This simple oven roasted Pork Shoulder Roast is a blog favorite for a juicy, tender, fall-apart pork shoulder that will melt in your mouth. It’s a tried-and-true recipe that we have been making for years! A great recipe for Sunday supper, meal prep, or feeding a lot of people!
The Best Oven Roasted Pork Shoulder
Table of Contents
For years we have been making the most amazing, fall-apart smoked pork shoulder on our Traeger smoker and now we finally have an oven roasted version of this blog favorite recipe to share with you. This version is perfect for making all year long. We love tossing a pork shoulder in the oven on Sunday morning and then let it roast, low & slow, all day. By the time dinner rolls around, it is ready to eat! Perfect to enjoy for dinner and then toss the leftovers in the fridge to enjoy throughout the week as carnitas tacos, on a salad, as a pulled pork sandwich, or on a big pan of nachos!
What You Will Need
- pork shoulder – get the best quality possible at your local butcher shop or grocery stores, it really does make a difference.
- liquid smoke – this is a perfect way to get a little smokey flavor when you aren’t cooking it on a smoker.
- worcestershire sauce – a little added flavor to rub on before the dry rub.
- yellow mustard – this is also part of the pre-rub and adds amazing flavor.
- dry rub – here is the spice rub we will be using – it is a must! Made up of simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. Feel free to make a double or triple batch so that you always have some on hand!
- optional: coconut sugar or brown sugar – if you like a touch of sweetness.
- butter, ghee, or olive oil – you will add a bit to the cast iron to sear the pork shoulder before it goes in the oven.
How To Roast A Pork Shoulder In the Oven
The first step to making this easy pork shoulder recipe is to choose a highly quality pork shoulder roast that will allow for plenty of delicious leftovers.
Pat the entire pork roast dry with paper towels.
Rub it down with liquid smoke and then worcestershire sauce – make sure to get it in all the nooks and crannies.
Then coat the roast in yellow mustard.
Mix up the most amazing pork dry rub in all the land and generously rub it over the entire pork shoulder.
Heat some a little bit of butter in a cast iron skillet and sear the pork shoulder on all sides.
Place it on a wire rack that is on a foil-lined baking sheet.
Place it in the middle-rack of the oven at 250 degrees F and let it cook for 7-8 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 190-200 degrees F (use a meat thermometer) for the best pulled pork.
How Long Should I Cook A Pork Shoulder Roast
We roasted this 3.5 – 4 pound roast at 250 degrees F. and our cooking time was about 7-8 hours or until the internal temperature reached 190-200 degrees F (the closer you get to 200 degrees F. the more “fall-apart” it will be – you can go up to about 205 degrees). The key to making a great pork shoulder roast is slow cooking – let it roast at a low temperature for a long time.
How Do I Know When My Pork Shoulder Is Done
Technically your pork shoulder is safely cooked when it reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees, but if you want to be able to shred your pork shoulder easily, you will want it to reach an internal temp of 190-200 degrees (you can easily determine the internal temp with a digital probe thermometer).
What To Serve With A Pork Shoulder Roast
We love serving up a generous helping of this pork shoulder roast with some barbecue sauce on top and for a side dish we love spicy purple cabbage coleslaw, gluten-free cornbread, and an easy oven baked potato.
Recipe FAQ
- What cut of meat is best: we used a bone-in pork roast, but you could also use a boneless pork roast or pork butt roast. Whichever cut of pork you choose, we like to pick one with a nice fat cap on it. As it cooks those fat juices help to keep your slow roasted pork shoulder nice and tender!
- Storage: Any leftover pulled pork can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days and in the freezer for up to 6 months. When freezing pulled pork make sure you keep as much moisture in the container as possible (to prevent it from drying out) and try to remove as much air as you can, to prevent freezer burn.
- Leftovers: The leftover options are endless! You can simply reheat it and eat with some more BBQ sauce or you make it into pulled pork tacos, pulled pork nachos, pulled pork sandwiches, pulled pork sliders, or a pulled pork salad.
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Other Recipes You Might Like
Dutch Oven Pot Roast
Ultimate Pork Roast Recipe
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Pork Shoulder Roast Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Pork Shoulder Roast (Oven-Roasted) – a delicious, slow-roasted pork shoulder roast that is so juicy and tender! Perfect for meal prep or Sunday supper!
