I’ll be honest, this post is more about the pictures than the recipe. Because seriously, Vegetarians aside, who doesn’t love looking at photos of roasted meat?
Not this chick – I could stare at these pictures all day!
It’s like a beautiful, meaty landscape where crispy crust meets tender, succulent shreds of porky goodness! And of course I actually got to eat it – the memory of which almost brings a tear to my eye. It was pork-tastic!
Excuse me while I indulge this memory with a moment of silence……
Soooo you’re probably wondering how you can recreate this masterpiece of Porcine perfection, and the good news is, I’m here to tell you!
This roasted pork recipe is so easy, there is no excuse not to be putting this on your dinner menu ASAP! All you need is time – for some of you that will mean making it on the weekend but it’s totally worth it, I promise! And once you shred the meat, it can be used for all kinds of delicious dishes.
I served it to our guests with corn tortillas, salsa verde, chopped cilantro, lettuce, sliced avocado, Greek yogurt and shredded cheddar cheese. It was a huge hit!
Since I’m doing the Whole 30 this month I ate mine salad style with no dairy – it still tasted amazing!
I ate the leftovers cold out of the fridge for 2 days and then I put the rest in the freezer where it’s destined to turn into a green chili sometime later this month.
You don’t have to go the Mexican route either – this easy roasted pork shoulder would be equally tasty served alongside Cheesy Cauliflower Puree and your favorite vegetable side dish or salad.
Easy Roasted Pork Shoulder
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 hours
- Total Time: 5 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 15 servings 1x
Description
An easy roasted pork shoulder recipe that results in tender meat and super crispy skin! Whole 30, Paleo, Keto, Low Carb
Ingredients
- 8–10 lb pork shoulder
- Spice rub:
- 2 Tbsp Kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp ground cumin
- 1 Tbsp onion powder
- 2 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients for your spice rub in a small bowl.
- Remove pork shoulder (or other pork roast) from packaging and rinse under cold water. Using your hands, pat the dry rub all over the surface of the meat. Place in a large roasting pan skin side up. Roast uncovered in a preheated 500 degree (F) oven for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and roast for an additional 45 minutes per pound.
- Total cooking time for an 8lb roast should be about 6 hours and 20 minutes. Remove the pork roast from the oven and let rest for 30 minutes. The hard outer shell should lift right off like a cap and can be broken or chopped into delicious meat chips! The meat should be tender enough to pull apart with forks. Shred, adjust seasoning if necessary, and serve!
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Roast
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 oz
- Calories: 275
- Fat: 15g
- Carbohydrates: 0g
- Protein: 33g
Keywords: pork, pulled pork, roasted pork, roasting, whole 30, paleo,
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Loraine says
The recipe for an 8 pound roast is 6 hours and 20 minutes, so you took it out 2 hours early!
Marty says
I’ve used this recipe for years, and it’s the only method I use for pork shoulder – I just change up the spices – carnitas, BBQ pulled pork, and pork/sauerkraut for New Years Day. I use a Dutch oven and cover it after the initial 500* uncovered. After 30 minutes/pound check it with a large fork – give it a twist and if it’s too tough still, go with 45 minutes per pound. For New Years, after the 500* blast, I pack the Dutch oven with sauerkraut mixed with red onions, garlic, and fresh rosemary and thyme and cook as directed. GREAT method!
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
Sounds fantastic!
Gladys says
I make a roast pork picnic shoulder… very simple… SCORE the fat/skin… into little squares… salt the meat generously (or to taste)… an 8 lb roast is huge. cook uncovered at 325 degrees F at 40 minutes per lb. to an internal temperature of 170 degrees F. about 2 hours in… I add par boiled potatoes around the roast… turn them once and they will become crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside… to die for.
I have been doing it this way for at least 50 years… maybe 60 years when I really think on it. it doesn’t get any tastier or simpler than this. Enjoy.
Tricia says
The rub was way too salty for my family. I will cut the salt by 1/2 next time. Otherwise a good recipe.
Demitra says
did you use kosher salt? Kosher salt is much coarser than table salt, if you substitute table salt for kosher you will want to cut to 4 teaspoons.
Donna k Gorman says
Do I put it on the rack in the roasting pan, or directly in roasting pan?
Mellissa Sevigny says
It’s not necessary to put it on a rack, but you can if you prefer.
Richard Hill says
I used a rack in my roasting pan and the pork was so tender I was glad I did. It is one of those V racks and it made it easy to get the roast out of the pan and onto a cutting board.
