Roasted Pork Shoulder Recipes

PORK ROAST WITH CRISPY PORK CRACKLING

Steps:

• Dry skin: Pat the skin dry with paper towels. If time permits, leave in the fridge uncovered overnight (even 1 hr helps). If not, pat extra well.
• Preheat oven to 220°C/430°F (200°C fan).
• Season flesh: Sprinkle pork flesh with 1 1/2 tsp salt, all the pepper and all fennel seeds and 1 tbsp olive oil. Rub into flesh, right into all the crevices and cracks.
• Salt skin: Flip pork, drizzle skin with 1 tsp oil, then rub all over with fingers. Sprinkle all over with remaining 1 1/2 tsp salt, taking care to get even coverage. Un-salted patches will not become bubbly crackling, it will be a hard flat sheet.
• Garlic & onion bed: Place halved garlic bulbs and onion in roasting pan. Place pork skin side up on top of them.
• Wine: Carefully pour wine into the pan, being sure not to wet the skin. Transfer to oven.
• Lower oven: Immediately turn oven down to 160°C/320°F (140°C fan).
• Slow roast: Roast for 2 1/2 hours.
• Level at 1 1/2 hours: Check pork after 1 1/2 hours to see if the pork is warped and the skin's overall surface is significantly unlevelled. If so, adjust to make the skin surface as level as possible using balls of foil and moving large dislodged pork pieces to the side (key tip for crispy crackling, Note 3). Then return to oven for the remaining 1 hour.
• Check pan & salt on skin: If pan is drying out, add some water. If there are bald patches on the skin without salt (eg it fell off), spray lightly with oil spray (or brush lightly with oil) then sprinkle with salt. (Remember, salt = bubbly skin!)
• Increase heat: Turn oven up to 250°C/485°F (all oven types), or as high as it will go if your oven won't go this high.
• Make skin crisp: Return pork to oven for 30 minutes, rotating pan as needed, until skin is crisp and bubbly all over. If needed, use foil patches, secured with water soaked toothpicks, to cover parts that are done and keep crisping up remaining patches.
• Rest: Transfer pork to serving platter, tent loosely with foil (don't worry, crackling stays super-crisp) and rest for 20 minutes (stays warm up to 1 hour). Then slice using a serrated knife.
• Serve with gravy. Don't pour gravy over crackling - pour it off to the side! See note for reheating.

SLOW-ROASTED PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
• In a food processor, combine the peppercorns, garlic, and cloves and puree. While the motor is running, drizzle in the oil until a paste is formed. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the garlic paste into a small bowl.
• Place the pork butt on a work surface and season all over generously with salt. Rub all over with the garlic paste. Place in an oven-safe roasting bag and close with a twist tie. Place in a large roasting pan, and cook until tender, about 5 hours.
• Remove roast from the oven. Slip the oven-roasting bag off the meat and discard. Transfer the cooking liquid to a medium saucepan. Skim the fat from the cooking liquid with a ladle or de-greaser. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer to thicken the juices slightly.
• Raise the oven to 400 degrees F. Return the pork, in the roasting pan, to the oven. Continue roasting, basting frequently with the simmering cooking liquid, until well-browned, about 30 minutes. If there is any cooking liquid left, pour it over the pork.
• Remove pork from the oven and let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes. With the pork drippings you may make a vinegar sauce using this formula: for every 1/2 cup of drippings, whisk with 3 tablespoons vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Either carve the pork into thin slices, or, using 2 forks, pull into small pieces. Serve with the vinegar sauce on the side.

