, or you can let them keep roasting at a higher temperature to get a crust on them. Note that you won’t get any drippings for gravy since the vegetables will soak up all the fat and juices from the roast. That’s not a bad thing at all. Just go ahead and do the Gravy without Drippings found here – https://cookthestory.com/easy-gravy-without-drippings/ Hope that helps, Rory!