Roast Pork Shoulder
Roast Pork Shoulder is a juicy pork roast perfect for weekends and special occasions. With minimal ingredients it gets oven baked to perfection!
Servings: 6
Calories: 612kcal
Ingredients
- 2.5 kg/ 5 lb boneless pork shoulder Note 1
- ¼ teaspoon salt Note 2
- ½ teaspoon black pepper also Note 2
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder Note 3
- 1 teaspoon onion powder Note 4
- ¼ cup/80 ml olive oil Note 5
- salt as needed, Note 6
To serve:
- gravy
- potatoes
Instructions
- Pork: remove any packaging from the pork then place the pork shoulder on a plate. Leave it to dry out (uncovered) in the fridge overnight or for a couple of hours before making the recipe. Then remove it from the fridge and set it on the bench to allow it to come to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven: preheat the oven to 220°C/ 425°F / Gas Mark 7.
- Season: unfold the pork shoulder and place it underside up on a chopping board. Liberally season the meat with salt and black pepper then sprinkle it with the garlic powder, followed by the onion powder.
- Skin: roll the pork shoulder back up and flip to the skin side up. Drizzle the olive oil over the top and any skin surface of the pork and use a basting brush or your hands to massage this in. Then liberally sprinkle salt onto the olive oil ensuring all skin is covered.
- Oven bake: transfer the pork to a rack in a baking tray. Oven bake the pork (middle shelf) for 45 minutes to get the crackle started. During this time the skin will bubble and harden. After 45 minutes reduce the oven to 180°C / 350-375°F / Gas Mark 4-5. Let the pork then cook for an additional 1 hour and 15 minute period. Once the cook time is up, use oven mitts to remove the baking tray and use a meat thermometer to ensure that the pork is at least 70°C (158°F). Then turn the oven back up to 220°C/ 425°F / Gas Mark 7. Cook the pork for a further 5-10 minutes to give the crackle a final high heat boost. Then use oven mitts to remove the baking tray and leave it uncovered on the bench to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
- To serve: after the pork has rested use a carving prong and sharp knife to carve the pork into slices. Serve with potatoes and gravy (optional).
Notes
- Note 1 - shoulder: the pork you see in the photo above is boneless pork shoulder. You can purchase it from the grocery store or butcher. Whilst the grocery store is cheaper, you might find the meat has random score marks, whilst meat from the butcher won't. You can opt for whichever suits you the most 😄👍. It is a fantastic cut of pork that offers many cooking options.
- Note 2 - Salt and pepper: we use salt and a little bit of black pepper to season the pork before we cook it. We then use additional salt rubbed into the skin to make the crackling.
- Note 3 - Garlic powder: along with the salt and pepper we use garlic powder and onion powder rubbed into the pork before it is roasted.
- Note 4 - Onion powder: as above. One thing to keep in mind with these 2 dried powders is that they can dry out if not used for a while, so check your bottle to save a mid cook trip to the shops!
- Note 5 - Olive oil: most types can be used. Extra virgin olive oil should be avoided if using a non stick baking pan.
- Note 6 - Salt: we want to cover the entire skin with salt to ensure that it crisps up. Sea salt or coarse granulated salt will work well, not table salt.
Nutrition
Calories: 612kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 94g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 250mg | Sodium: 323mg | Potassium: 1587mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.04g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 4mg