Looking for juicy, succulent pork with crisp, crackling skin? Look no further than my slow-roasted pork shoulder.
You’ve made pork chops and pork tenderloin. You’ve made pork loins and rib roasts. Maybe you’ve even made a pork butt. But have you ever tried roasted pork shoulder? If you love juicy, tender meat and crisp, crackling skin, this is the pork roast for you!
What Is A Pork Shoulder?
There are a lot of pork cuts you’re probably familiar with, and then there might be a few that might be confusing to you. And it’s no wonder—it’s confusing! So let’s (to use a butchery term) break it down.
A butcher initially separates the meat into major muscle groups, known as primal cuts. The pork shoulder is a primal cut from the shoulder of the pig. That shoulder is then typically broken down into two smaller, or sub-primal, cuts, ones that you’d typically see at the store—the pork butt, aka Boston butt, and the picnic shoulder, sometimes just called a shoulder.
In other words, the butt is nowhere the tail of the pig—confusing! (See this post for how part of a shoulder cut got called a butt). And “shoulder” can refer to the whole primal cut or one of the sub-primal cuts—also confusing!
To reduce confusion from here on in, we’ll refer to the sub-primal shoulder cut as the picnic shoulder. Elsewhere you might sometimes see it called a picnic roast.
What’s The Difference Between a Boston Butt And A Picnic Shoulder?
Because the butt comes from higher up on the pig, closer to the backbone, it isn’t a muscle that gets a lot of work. That means it’s comparatively tender. Also compared to a picnic shoulder, its fat marbling is more even.
The picnic shoulder is directly below the butt, more down the leg of the pig. So the muscle gets more work, making the meat is comparatively denser and tougher.
All that said, both are relatively tough cuts that will mostly benefit from low, slow cooking methods, like braising, slow-cooking, and slow-roasting—methods that will turn toughness into succulent deliciousness.
When Should You Use Which?
Although they’re relatively interchangeable in recipes, each cut does have characteristics that make it ideal for certain situations.
Because of a Boston butt’s well-dispersed fat, it’s ideal for pulled pork. It can typically be found bone-in and boneless, so if you prefer one or the other, you have that option. And it’s tender enough that it can be cut into steaks and grilled.
On the other hand, a picnic shoulder is typically only available bone-in. So it’s best cooked as a roast. The bone will help the meat stay moist, but along with the cut’s irregular shape, it can make a picnic shoulder hard to carve. So this cut is best enjoyed as hunks pulled or cut off the bone.
Perhaps best of all, a picnic shoulder typically comes skin-on. Which not only helps keep the meat moist, it results in crisp, crunchy skin. So if you like cracklings with your chunks of slow-cooked meat, this is the cut for you. (You also might like this recipe for crackling crisp pork belly.)
BUT there’s a caveat to all of what I’m saying here. There are regional differences in how these cuts are named, butchered, and sold. So you might find variations on all of the above depending on where you live.
Roasting A Picnic Shoulder
To cook a picnic shoulder, I use my basic reverse sear method for roasting pork, but slightly exaggerated. In other words, the initial roast is a little lower, to better break down the sinew and make it meltingly tender. And the finishing reverse sear is a little hotter and longer, to better crisp up that skin. If you want a bolder flavor, you can try using my Homemade Pork Rub in place of the seasonings in the recipe card.
On the side, serve gravy, barbecue sauce, salsa, or chimichurri for dipping—plus plenty of napkins. Get my Homemade Pork Gravy recipe too.
Enjoy! – Christine :)
Podcast Episode: Roasting Pork Shoulder
Listen to me explain briefly about how to roast pork shoulder, along with some other great tips, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
Print
Roasted Pork Shoulder Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 hours 15 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 8–14 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
Looking for juicy, succulent pork with crisp, crackling skin? Look no further than this slow-roasted pork shoulder.
Ingredients
- 1 bone-in skin-on pork picnic shoulder (6 to 10 lbs.)
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. pepper
- Low or no-sodium chicken broth
Instructions
- Let the pork sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour. Preheat the oven to 275°F.
- Meanwhile, mix together the garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle it all over the pork.
- Put the pork in a large roasting pan, skin-side-up. You do not need a rack in the pan.
- Add about half an inch of broth to the pan.
- Roast uncovered until the internal temperature is 180°F, 45 to 55 minutes per pound. 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 browning on the side of the pan from where the previous broth evaporated away. This will dissolve that browning and flavor your gravy (if you make it).
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 30 minutes. (If you plan to make gravy, transfer the pork to a plate and use the drippings for the gravy—here’s how.) This is important because this is the only time the meat will rest. The pork does not need to be covered during resting time.
- Preheat the oven to 500°F.
- Put the pork in a clean roasting pan or on a rimmed baking sheet and roast uncovered until the skin is crisped and puffy, 10 to 15 minutes, rotating the pan every 3 to 5 minutes (cover any parts that are getting overly browned with foil).
- Cut or pull the pork into hunks and serve immediately. 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!
Norman Dale says
Roasting pork to 180F is like a piece of advice from 1923 not 2003. Doing so is a virtual guarantee of dry overcooked meat. USDA now sets 145F as sufficient. https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2011/05/25/cooking-meat-check-new-recommended-temperatures#:~:text=minute%20rest%20time.-,Cook%20pork%2C%20roasts%2C%20and%20chops%20to%20145%20ºF%20as%20measured,best%20quality—juicy%20and%20tender.
