Just 5 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep yield a Mississippi pork roast with crispy bark on the outside and tender, juicy pulled pork inside. Roast it in the oven for the crispiest exterior, or set it in the Crock Pot for hands-off ease. Either way, you’ve got a big batch ready for sandwiches, tacos, or Sunday supper.
More easy shredded meat dinners:
Before You Get Started
A few things make a real difference between an okay pork roast and one your family asks for again. Keep these in mind before you start:
- Cook to temperature, not to time. A pork shoulder is done when the internal temperature reads 205°F and a fork twists easily in the meat. Times vary based on size, bone-in versus boneless, and your oven. Trust the thermometer.
- Don’t cover the pork as it roasts. The exposed surface is what gives you the crispy, caramelized bark. Covering traps steam and you lose the texture that sets this recipe apart.
- Plan for a 20 to 30-minute rest. The pork keeps cooking as it sits, and the juices redistribute. Shredding straight out of the oven gives you drier, messier meat.
Choosing Your Pork
The best cut for this recipe is a pork butt, also called a Boston butt. Some grocery stores label it as a pork shoulder. They all refer to the same cut from high on the hog, and all work the same way. The marbled fat is what breaks down during the long roast and gives you tender, juicy pulled pork.
Bone-in or Boneless: Bone-in adds a little more flavor; boneless cooks slightly faster. Either works.
How Big to Buy: A 4 to 5 lb. roast feeds about 4 adults with leftovers. For a crowd, size up to 6 to 7 lbs. and add roughly 45 minutes per extra pound.
Skip Pork Tenderloin and Pork Loin. Both are too lean for this method and won’t shred the same way.
How to Make Mississippi Pork Roast
This is the oven method, which gives you the crispiest bark. Crock Pot instructions are in the recipe card notes below.
Step 1: Prep the pork
Pat the pork dry with paper towels and place it on a wire rack inside a roasting pan (or simply in the roasting pan without the rack), fat side up. Line the bottom of the pan with foil if you want easier cleanup.
Drizzle olive oil and red wine vinegar over the pork and rub to coat.
Step 2: Apply the dry rub
Empty both seasoning packets (ranch dressing mix and Italian dressing mix) directly onto the pork. Rub the seasoning all over the surface so it sticks evenly.
Press the seasoning into the surface so it sticks. The sugars in the packets caramelize as the pork roasts, and that’s what creates the deeply browned, crispy bark.
⇢ For a sweeter, deeper bark, add brown sugar. A tablespoon or two mixed into the seasoning packets gives you extra caramelization on the surface.
⇢ For a spicy version, add cayenne. A teaspoon of cayenne mixed into the rub gives the pork a low, even heat throughout.
Step 3: Roast hot, then low and slow
Roast the pork uncovered at 425°F for 20 minutes. Then drop the heat to 325°F and continue roasting for about 4 more hours, or until the pork reaches 205°F internally.
The high heat at the start sears the surface like a skillet would. The lower temperature after that breaks down the connective tissue inside without drying out the meat.
⇢ Internal Temp Note: 205°F is the goal, but 200°F works The internal temperature keeps climbing during the rest, so a 20 to 30-minute rest gets you to the sweet spot either way.
Step 4: Rest, shred, and serve
Move the pork to a rimmed baking sheet (the rim catches juices and saves your counter). Let it rest 20 to 30 minutes, until cool enough to handle.
Use two forks to shred the meat. Taste and season with salt and pepper, then drizzle with barbecue sauce if you like.
⇢ Tough means undercooked. Collagen takes hours to break down. Put the pork back in the oven and check again in 30 minutes.
⇢ For extra heat at the table. Serve with sliced jalapeños, hot sauce, or a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
Want a flavor twist?
My Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork and Crock Pot Beer Pulled Pork use the same pork shoulder with completely different flavor profiles.
Crock Pot Method
If you’d rather skip the oven, prepare the pork the same way (oil, vinegar, and both seasoning packets) and place it in a slow cooker.
Cover and cook on LOW for 10 to 12 hours or HIGH for 6 to 7 hours, until the pork shreds easily with a fork. You won’t get the crispy bark, but the meat will be incredibly tender.
