How to Cook a Delicious Pork Shoulder Blade Roast

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? This is the perfect pork roast for people who like meat that is juicy and tender and skin that is crisp and crackling.

Pork shoulder blade roast, sometimes called a Boston butt or pork butt roast, is a flavorful and inexpensive cut of pork that turns meltingly tender when properly cooked With the right preparation, this tough cut becomes fall-apart tender and makes a fabulous centerpiece for a family meal or dinner party This step-by-step guide will teach you everything you need to know to cook a perfect pork shoulder blade roast.

Selecting and Preparing the Pork Shoulder

Choose a bone-in pork shoulder blade roast that is 4 to 8 pounds. The bone helps keep the meat moist and adds flavor.
Let the pork sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour before cooking. This helps it cook more evenly.
Pat the pork dry with paper towels.
Trim off any excess hard fat, but leave some fat intact for moisture and flavor.
Score the fat cap by cutting shallow slits (if your roast has one). This helps the fat render and crisp up.
Season the pork all over with salt, pepper, garlic powder, herbs like rosemary or sage, and spices like smoked paprika. Rub it in well so it adheres.

Low and Slow Oven Roasting

The key to cooking pork shoulder is using a low temperature (250-325°F) and slow roasting it for a long time. This gently breaks down the tough connective tissues.
Place the seasoned pork in a roasting pan, fat side up. Do not use a rack.
Add about 1/2 inch of liquid like broth or water to the bottom of the pan. This prevents burning and makes a flavorful sauce.
Roast the pork uncovered at 250-325°F for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours per pound, until extremely tender when pierced and an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 185°F.
If the pan liquid evaporates, add more as needed during cooking.
Let the pork rest for 20-30 minutes before carving so the juices redistribute.

Achieving Crispy Crackling Skin

If your pork shoulder has a good fat cap, you can achieve deliciously crispy crackling by:

Scoring the skin prior to cooking. This allows the fat to render and the skin to crisp up.
Cranking up the heat at the end. After the initial low roast, increase the oven temp to 450°F and roast for 10-15 more minutes to crisp the skin.
Pouring off excess fat from the pan and patting the skin dry with paper towels prior to the high heat crisping.

Serving Suggestions

Let roasted pork shoulder rest for 20-30 minutes before slicing or pulling apart with two forks.
The pork can be served straight from the oven with the pan juices spooned over it.
Pair it with soy sauce, barbecue sauce, chimichurri, salsa, or gravy for dipping.
Delicious side dishes include roasted potatoes, rice, beans, coleslaw, or a green salad.

Making Leftovers

Sliced or pulled leftover pork shoulder is amazing in quesadillas, enchiladas, burritos, sandwiches, soups and more.
The pork keeps well refrigerated for 4-5 days and can be frozen for 2-3 months.

Helpful Tips

A bone-in picnic shoulder works great too and will have similar cooking times.
Use a meat thermometer for best results. Pork needs to reach 185°F.
Letting it rest after cooking is crucial so the meat can relax and reabsorb its juices.
Add smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder or other spices to complement the pork.
Use low sodium chicken broth or water for the pan liquid to control saltiness.

Cooking a pork shoulder blade roast perfectly is easy when you use a low oven temperature and let it roast slowly until ultra tender. The initial low heat gently breaks down the tough connective tissues in the pork, while a final blast of high heat crisps up the skin. Follow this guide for moist, succulent pork shoulder every time. Serve it with flavorful sauces and sides for a fabulous meal.

how do i cook a pork shoulder blade roast

What’s The Difference Between a Boston Butt And A Picnic Shoulder?

The butt comes from higher on the pig, near the backbone, so it’s not a muscle that does 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.

These are both pretty tough cuts, though, so low- and slow-cooking methods like braising, slow-cooking, and slow-roasting will work best to make them juicy and delicious.

Video: Roasting Pork Shoulder With Crispy Crackling

You probably know a lot of the different cuts of pork, but there are a few that you might not know. 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. The shoulder is then usually cut into two smaller cuts that you’d see in a store. These are the pork butt, also known as Boston butt, and the picnic shoulder, which is 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.

I made Oven-Roasted Pork Shoulder

FAQ

Which is the best cooking method for a pork shoulder?

Pork shoulder benefits from long, slow cooking that tenderizes the meat and melts the fat. The best cooking methods for pork shoulder are braising or stewing, but it may also be fried, baked, or made into ground pork.

What is pork shoulder blade roast good for?

Our Best Ideas for Pork Shoulder It plays a starring role in famous dishes like pulled pork, and it’s an easy option for filling tacos or stuffing sandwiches. Regardless of how you choose to prepare it, this cut is at its best when cooked low and slow — with flavorful herbs and spices.

What is the difference between pork shoulder and pork shoulder blade?

The shoulder represents approximately 18% of the entire carcass and is commonly split into two portions of roughly equal size: the pork shoulder blade and the pork shoulder picnic. The blade is the upper portion of the pork shoulder and can often be found labelled as shoulder butt or Boston butt.

Is a blade roast the same as a shoulder roast?

The blade steak also comes from the shoulder, but it’s a different specific cut within the shoulder. Sometimes it feels like there are as many different cuts of beef as there are butchers.

How do you cook a pork shoulder blade roast?

Pork Shoulder Blade Roast, a classic dish that has delighted taste buds for generations, hails from the heartland of the United States. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). In a large oven-safe pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the pork roast with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, thyme, and rosemary.

How to cook a pork shoulder roast in a Dutch oven?

Now add the onions, garlic, thyme, rosemary and Worcestershire. Place the pork on top of the onions. Pop the lid on the Dutch Oven and transfer to the 350℉ oven. Bake for 1.5 hours. Remove the Dutch Oven from the oven and nestle the carrots, celery and mushrooms around the pork shoulder roast.

Can you cook a pork shoulder in the oven?

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, preheat your oven to 450° F. Place the roast back in the oven to sear.

How do you cook a pork roast in the oven?

Cook the roast: Place the pork roast on a double foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan and then into the oven. 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.