★★★★★
Deborah Sorge says
I loved this recipe!! I added paprika to it, because I like paprika, and it made it wonderful! I usually like gravies with these meats, but the leftovers I made pulled pork sandwiches with bbq sauce and boy…YUM!! My question is the crispy top…you said to make meat bites with that…is that just the crispy top cut into smaller pieces or is there a recipe for that? I’d love to know. Thanks for the recipe!! Delicious!…:)
★★★★★
Robin says
Question: Were the instructions for this recipe changed? I made this recipe earlier this year and had saved the PDF in my recipe folder…in that file the instructions say to bake at 300 degrees, 30 min for each pound. Some of these comments seem to correspond to those instructions. Now this recipe, even when I printed to PDF again, says 45 min per pound. I didn’t see any notes about an update, or any reasoning. I’m going to check my roast temperature after 30 min/lb and see how done it is, just in case. It’s just unfortunate if it needs to go longer, since what I checked last night was the info in the PDF I have, so I didn’t get up earlier to get it in the oven.
Mellissa Sevigny says
I did increase the cooking time due to some people saying it wasn’t cooked enough, but depending on the size of your roast the 30 minutes per pound is a good measure, it just might not be quite as fall off the bone tender as the longer cook time.
A. E. R. says
I’m very glad I read this before making.
I *despise* dry, overcooked meat. Everything does not need to be done to death to be safe. The English and Americans destroy perfectly good meat. I used to dread being invited over for steaks by my mother in law – I know she meant generously and they were lovely cuts, but beef jerky stuck less in my throat.
Kirsten J McSpadden says
I’m glad you posted this, this was my favorite picnic roast recipe, but it’s been overdone the last few times I’ve made it. I didn’t realize the cook time had changed, I’m going back!
Henry says
Great recipe! I had a 1.6 kg roast with a small bone, and instead of oven searing it, because of its managbe size I an seared it, and roasted for 1 1/2 hours. Result was great but oddly there was still a considerable amount of unrendered fat under the cap. Could I have roasted longer and seen an even better, more tender result? Thanks muchly!
Ashley says
This rub was amazing! However, the meat was so tough still and I cooked it exactly to the directions. I’m very bummed because the flavor is delicious.
★★
Betty says
Where can I find the recipe for the rub
Cindy Duncan says
I cooked my roast according to your directions and it’s not fall-apart tender. Do I need to roast it longer?? The seasoning is delicious but I’m so disappointed about the lack of tenderness. What did I do wrong?? I used a pork shoulder butt with a small bone in, 7.65 pounds – roasted for 20 min at 500, then 4 hrs at 300. Roasting another hour and hoping for the best!
Greg Ring says
I just have one word. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And so easy to make.
★★★★★
Linda Jackson says
I have a 10 lb roast. I want to make a regular gravy to go with mashed potatoes. Will this method give me plenty of pan juices?
Desiree A Ventra says
I bought a 9.67lb pork shoulder roast and making it today. I marinated it in the fridge overnight with spices you recommended, it’s sitting out now from 8am til 11am (after mass) then I will follow your cooking time, can’t wait to make this after reading all the reviews. I have small potatoes and would love to cook them with the roast but thinking 5 1/2 hours will be too long and wondering if I should just cook them separate? If so, when should I put them in the oven at 300 degrees where they will also be crispy?? This is also my first time making a pork shoulder. What is a Pernil?? Any suggestions on what to do with the left over meat. I am not a big pulled pork sandwhich fan but I love pork!
Kim Rodgers says
Tacos, tamales, enchiladas, burritos…you could check out chili ideas and other soups/stews. Just a few ideas. You could probably substitute it for chicken in a lot of recipes. Instead of chicken salad you could have pork salad.
DavetteB says
I just reheat a few slices in butter in a frying pan and eat. Since I’m ketogenic I just have it plain. You could do lettuce wraps too. For those that aren’t, save a little meat and the bone and make bean soup or make Cubano sandwiches.
For the best (and by Best I mean ONLY) Pernil, Google “Daisy Martinez Pernil recipe”. That’s my family’s special occasion meal. (Slice, don’t shred). This recipe is similar, just a dry rub instead of wet and for Melissa’s you can cook immediately, versus the 1-3 day marinade for Daisy’s. I have an untrustworthy oven, so I don’t turn it to 500°. I do 450° for one hour, 400° for one hour, then 350° for the rest of the time. I tent a piece of foil if it looks overbrowned (again, my oven), but very loose and the skin stays crispy.
HTH
PS: depending on the size of your potatoes, you can add them the last hour or so.
Susan says
Excellent! The crispy skin was amazing and no fuss. Mine was a 7 lb shoulder/butt and I didn’t think I’d use all the salt-spice rub but I did! It was so flavorful!
I used all the highly flavored pan drippings afterward (which were almost blackened) to make your Tomato Pork soup. The shoulder bone was helpful. I added the cut up meat near the end since it was already cooked and I didn’t want to dry it out. I made it stovetop in about 30 minutes rather than crock pot. An absolute hit with adult foodies and a picky young grandson. Thank you for all your great recipes you so kindly share.
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
That sounds like the perfect use for that bone Susan! And it made me want to make this again ASAP! So thrilled that everyone enjoyed it!