Roast Pork Recipe

Key Ingredients

• Pork Butt – For this recipe, you’ll need a bone-in Boston pork butt. It has plenty of marbling throughout, so you end up with the most tender and juicy meat after the long, slow roast.
• Salt – You’ll use coarse salt in two separate steps, so it appears twice in the recipe card:
  • Overnight salting: 2 tablespoons to season the pork the night before.
  • In the seasoning mix: 1 tablespoon mixed in with the rest of the spices.
  • Make sure you’re using kosher or sea coarse salt, not table salt! Table salt has much finer grains, so the same tablespoon packs in a lot more salt and will make the pork too salty. Most table salt also contains added iodine and anti-caking agents, and you can taste a lightly bitter, metallic edge. Coarse salt gives you a cleaner, purer salt flavor.
• Garlic – You’ll need fresh garlic cloves for this recipe since it will go right into the meat.
• Peppercorns – use freshly cracked peppercorns for the boldest pepper flavor.
• Ground Mustard – I love the sharp, tangy flavor of mustard with the natural richness of pork. Mustard is a classic flavor pairing with pork.
• Onion Powder – I use onion powder for a savory, slightly sweet base in the seasoning mix.
• Rosemary – It’s best to use fresh rosemary here but if you need to, feel free to use dried. Just cut it in half since dried herbs are more potent.

1. Start by seasoning the pork really well with coarse salt and giving it time to sit wrapped tight in the refrigerator overnight. This helps the flavors infuse and makes a big difference in how juicy the meat turns out.
2. Before cooking, pierce the pork generously all over with a sharp knife and place sliced garlic cloved inside. Then coat the pork with seasoning all over and remember not to rub but pat the seasoning on.

3. As the pork goes into the oven (at 450°F), the initial high heat helps set the outside. Before long, you’ll notice the smell of garlic and rosemary filling the kitchen, that’s your first sign things are going right. After lowering the temperature to 275°F, the pork slowly cooks for several hours, during which the fat melts and naturally bastes the meat. This is where the magic happens.
4. You don’t need to fuss with it while it cooks. Just let it roast until the meat becomes deeply tender. When it’s ready, a fork should slide in easily, the meat should pull apart without effort, and the bone should release cleanly from the pork. If it still feels firm, it simply needs more time. Optimal internal temperature for a pork that pulls apart at fork tender is 202°F to 203°F.
5. Once out of the oven, give the roast time to rest before pulling. This helps juices to spread back through the meat for the juicy and tender results. What you’re left with is flavorful, fall-apart pork that’s perfect.

Tips for the Best Tender Roast Pork Shoulder

• Season it the night before, cover and refrigerate. It will give more time for the seasoning to flavor the meat and take no time to pop it in the oven in the morning.
• If the pork is cold, let it sit on the counter for about 30 minute before placing in the oven. You never want to cook cold meat!
• Use a leave-in meat thermometer to track the temperature! This is your most accurate way to make sure your meat is cooked perfectly.
• When inserting the thermometer probe, get it close to the bone but NOT touching the bone.
• Slow, slow, slow! Don’t be tempted to raise the temperature to try and cook the meat faster. This is a tough meat and it needs time to cook at a lower temperature to give you the best tasting results.
• Cook the pork shoulder fat-cap up! Melting fat will slowly seep into the meat and produce much more tender and juicy results.
• Expect your 4-5lb pork shoulder to take about 5-8 hours to cook. Remember that each cut of meat is different, so each will take slightly different amount to cook. Track the temperature, not the time!
• For a tender pull-apart pork, you need to aim for interna; temperatures of 200­°F-203°F.
• Note that if you want to cook a boneless pork shoulder and slice it rather than pull it, it’s totally fine, just pull it out of the oven when it reaches an internal temperature of 190°F-195°F.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

• Store: in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Refrigerate any leftovers within 2 hours of cooking, and spoon a little of the pan juices over the shredded pork first so you don’t end up with dry meat the next day.
• Freeze: in freezer bags or airtight containers for up to 3 to 4 months. I like to portion it into meal-size bags and press out as much air as possible, so you can thaw just what you need. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
• Reheat: in a covered baking dish with a splash of broth or pan juices at 300°F until heated through to 165°F. You can also microwave smaller portions, covered, in short intervals, stirring in between. For tacos and nachos, toss the pork in a hot skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes to crisp up the edges.

Roast Pork Recipe FAQs

More Pork Recipes to Make

If you love this roast pork, there are plenty of other pork recipes on my site to try next. From juicy garlic pork loin and pork cutlets for any day, to a more elegant dinner like stuffed pork chops, stuffed pork loin, roasted pork tenderloin, and pot roasted pork loin. You can also switch up the flavor of this roast and use my homemade pork rub instead of the seasoning blend. No matter the cut, these pork recipes are designed to be approachable, flavorful, and perfect for everyday cooking.

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