Christine Pittman says
Norman, I agree with you for some cuts. My temperature recommendation here isn’t for safety but for the best flavor. When it comes to lean cuts of pork, like pork loin, I say all over my website that they’re best cooked to the minimum safe temperature for pork, which is 145F, as you’ve stated. But pork shoulder/pork butt have a lot of marbling and connective tissues, collagen, etc. It is truly best when cooked more fully, ideally slow-roasted to a higher temperature. It’s a bit like how you would cook a beef filet roast medium rare, but you’d never do a beef pot roast (like a chuck roast) medium rare. You cook it low and slow to well-done and beyond. Pork loin is like the filet and pork shoulder is like a pot roast. A good example is that pork shoulder/butt are used to make pulled pork. That is always cooked to a high temperature and that is what makes is so juicy and tender. I am definitely not the only person recommending this and most grillers and bbq experts talk about this at length. I’ve even taken BBQ courses where this is extensively discussed. Have a look here https://blog.thermoworks.com/pork/pulled-pork-time-temperature-matters/#:~:text=The%20USDA%20recommends%20that%20pork,break%20down%20the%20connective%20tissues.
Bonnie Jones says
So easy and effortless. The Oven does all the work. Slow & low is the key! Gorgeous crisping during the last few minutes in the 500degrees!
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
Bonnie, I’m delighted that you like the recipe. That crisping is so good, right? Thanks for letting me know you liked it!
Isabell Smith says
I roasted an 8 lb. Pork shoulder roast today. It came out perfect using your recipe and the gravy was the first time I made from scratch and was the best! We have enough for multiple dinners to come. Thank you for posting your recipe.
Christine Pittman says
You’re welcome, Isabell! I’m so glad you loved the recipe.
Victoria says
I always fumble this cut of pork. This recipe was perfect..
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
I’m so happy to hear that, Victoria! Thanks for coming back to comment.
Debra Bagby says
I seldom make fresh pork shoulder, it’s usually smoked. I made this and it is so good. Thank you It was worth the wait of slow cooking. Thanks again
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
You’re welcome, Debra! I agree this recipe is worth the wait. :)
Charles James Acklin says
Taste goood!
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
So happy you liked it!
Jen G says
So easy and so delicious!! My go-to Sunday roast dinner.
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
I’m so thrilled to hear that, Jen! Thanks for coming back to comment.
Cheryl says
Everyone in the house loved the recipe! Even my 97 yo Mom!
I had never cooked a picnic shoulder.
Ty ty for happiness throughout my house❤️
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
You’re welcome, Cheryl! I’m so glad this recipe brought your whole household happiness. :)
Rena A Cornella says
Very easy recipe that is concisely written. Delicious crowd pleaser!
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
I’m so glad it was easy for you to follow the recipe, Rena! Thank you for coming back to rate and comment. :)
Heather says
Can this be made a day before ? I need to cook it at home and take it somewhere else the next day
Christine Pittman says
Heather, yes, you can roast pork shoulder the day before. What I do is to cook it exactly as instructed and then let it rest afterwards, unsliced, for 60 minutes on the counter or as long as overnight in the fridge. Cooling it makes it really easy to slice. After the resting/cooling, slice it. Arrange the slices on a large baking sheet. The slices should be slightly over-lapping. You can do two layers of those slices per baking sheet. Cover and chill until ready to reheat. To reheat, drizzle the meat with a little bit of water or broth. You just want droplets, like 1 drop per slice of meat on the pan, distributed evenly over the tray of meat. This bit of water will create a bit of steam that will stop the meat from drying out when reheated. Then you’ll cover the pan with foil and bake at 350 just until heated through, about 30 minutes for a double-layer of pork slices. I’ll be checking the comments on here daily in the days ahead so if you have any questions, feel free to post and I’ll get back to you.
Donna Belka says
My roast came out perfect and my family was thrilled with this juicy pork roast with crispy crackling.
I think we may replace the turkey every Thanksgiving! Thanks for the great recipe!
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
You’re welcome, Donna. I’m so happy that your family loved it!
Molly says
Wow! I used a boned roast and it worked perfectly. So tasty, so tender. Thank you for such a great recipe.
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
You’re welcome, Molly! I’m so happy you loved it and I appreciate you coming back to rate and comment.
Alison says
Does the roast go back in at 500 only to have crispy skin to eat or is it a continuation. Of cooking the pork…
Christine Pittman says
That’s to get the skin crispy, Alison. Enjoy!
Pat says
Forgot to give this recipe a 5 star rating!
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
Thank you!
Pat says
OMG! Followed the directions as written, So good! Moist, tasty, tender meat. The only issue I had with this recipe was the wait!!!! But it was well worth it. Thank you so much.
Christine Pittman says
Thank you so much, Pat! I agree that it’s worth the wait.
Theresa says
Turned out perfect. Had a 9.25# roast. I was worried about time, so I did cook it at 300 degrees and it took 6 hours to reach 180. The meat was absolutely tender. Would make this recipe again for pulled pork sandwiches. Crispy skin delicious.
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
Thanks for sharing your timing with us, Theresa!
Emmy says
Absolutely delicious!!! Crispy crunchy skin and juicy inside! The leftovers make a great sandwich. It’s definitely going to be my new affordable and easy go-to when cooking for a crowd.
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
That’s wonderful, Emmy! Love a good leftovers sandwich. :)
Cynthia Ward says
Every time I made a roasted pork it was always tough no matter what I tried. Today I used the recipe for the Roasted pork shoulder and it was the most delicious tender roast I have ever eaten.
Christine Pittman says
Excellent, Cynthia. Here’s to tender roasts from now on!
Clara says
Excellent recipe! Follow it exactly and it turned out perfectly! Absolutely delicious!!! Thank you:)
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
You’re welcome, Clara! I appreciate your comment and rating. :)