Ingredients
- 3.5–4 lb pork shoulder roast*
- 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
- 1–2 tablespoons worcestershire (omit if Whole30)
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon pepper
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tablespoons onion powder
- 1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- (optional) 1 tablespoon coconut sugar or brown sugar (omit if whole30)
- 2 tablespoons ghee, butter or extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
- Pat pork shoulder dry with a clean paper towel.
- Pour liquid smoke all over and rub into every nook and cranny. Repeat this process with the worcestershire and the yellow mustard until it is fully coated with each.
- Combine kosher salt, paprika, lemon pepper, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, ground black pepper and dry mustard in a small bowl; stir to combine. Rub this dry rub all over the pork shoulder, ensuring you get into every nook and cranny.
- Let sit 15-30 minutes OR you can wrap in plastic wrap and let sit in the refrigerator overnight.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and then set a wire rack on top; set aside.
- Bring a large cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add butter (or ghee or olive oil) and swirl to coat the pan. Sear the pork shoulder on all sides. Place the pork shoulder on the wire rack, which is on the prepared sheet pan.
- Place in the oven, middle rack, and let cook 7-8 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 190-200 degrees F (the closer you get to 200 degrees F. the more “fall-apart” it will be – you can go up to about 205 degrees).
- Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes.
- Shred and serve.
Notes
- Pork Shoulder: I used a bone-in pork shoulder, but feel free to use a boneless pork shoulder roast – the boneless will just cook a little faster.
- Pork Rub: feel free to omit the cayenne or increase it if you want. You can also add a tablespoon of coconut sugar or brown sugar if want a touch of sweetness.
- Serving: we love using this to make pulled pork sandwiches or pulled pork tacos.
- Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Leftovers: option to use leftovers to make a pulled pork nachos, pulled pork sliders or a pulled pork salad!
Shannon says
What kind of liquid smoke flavor would you recommend?
Erin says
Hi Shannon – I generally tend to use Wright’s Liquid Smoke simply because that’s what my local grocery store has and I love it!
Jocelyn says
This was delicious! I added the optional coconut sugar as well. It’s the perfect salty smoky sweet crust all around. My roast was a little over 5 lbs and required about 9.5 hours in the oven to fall apart. Perfect to freeze for another day as well.
Julie says
Just curious about the 2 TBLS of salt. I felt like this was a lot and cut back on the amount and unfortunately our roast still tasted like salt with the heat of the cayenne pepper. I feel all of the other flavors of the dry rub were overpowered by salt and heat.
Phil says
The intruding advertisements on this page block portions of the recipe when printing!
Erin says
Hi Phil – that is super weird as I have a setting that doesn’t allow the ads to actually be printed out – I just tested it on my own computer with no issues? Are you on mobile or desktop and have you actually printed it out or are you looking at the print set up page?
Linda Lum says
Made as written, except I roasted in our cast iron in which I seared it. One less pan to wash, and we had an amazing jus in the bottom of the pan.
Cherie says
Can u crock pot this recipe?
Marc Holtz says
WOW…delish! This was a 7+ pounder and cooked for around 10 hours @ 250,. Pulled it out at 190 degrees on probe – so tender and fall apart moist sweetness. I wanted to put out on the smoker but found this recipe on a cold icy day!
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Marc!
Linda says
This is so good! We don’t have a smoker so this is next best!
Erin says
Love hearing that!!!
Bri says
Hi! Should the fat cap be trimed and should it be cooked fat cap up or down?
Erin says
I usually don’t trim the fat, but you definitely can if you want – fat side up!
Lynn M Mellang says
Hi, I have a 15 lb pork shoulder. Should I cook it longer than the 7-8 hours listed in the above recipe. I changed the number to 3x but it didn’t change the time in the oven.
Thanks
Rebecca says
Not sure if I’m just reading it wrong but there doesn’t seem to be a step where the rub is put onto the pork. Is this done before it rests or is put in the refrigerator?
Erin says
Hi Rebecca! Just updated the instructions – sorry about that! Thanks for pointing it out!