Roasted Pork Shoulder, Low & Slow | Pork Shoulder Recipe (2024)

An amazing slow-roasted pork shoulder recipe for the oven. Your kitchen will smell delightful all day!

I’ve been thinking about how to make a slow-roasted pork shoulder for a while now.

My husband has a Green Egg and makes some fabulous meats on it.

Spatchco*ck chicken (I had to look up how to spell that!), steaks, swordfish (yes, he does!), and of course, a pork butt (Boston butt).

I wanted to see if I could do a pork shoulder in the oven.

Oven Roasted Pork Shoulder

A pork shoulder is a large cut of meat, but it usually sells at a very reasonable price.

This bargain always draws me in at the grocery store!

You can oven-roast this cut, or you can smoke it, or grill it.

Typically, my husband smokes a pork shoulder or a pork butt on his Green Egg.

But, I don’t want to have to rely on him to cook this all the time. I wanted to create my own recipe that I could use in our oven.

While you may think that I could rock this recipe because I’m aregistered dietitian(and don’t all professional nutritionists cook?!), I don’t intuitively know how to cook meats.

Which means, I had to do a little research.

In this article, you’ll learn about how to cook a shoulder of pork, the cooking time, and some of my favorite side dishes to serve with a roasted pork shoulder.

Pork Shoulder Roasts: Bone-In versus Boneless Pork

For this recipe, I had a hard time deciding if I should get the boneless pork shoulder roast or the bone-in version.

I’ve always heard that the bone-in pork shoulder roast would yield a more flavorful dish.

So, as you can see for this recipe, I decided to go with a bone-in pork shoulder. I think any cut of pork roast with the bone in will do.

But here’s the story: I bought a pork shoulder roast with the intention of oven-roasting it, but I didn’t actually have a bone-in pork shoulder recipe for the oven.

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How to Cook Pork Shoulder in a Low Temperature Oven

I knew I’d need to do some research before I ventured into roasting this big hunk of pork.

When I bought the pork, my family wasn’t around, so it didn’t make sense to roast a huge pork shoulder for little old me. (But it did make sense to get the great price I did!)

So I put it in the freezer and set out to research the perfect slow-roasted pork shoulder recipe.

I looked into lots of recipes and researched the cooking time because I knew that would be a critical component.

Ultimately, after all that investigation, I came up with my own recipe.

(That’s often what I do with cooking: research a bunch of recipes to get the general gist of ingredient combinations, get inspired, and create my own. I did that with thisSlow Cooker Shredded Beef recipe.)

And, from that, I created arubbed and pulled pork recipe in the Crock Pot.

If you hang out with me onmy Facebook page, you know I’ve been looking for a super easy way to make roasted pork shoulder using a low and slow cooking method.

Some of you even gave me your tried and true recipes!

After weeks of thinking about it, I did it.

I finally pulled that 10# pork shoulder out of my freezer, defrosted it (that only took a full day!) and roasted it for a Sunday night dinner.

It was lovely. (Just look at that picture!)

It filled the house with an incredible aroma.

And, it gave me leftovers…ah, leftovers. Hello, barbecue pork sandwiches! Pork nachos!

Slow Cooking for Roast Pork Shoulder

Slow roasting a pork shoulder in the oven means you are cooking it all day long.

In fact, it’ll take you about 7 or 8 hours to get that mouth-watering, falling-off-the-bone result. It’s a long time!

I like a long, slow roast, especially in the fall and winter.

There is nothing like filling your home with the aroma of a roasted meat in the oven.

So, I prepped the bone-in pork shoulder in a roasting pan in the morning, put it in the oven, and basically forgot about it.

How to Prepare a Pork Shoulder Roast

A pork shoulder typically has a thick skin on it.

You’ll want to rinse it off first and pat it dry with paper towels.

Then, score the skin with a sharp knife (make deep slashes in it).

This allows the spice rub to soak into the meat.

The spice mixture is a dry rub of simple ingredients. Place the spice rub on the exterior of the pork skin, thoroughly coating it.

Leave the fat cap, a thick layer of fat, on while roasting, as it infuses the meat with fat drippings, keeping it moist and producing a tender meat. (Otherwise, you’ll end up with a dried out pork roast, which won’t be nearly as delicious.)

After you are done roasting the pork, you can peel that thick layer of skin (and fat) off. But if you enjoy the crispy skin, it’s yummy!

Personally, it wasn’t an appealing thing to eat, but I imagine some of you out there would love the flavor.

I didn’t toss it! I used it as a flavor enhancer for my roasted Brussels sprouts.

Quite yummy.

My Favorite Side Dishes for Pork Shoulder Recipes

In addition to the Brussels sprouts, I made some homemade applesauce using apples I had on hand that were on their way O.U.T. (that’s one of the best things you can do with old apples!)

I cooked the apples on the stovetop over a simmering heat, using the recipe fromDinnertime Survival Guideby Sally over at Real Mom Nutrition.

The applesauce was a perfect pairing for the roasted pork and Brussels sprouts.

I know you are chomping at the bit for this recipe!

My creative spin on this picnic roast worked.

Oh, did it work.

Worth mentioning: Before you get started, you will preheat the oven to a high temperature and cook this shoulder at a higher temperature first in the oven, and for a short bit of time, after which, you will lower the heat and roast it for hours. Feel free to use a meat thermometer to gauge your cooking process and progress.

The detailed directions are below.

Low and Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder

Yield: 12 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 7 hours

Additional Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 7 hours 45 minutes

An easy, slow roasted pork shoulder cooked in the oven over low heat.

Ingredients

• 10# bone-in pork shoulder
• Rub:
• 8 cloves of garlic, mashed
• 1 tablespoon salt
• ½ tablespoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
• Pan Fixins':
• 2 onions, sliced
• 2 cups chicken broth, plus more for basting
• 1-12 ounce amber beer
• 1-2 teaspoons chile flakes

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 F
2. Place pork shoulder on a rack in a roasting pan.
3. Mix garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, oregano and olive oil in a small bowl.
4. Rub all over the pork shoulder.
5. Roast, uncovered, at 450 F for 45 minutes.
6. Remove the pork shoulder from the oven; decrease heat to 225 F.
7. Add sliced onions, chicken broth, beer and chili flakes to the bottom of the roasting pan. Baste the pork with the pan liquids.
8. 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.
9. Roast about 7 to 8 hours, basting every hour.
10. The roast is done when the internal temperature is 170-175 F.
11. Let the roast rest for 20-30 minutes. Remove skin and fat before carving.

Notes

Use two forks to shred the meat before serving.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 101Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 696mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 3g

This is an estimation of nutritional content.

What’s Your Favorite Recipe for Roasted Pork Shoulder?

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