Roast Pork Shoulder

We eat roast pork shoulder throughout the year, but we always make it the star attraction of our New Year’s Day lucky dinner.

Pork shoulder is versatile.  Sometimes we roast it and make southern barbecue pulled pork sandwiches and serve it with baked beans and slaw.  At other times we make a Latin style shoulder with Adobo and other seasonings and serve it with black beans and rice.

For our lucky New Year’s Day dinner, I prepare the shoulder with olive oil, rosemary, and garlic and serve it with black eyed peas and collard greens; a true olives-n-okra combination.

Roast Pork Shoulder Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 8 hours 10 minutes

Servings: 16

Author: olives-n-okra

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pork bone in shoulder picnic 9 pounds
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 12 cloves garlic peeled
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary minced
• salt & pepper

Instructions

• Rinse the shoulder in cold water and pat dry. Place shoulder skin side up on a sheet of aluminum foil long enough to cover the roast. Using a knife, pull skin back from meat as far as possible, cutting between the skin and the meat as necessary. Do not detach the skin from the shoulder.
• Take the knife and make at least 6 deep cuts in the meat. Stuff each opening with a clove of garlic. Turn the meat over and repeat.
• In a food processor, mix together olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, a sprinkle of pepper, and the rosemary. Pulse once or twice. Place the meat skin side up. Pull back the skin, and coat the meat with the olive oil mixture, pushing it deep within the holes, and then replace the skin. Turn the meat over and repeat.
• Position the shoulder skin side up, and wrap in aluminum foil. Bake at 320°F for 6 hours. Remove the foil, then turn the heat up to 350°F. Roast an additional 2 hours until the skin is crisp and brown.
• When the shoulder is done, drain the excess oil from the pan. Then remove skin and set aside. The bones should pull freely from the shoulder. Shred meat using two forks. Adjust salt and pepper. Cut up the crisp skin and serve with the pork.

Notes

Pork shoulder roasted at 320°F generally takes about 35-40 minutes per pound to cook through.