6-HOUR SLOW-ROASTED PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Remove the pork from the fridge for 1 hour before you want to cook it, to let it come up to room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas 7.
• Place the pork on a clean work surface, skin-side up. Get yourself a small sharp knife and make scores about 1cm apart through the skin into the fat, but not so deep that you cut into the meat. If the joint is tied, try not to cut through the string.
• Rub sea salt right into all the scores you've just made, pulling the skin apart a little if you need to. Brush any excess salt off the surface then turn it over. Season the underside of the meat with a few pinches of salt and black pepper.
• Place the pork, skin-side up, in a roasting tray and roast for 30 minutes, or until the skin has started to puff up and you can see it turning into crackling. At this point, turn the heat down to 170°C/325°F/gas 3, cover the pork snugly with a double layer of tin foil, pop back in the oven and roast for a further 4½ hours.
• Meanwhile, halve the onions, carrots and celery, and break the garlic up into cloves (there's no need to peel them).
• Remove the pork from the oven, take off the foil, and baste the meat with the fat in the bottom of the tray. Carefully transfer to a board, then skim all but 2 tablespoons of excess fat from the tray into a jar, and pop in the fridge for tasty cooking another day.
• Add all the veg, garlic and bay leaves to the tray and stir them into the fat. Place the pork back on top of everything and place back in the oven without the foil to roast for 1 further hour, or until meltingly soft and tender.
• Carefully move the meat to a serving dish, cover again with tin foil and leave to rest while you make the gravy. Spoon away any fat in the tray, then add the stock (or replace with water, if you prefer) and place the tray on the hob.
• Bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to scrape up all those lovely sticky tasty bits from the bottom of the tray.
• When you've got a nice, dark gravy, pour it through a sieve into jug using your spoon to really push all the goodness of the veg through the sieve. Season to taste, if needed.
• Serve the pork and crackling with the jug of gravy and all the trimmings - a dollop of apple sauce will finish this off perfectly.

FALL-APART ROASTED PORK SHOULDER WITH ROSEMARY, MUSTARD AND GARLIC

Steps:

• In a small food processor combine the garlic, anchovies, rosemary, salt and pepper. Add the olive oil and process until it forms a paste, scraping down the sides. Remove the blade and use a fork or spoon to stir in the mustard. Rub the paste all over the pork shoulder, loosely cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate from 2 to 24 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 450°F and bring the pork to room temperature while the oven heats. Place the pork in a shallow roasting pan and roast, uncovered, for 30 minutes, until the top starts to brown a bit. Turn the heat down to 250°F and continue to cook, uncovered, for 6 to 8 hours until the middle of the roast registers 180°F. on an internal thermometer, and as you slide the thermometer in you can feel that the meat is very tender throughout. If there are juices in the pan (and I have found that sometimes there are and sometimes none) pour off the juices from the pan into a heatproof container, like a Pyrex measuring cup. Place this in the fridge, where the fat will rise to the top, while the meat rests.
• When the meat is cooked, if you think that the outside of the roast could use a bit more crust/brownness, turn the heat back up to 450°F and let it cook for another 15 to 20 minutes, to give the outside a bit more of a crunchy texture.
• Remove from the oven and let sit for about 20 minutes. Spoon the fat off the reserved juices in the fridge and pour the cooking juices into a serving pitcher or bowl (warm it a bit in the microwave or in a small pot if you like). Slice the pork as thinly or thickly as you like, knowing the meat will fall apart at least slightly. Sprinkle the sliced meat with a bit of salt before serving, and pass the pan juices on the side to drizzle over.

ROASTED PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Rub roast well on all sides with liquid smoke.
• Combine salt, garlic powder and pepper in a bowl and mix well.
• Add 1 Tbs of the above mixture to the seasoned salt and sprinkle this mixture on all sides of roast---You may not need to use it all, use your own judgement.
• Place roast in a large roasting pan or dutch oven---add the onion, water (pour around roast, not over it) and bay leaves.
• Cover, place in oven and cook for 2 1/2- 3 hours, or until internal temperature of meat is 170 degrees F.
• Remove from oven and pan-- let roast cool for a few minutes.
• Slice meat or shred as for pulled pork (I usually do half sliced and half pulled).
• Serve on bread or buns with your favorite BBQ sauce or coat bread or buns with mayonnaise.

ROASTED PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine the first eight ingredients. Cover and process until combined. Pour into a large resealable plastic bag; add the pork. Seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight., Drain and discard marinade. Place roast on a rack in a roasting pan; pour 2 cups water into pan. , Bake, uncovered, at 450° for 1 hour. Reduce heat to 400°. Bake 1-1/2 to 2 hours longer or until meat is tender, adding more water to the pan as needed. Let stand for 15 minutes before slicing.

