Roasted Pork Shoulder
I don’t usually cook a large amount of meat for just myself because I am afraid I will get tired of it before it is finished. But then again if it is really good I won’t get tired of it easily. The great thing about making a roasted pork shoulder is that it is so versatile. You can eat it accompanied by sides, you can make sandwiches with it, you can shred it and make pulled pork, you can cut it into pieces and make it in a sauce or make a pork fried rice. The possibilities are endless, plus you can always store some of it in your freezer for later use.
Making a roasted pork shoulder is actually pretty easy. You don’t need exact measurements for the seasoning. All you need is a lot of salt, black pepper and garlic and a large roasting pan. That’s the key to this pork roast; be very generous with the salt. You could brine the pork if you want to make it juicier but you don’t even have to. I didn’t brine mine and it still turned out delicious. My pork shoulder was about 8 pounds but you can use any size a few pounds over or under that. If your pork shoulder is a lot more or less in size, just adjust the seasoning and cooking time accordingly.
Roasted Pork Shoulder
- About 1/4 cup oil
- Lots of salt and black pepper
- About 5-6 cloves of garlic, minced (or about 1 tablespoons garlic powder)
- 1 pork shoulder
Method
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Place the pork shoulder in a roasting pan and make deep cuts in it.
In a small bowl, combine oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub the pork thoroughly with the seasoning mixture, inserting some of the seasoning into the cuts. The pork should be completely coated in seasoning, especially salt. If not, add some more salt as needed. Place pork shoulder in the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Then turn the temperature down to 325ºF and bake for another *4 hours. Take the pork out of the oven and let it rest for about 30 minutes. Carve and serve as desired.
*Update: Bake for 6 to 8 hours for a “fall off the bone” pork shoulder.
