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!
My favorite way to roast prime rib 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!
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!
How 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.
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:
If you enjoyed listening to me explain how to roast pork, subscribe to my daily 3-5 minute podcast, RECIPE OF THE DAY, by clicking 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.
Carol Kammer says
Great recipe !! Juicy, tender and very flavorful ! Gravy was wonderful and added extra taste !!
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
Thanks so much, Carol! I love this with the gravy.
Murissa Shalapata says
Worked perfectly and was delicious!
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
Thank you so much, Murissa!
Ruth Emerson says
This is delicious! I used a couple
extra seasonings, and cooked
low & slow (250). Used a small enamel roaster (not the lid)
and it came out beautifully!
The top was browned (and yummy) and the roast was moist
Thanks for sharing! (I had a 7# pork butt)
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
Thanks for sharing with us, Ruth!
Elizabeth Raef Kogel says
Loved this roasted pork butt. Delicious I followed the recipe exactly no changes. Excellent!
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
Thank you, Elizabeth. I make this regularly and it’s always so good!
Donna Baummier says
OMG, this pork recipe is awesome 👏😋. Will use this recipe from now on. Thank you so much for sharing.
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
You’re welcome, Donna! I’m so glad you loved it enough to come back and comment. :)
Lenny F. says
Perfection! Clear and simple instructions. Fabulous smells. Crispy outside and juicy inside as promised. I used the gravy recipe linked near the end – also delicious. This recipe is a keeper!
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
Lenny, I’m so glad you liked it and found the instructions helpful. And yay to tasty gravy! Thank you for the comment and rating. Have a great day!
Anthony Young says
Amazing recipe. I followed it to the letter and the results were outstanding. I just wish I could post photos.
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
Anthony, I am delighted that you liked it so much. If you’re on Instagram, you can post photos there and tag me @cookthestory. The other place that’s good is on our Recipe of the Day Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/recipeotd . That facebook group is for my podcast, Recipe of the Day, and people are welcome to share photos of things from my websites that they’ve made. Thank you for the comment and rating!
Christine Larcovic says
I thought I reviewed this, but I don’t see the review. It worked-out great, and will make this again today.
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
Christine, Thank you for the rating and review! It means a lot to me to know that it was so good you want to make it again. Thank you!
Whitney says
I was so skeptical of the temperature for this pork roast. My husband came home to it in the oven. When I told him what the recipe said to cook it to he almost convinced me to drop it to 150. But I read the comments and saw so many great reviews that I told him we’ll try it this way one time and see how it turns out. He would not stop talking about this roast! He said it’s the best meal I ever made. I made the gravy with it out of the fat, not butter, since I have a breastfed baby with a dairy allergy, and I could have drank the gravy it was so good. We had smashed potatoes and green beans with it. So, so good that I’m going to try a beef roast next week following this pages recipe!
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
That sounds like an AMAZING dinner, Whitney! Thank you for trusting the recipe and coming back to share with us.
Terri D says
Cook the 6 and 3/4 lb pork butt roast today. Fabulous flavor easy process and the best pork roast I’ve had in years! Moist and flavorful with great texture! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
You’re welcome, Terri! Thank you for taking the time to come back and comment. :)
Colleen says
Excellent! Cooked as directed, the tenderness, taste, flavor was superb. Especcially liked the reverse sear technique. I will make this again. Thank you.
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
The reverse sear technique has been such a game changer, I use it for a variety of cuts! So happy you loved this recipe, Colleen.
Tony D says
Hi, made this twice with no modifications apart from cooking times. We have non pork-eaters here except for bacon and I didn’t hear any complaints. The roast was great by itself with the gravy as a slam dunk.
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
Tony, I’m so happy you liked it!
QL7 says
Turned out great. Nice and juicy. Thank you!
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
You’re very welcome! So happy it worked out well for you.
Marilyn Terlaan says
for me the timing was way off. I had a 2 lb roast. the cook time was 70 minutes more than the 80 suggested and then the roast only registered 168 degrees. I then rested it for 20 minutes then reversed sear at 475 for 13 minutes. I roast came out perfect. It was absolutely delicious. I also did not use garlic.
Christine Pittman says
Marilyn, I’m really sorry this recipe didn’t work for you, even though you did love it in the end.
I’m not completely sure what went wrong. A 2 pound roast of any shape, with or without a bone, should be very well-cooked after 2 hours and 20 minutes in a 300F oven. I’ve tested all of the timing in the recipe many times, and the times given are inline with a lot of major cooking sources too. Maybe there was something odd about this roast. Just to be sure, I’d recommend buying an inexpensive oven thermometer, like this, they also sell them at some grocery stores. You use it to test the inside temperature of your oven. When cooking low-and-slow like this, if your oven is off by even 10-15 degrees, it can make a difference. Check the temperature inside your oven before you add the roast. If it’s not at 300F, increase the heat by a bit. I hope this helps and I appreciate you sharing your experience with me.
Marilyn Terlaan says
I have a two pound roast. Do the cook or reverse sear times change?
Rachel says
Really tender and delicious!
I’ve never made a pork roast so tender.
I added rosemary to mine and worked great!
At the resting point I had to put it in the fridge overnight.
I reheated it the next day and then seared it and it still came out great!
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
That’s wonderful to hear, Rachel! Thank you so much for coming back to rate and comment.
Dana says
Christine thank you! We have made this pork butt and gravy several times now. It comes out perfect following your instructions. We had it for dinner and now we can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow!
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
Thank you so much, Dana. Enjoy your leftovers! :)
Robin says
Thank you for this magical recipe on a day when I really needed some magic in my life! I followed every step just as you wrote it and my only adjustment was to subtract 5 minutes per pound when roasting because I am so familiar with our convection oven. The roast came out beautifully… tender and juicy with a lovely, crunchy crust. In a word, perfect!
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
That’s wonderful, Robin! It sounds delicious.
Christine says
Awesome recipe! Took my finished 6 1/2 lb pork butt out of the oven and cut off a large piece of meat with crispy skin. I’m never cooking a pork butt any other way. Crispy skin and moist tender meat. Who needs sides! I can easily go all carnivore on this. In the past I’ve only used my slow cooker to make pulled pork but I’m all over this method. Thank you. I’d give 10 stars if I could.
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
Thank you, Christine! That sounds wonderful. Just in case you do decide you need sides, I have plenty of recipes for those too. :)
Shirley says
Can you start this out in a slow cooker or crockpot with veggies and cook on low for 6-8 and finish the sear off as you recommended.
Christine Pittman says
Shirley, I’ve never tried it but I think this will work, especially for the pork. The veggies might be a bit mushy though.
For the pork, the only issue is that the top of the pork roast dries out while the low and slow cooking is happening in the oven, which helps it to crisp up in the high heat later. In the slow cooker, the top of the roast is going to be quite moist. I would try slow-cooking it, and then take it out, pat it dry with paper towel, and then brush the top lightly with some cooking oil. That should help it to crisp up in high heat after the moist cooking step.
If you try it, please come back and let us know how it turned out!