GARLIC-ROASTED PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Mash garlic to a paste with 2 tablespoons kosher salt using a mortar and pestle or side of a large heavy knife, then stir in oregano, vinegar, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon pepper.
• Pat pork dry. Using a small sharp knife, cut a wide pocket at large end of roast to separate skin from fat, leaving skin attached at sides and stopping before roast narrows to bone.
• Make 1-inch-deep slits in pork under skin and on all meaty sides, twisting knife slightly to widen openings, then push some of garlic mixture into slits with your fingers. Rub any remaining garlic mixture over roast (not skin). Wipe skin clean, then rub with remaining teaspoon kosher salt (to help it crisp). Transfer pork to a glass or ceramic shallow dish and marinate, covered and chilled, at least 8 hours.
• Put pork, skin side up, in a flameproof roasting pan, discarding marinade, and bring to room temperature, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
• Cover pork with parchment paper and then tightly with foil and roast 2 1/2 hours. Discard foil and parchment, then add 1/2 cup water to pan and roast, uncovered, adding more water when liquid in pan evaporates (check about every half hour), until skin is browned and crisp and meat is fork-tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours more. Transfer to a cutting board or platter, reserving juices in pan, and let stand 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, pour pan juices through a sieve into a fat separator or bowl and discard fat. Add 3/4 cup water to roasting pan and deglaze by boiling over medium-high heat (straddle 2 burners if necessary), scraping up brown bits, 1 minute, then add to pan juices along with enough water to bring total to 1 1/2 cups.
• Cut skin off roast pork. (If skin is not crisp, roast in a shallow baking pan in a 475°F oven until crisp, about 10 minutes.) Cut skin into serving pieces. Pull meat from roast in pieces using a fork. Serve meat with pan juices and pork skin.

FOOLPROOF SLOW-ROASTED PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Preheat the oven to 500 F. Mix all of the spice rub ingredients together in a small bowl to form a paste.
• Use a basting brush or spoon to coat the roast. (You might have some left over, depending on the size of your roast.)
• Place the seasoned pork shoulder on a rack in a roasting pan and transfer it to the oven.
• Roast for 20 minutes. Lower the heat to 250 F and cook until your probe thermometer reads 140 F, which will take another hour or so. The exterior of the roast should be a beautiful brown color.
• Remove the roast from the oven, cover it loosely with foil, and let it rest for 15 minutes, during which time the temperature will continue to rise until it reaches the target temperature of 145 F.
• Slice, serve, and enjoy.

PORK SHOULDER ROAST WITH DRY SPICE RUB

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• To start, trim the tough skin from the pork shoulder, leaving a 1/4 inch layer of fat on the meat.
• Then, whisk together brown sugar, paprika, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, sage, and pepper to make a dry rub. If you don't have a whisk, use a fork as a substitute.
• Pat the dry rub into the exterior of the pork roast.
• Place the pork in a large plastic bag, seal and refrigerate overnight for up to two days.
• Remove the pork from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to roasting and let it rest at room temperature to get the chill off. Preheat your oven to 425 F.
• Next, line a shallow roasting pan with foil, and insert a roasting rack.
• Place pork shoulder on the rack in the prepared pan, and roast for 30 minutes.
• Turn oven down to 325 F. Roast an additional 120 to 150 minutes, until the thickest part of the meat (not touching the bone) reaches 170 F on a meat thermometer .
• Remove the pork shoulder roast from the oven, tent with foil and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature before carving to serve.

EASY PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Using a sharp knife, score the fat (but not the meat) on 1 boneless pork shoulder (7 pounds) in a diamond pattern. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Place pork, fat side up, in a roasting pan or large Dutch oven with 1/2 cup water. Roast until some fat has rendered, about 45 minutes. Remove pan from oven and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Tightly cover pan with foil or a lid. Cook until meat is very tender, about 4 hours. When cool enough to handle, remove fat from top of roast. Using two forks, shred meat into bite-size pieces, discarding any large pieces of fat.

ROASTED PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Mix garlic, oil, vinegar, sazon, adobo, pepper, and oregano together to form a paste.
• Cut a wide pocket at the large end of the roast to separate skin from the fat, leaving skin attached at the sides and stopping before roast narrows to bone. Make 1-inch deep slits under the skin and on all meaty sides, twisting the knife to widen the openings.
• Stuff the garlic paste into the slits and rub all over the meat. Transfer to a large zip-top bag or ceramic or glass bowl, cover, and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Remove roast from the refrigerator. Place the roast in a pan on a rack, fat-side up. Cover with foil.
• Roast in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) and remove foil. Continue to roast until cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 175 degrees F (79 degrees C), about 4 hours more.
• Let meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

