If you’ve been wondering how to cook a pork shoulder that’s fall-apart tender on the inside with irresistibly crispy skin, this simple oven-roasted recipe delivers every time.
With just a handful of pantry spices and mostly hands-off cooking, you’ll have enough flavorful pork for dinner plus leftovers for meal prep all week. Naturally high protein, low carb, keto, Whole30, SCKC friendly, and gluten free.
There’s a reason pork shoulder has been one of my favorite cuts of meat for years. It’s one of the most forgiving roasts you can make, and with a little patience, it transforms into incredibly tender, juicy pork with a beautifully browned exterior.
The key is cooking it low and slow until the connective tissue has time to break down. While every roast varies slightly in size and shape, I recommend cooking pork shoulder to an internal temperature of 195-205°F for meat that’s tender enough to shred, then letting it rest before serving.
Another reason I come back to this recipe again and again is the value. With lots of price volatility on beef, chicken, and eggs – pork shoulder remains one of the best values in the meat department.
One roast can easily feed a family for dinner with plenty of leftovers, making it a great choice for meal prep or stretching your grocery budget without sacrificing flavor.
One of the best things about roasted pork shoulder is how versatile it is. Enjoy it the first night just as it is, then transform the leftovers into completely different meals throughout the week.
Toss it with my keto BBQ sauce for pulled pork, use it in lettuce wrap tacos or burrito bowls with salsa and avocado, crisp it up for breakfast with eggs, or add it to soups, casseroles, and fried cauliflower rice. It has a mild flavor that works with just about any seasoning, so you’ll never get bored with the leftovers.
I served this to our guests with corn tortillas, homemade keto salsa verde, chopped cilantro, lettuce, sliced avocado, Greek yogurt and shredded cheddar cheese. It was a huge hit!
You don’t have to go the Mexican route though – this easy roasted pork shoulder would be equally tasty served alongside Cheesy Cauliflower Puree and my keto broccoli salad.
This easy roasted pork shoulder is also perfectly tailored to anyone on the Carnivore Diet, the Whole30 or the Squeaky Clean Keto Challenge.
More Keto Pork Recipes
Jamaican Jerk Pork Roast – Instant Pot Recipe
Low Carb Pumpkin, Pork and Peanut Stew
Keto Sweet & Sour Pork Sheet Pan Meal
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Easy Roasted Pork Shoulder
- Total Time: 6 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 15 servings 1x
- Diet: Diabetic
Description
An easy roasted pork shoulder recipe that results in tender meat and super crispy skin! Whole 30, Paleo, Keto, Low Carb
Ingredients
- 8–10 lb pork shoulder
- 2 tablespoons coarse Kosher salt (reduce to 1 T if using table salt)
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients for your spice rub in a small bowl.
- Remove pork shoulder (or other pork roast) from packaging and rinse under cold water.
- Using your hands, pat the dry rub all over the surface of the meat.
- Place in a large roasting pan skin side up.
- Roast uncovered in a preheated 500 degree (F) oven for 20 minutes.
- Reduce heat to 300 degrees and roast for an additional 45 minutes per pound.
- Total cooking time for an 8lb roast should be about 6 hours and 20 minutes.
- Remove the pork roast from the oven and let rest for 30 minutes.
- The hard outer shell should lift right off like a cap and can be broken or chopped into delicious meat chips!
- The meat should be tender enough to pull apart with forks. Shred, adjust seasoning if necessary, and serve!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Category: keto main dish
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 oz
- Calories: 275
- Fat: 15g
- Carbohydrates: 0g
- Protein: 33g
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helomekinvegas says
Used the cooking formula 4 times. Works great. Pork shoulder comes out crispy outside and tender and flaky inside. I use a mixture of coarse sea salt and crushed whole peppercorns as a rub. And I make deep little cuts into the roast and insert crushed garlic cloves into them, cause my wife loves the smell and flavor. Roasting a 7 pounder right now. Mahalo and Aloha from Vegas.
Hélène says
Looks truly fab and I’m adding the cabbage & carrots as someone suggested (put them all underneath the roast about halfway thru).
& maybe brussel sprouts and celery too lol…always looking for ways to flavor up the veggies!
Cynthia says
OMG! this was soooo simple and so delish, this is definitely a regular dish I’ll be making, thank you so very much!
Cynthia says
Bought a 9lb pork butt roast @1.05 a lb I had to! Never made one before so found your blog. Am making it tonight. I’ll be sure to post the results tomm. It smells delish. Wont be done until around 9 pm. Ugh lol
Adam says
I have a 10 lb shoulder to roast. I have seen that a lot of other people cover it for part of the time. Do you ever cover it?
Mellissa Sevigny says
I don’t Adam because I like the skin super crispy and it’s a fatty enough cut not to dry out uncovered for the entire time. That being said it won’t hurt anything if you do cover it!
gwmax44907 says
hi hiMellissa,
Although a good cook, i never cooked a picnic shoulder before. (my 8 lb. shoulder was given to me)
Like Don, I removed the skin before I was finished reading the complete recipe.
Glad i did not throw it in the trash because after searing, I draped the largest part of the skin back over the top, then turned temp down to 300° F.
As with a all my pork roasts, I coated roast with a thin layer of vegetable oil & used dry onion soup mix as the rub.
I also placed the roast in a “V” shaped cooking rack over a lasagna pan. (I use the drippings for gravy)
I have another 3 hours before it comes out of the oven.
Serving with Au Gratin potatoes & broccoli with cheddar cheese sauce. (if i would have thought in advance, i would have baked a loaf of bread)
Thank you for the cooking technique, I would have not known how to cook this without you !!!
DGay says
I am putting mine in the over in a few minutes. This is my first time on your blog, but not my last. I’ve lost 187 lbs by cutting carbs alomst entirely out of my diet and so now I look for yummy low carb ideas for meals. Wish me luck.
Andrea says
This is by far the best (and easiest) roast recipe I have ever tried. Everyone in my family loves it. Thank you so much
Donna says
Did you use a fresh pork shoulder? Or smoked?
bill says
Do you not put water in baking pan with carrots & cabbage. With out water wont it burn.
Tracy Rodriguez says
This is similar to how I make Pernil. Mine has a little more seasoning. I cut slits in it and stuff with slices of fresh garlic and a little sofrito. The fresh garlic and sofrito and the dry seasoning (same as yours, but I don’t measure) goes on the day before and I let it marinate with the spices in the fridge for 24 hours before cooking. Pernil is the best pork roast. Ever.