ROAST PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Make the rub by combining the ingredients in a small bowl or use a mortar and pestle to make it into a paste.
• Prep the pork shoulder by patting it dry on all sides with paper towels and trim excess fat. With a very sharp knife, score the fat side with a 1/2" crosshatch pattern going all the way through the fat down to the skin.
• Apply the rub marinade on all sides and either ideally cover and refrigerate overnight or let it sit out for a few hours to marinate.
• Preheat the oven to a low 275° F / 135° C.
• Place the roast on a double foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan. You can also use a wire rack to set the roast on so the air circulates all the way around.
• When the internal temperature of the roast reaches 175° F, remove it from the oven. Use an instant-read probe thermometer to verify.
• Rest uncovered for 30 minutes or longer. The temperature will rise another 5 to 10 degrees.
• Optional sear for even crispier skin: If your roast didn't get super crispy, you can sear it in a hot oven for a short period of time. After resting the pork shoulder for 30 minutes or longer, preheat your oven to 450° F. Place the roast back in the oven to sear. This will require rotating every 5 minutes or so until it is seared on all sides: 10 to 20 minutes total depending on your oven.
• Serve it by slicing or shredding. Serve warm.

ULTRA-CRISPY SLOW-ROASTED PORK SHOULDER RECIPE

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 250°F (121°C).

ROASTED PORK SHOULDER - CZECH VEPřOVá PEčENě

Steps:

• Rinse and dry the pork shoulder. If the meat is irregular in shape, tie it with kitchen string.
• Peel and mash the garlic. Rub the surface of the pork on all sides with garlic, salt, and crushed caraway seeds.
• Peel the onion and cut it into wedges. Grease a roasting pan with lard, spread the onions on it. Place the seasoned meat on the onion base. Pour about ½ cup (120 ml) of water into the bottom of the roasting pan.
• Roast in a preheated oven at 400 °F (200 °C) - lower and upper heating only - for 30 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 300 °F (150 °C) and roast for another hour and a half. After every half hour or so, baste the meat with the drippings. If there are not enough juices in the roasting dish, add a few tablespoons of water.
• Set the finished roast aside, transfer the roasted juices and onions to a sieve placed over a clean pot, and strain. Press the rest of the onions through the sieve.
• Slice the pork shoulder into ½ inch (1,5-2 cm) thick slices and serve.

LOW AND SLOW ROASTED PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 F
• Place pork shoulder on a rack in a roasting pan.
• Mix garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, oregano and olive oil in a small bowl.
• Rub all over the pork shoulder.
• Roast, uncovered, at 450 F for 45 minutes.
• Remove the pork shoulder from the oven; decrease heat to 225 F.
• Add sliced onions, chicken broth, beer and chili flakes to the bottom of the roasting pan. Baste the pork with the pan liquids.
• Tent tin foil over the roast and return to the oven. Check every hour or so and baste the roast with liquids from the pan; add more chicken broth if needed.
• Roast about 7 to 8 hours, basting every hour.
• The roast is done when the internal temperature is 170-175 F.
• Let the roast rest for 20-30 minutes. Remove skin and fat before carving.

EASY ROAST PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 240C/220C fan/gas 9. Remove any packaging from the pork, retaining the string, and pat dry with kitchen paper - you want the skin to be as dry as possible. Score deep cuts into the skin in a diamond pattern using a sharp knife (you want to cut into the fat). If the skin is already scored, make sure each cut is dry and can be easily opened. Rub the oil into the skin, rubbing it well into each cut, then sprinkle the salt over in an even layer, rubbing this into the cuts, too.
• Scatter the onion slices over the base of a large roasting tin and sit the pork joint on top. Roast for 20-30 mins, or until the skin starts to blister and bubble. Put the kettle on to boil.
• Pour half a kettle of boiling water around the joint to cover the base of the tin, ensuring it doesn't drip onto the skin. Reduce the oven temperature to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Roast for another 2 hrs 30 mins, or until the meat under the skin is very tender when pressed. There's a lot of fat in pork shoulder, so cooking at a low temperature this way ensures the meat doesn't dry out - if needed, it can cook for up to 3 hrs.
• Turn the oven back up to 220C/220C fan/gas 7 and continue to roast the pork for 20-25 mins until the skin is very crisp and has started to harden - it should feel brittle when tapped with a knife. If needed, cook for 10 mins more to achieve this. Remove the pork from the oven and rest for 20 mins in the tin, loosely covering with foil. Remove the crackling in large pieces, then break into smaller chunks. Carve the meat and serve alongside the crackling and your favourite sides.

SIMPLE ROASTED PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Using a pastry brush, spread the mixture all over the pork shoulder.
• Set the meat on a rack set into a roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 325 degrees F. Continue to cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the shoulder reads 185 degrees F, about 4 hours. Remove the pork from the oven and let stand until cool enough to handle, about 30 minutes.