I was looking for something different for a pork butt and found this recipe. I had everything in the cabinet. OMG this is delicious and my husband loved it…So easy and tastes great…
– Vicki
Ways to Serve
This is one of those recipes that feeds you for days. The shredded pork goes just about anywhere a protein can go. Sandwiches are still my favorite go-to. Pile the warm pork on toasted buns with a drizzle of barbecue sauce and a scoop of slaw, and you’ve got dinner in five minutes.
More ways to use this pulled pork:
What to Serve Alongside
A few sides that round out the plate:
Storage and Reheating
Store. Leftover pulled pork keeps in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Save some of the pan juices to spoon over the meat when reheating, which keeps it from drying out.
Freeze. Portion the cooled pork into freezer-safe containers or bags and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Reheat. For a big batch, transfer the pork and reserved juices to a Crock Pot on the WARM setting for 2 to 4 hours. For smaller portions, warm gently in a saucepan over low heat, or microwave for 30 to 60 seconds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my pulled pork tough?
It needs more time. The collagen and connective tissue in a pork shoulder take hours to break down, and pulling it too early gives you rubbery, chewy meat. Put it back in the oven and check again in 30 minutes. The pork is ready when it reaches 205°F internally and a fork twists easily in the meat.
Can I cook this in a Dutch oven instead of a roasting pan?
Yes. Use a large Dutch oven with the lid off. You won’t have a rack underneath, but the result is still tender and flavorful. The bark may be slightly less crisp on the bottom, but the top still caramelizes beautifully.
Do I cook the pork fat side up or fat side down?
Fat side up. As the pork roasts, the fat renders down through the meat and bastes it from the top. Fat side up also gives you the crispiest bark on the most visible part of the roast.
Can I add pepperoncini and butter, like a traditional Mississippi roast?
Yes, and it’s a great twist if you love the classic beef version. Scatter 6 to 8 pepperoncini peppers around the pork, pour in a few tablespoons of the brine, and dot the top with 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter before roasting. You’ll get a flavor closer to the original pot roast, with the crispy pork bark on top.
What size pork shoulder should I buy?
A 4 to 5 lb. bone-in pork butt yields about 21 ounces of cooked, shredded meat, which feeds 4 adults with a few leftovers. For a larger crowd, size up to a 6 to 7 lb. roast and add roughly 45 minutes of cooking time per additional pound.
More Pulled Pork Recipes
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork with Alabama White BBQ Sauce
- Slow Cooker Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork)
- Apple Cider Braised Pork Shoulder
⭐️ Looking for More Like This? → Check out my collection of Pork Shoulder Recipes!
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Mississippi Pork Roast
Equipment
- Roasting pan with rack
Ingredients
- 1 (4 to 5 lb.) bone-in pork shoulder, also called pork butt (boneless works too)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 (1 ounce) packet dry ranch salad dressing and seasoning mix
- 1 (1 ounce) packet Italian salad dressing mix
- Barbecue sauce, for serving (optional)
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Optional, for a Mississippi pot roast twist:
- 6 pepperoncini peppers plus 2 tablespoons brine
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Place the pork fat side up on a wire rack inside a large roasting pan (line the pan with foil for easier cleanup if you like). Drizzle the pork with olive oil and red wine vinegar; rub to coat evenly.
- Sprinkle both seasoning packets all over the meat, rubbing the seasoning into the pork. If using the optional pepperoncini and butter, scatter the peppers around and on top of the pork, pour in the brine, and dot with butter.
- Roast the pork, uncovered, at 425°F for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325°F and continue cooking for about 4 more hours, or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 205°F. If the pork feels tough at this point, it needs more time. Collagen takes hours to break down. Keep roasting and check again in 30 minutes.
- Remove the pork from the oven and transfer to a cutting board or rimmed baking sheet. Let it rest until cool enough to handle, about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Use two forks to shred the meat. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with barbecue sauce and serve.
Notes
- Crock Pot method. Prepare the pork as directed and place it in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 10 to 12 hours or HIGH for 6 to 7 hours. You won’t get crispy bark, but the meat will be very tender.
- Cook to temperature. Pull the pork at 205°F for fall-apart texture. If you pull at 200°F, the carryover cooking during the rest will finish the job.
- Fat side up. Always roast the pork fat side up. The rendering fat bastes the meat from above and the surface caramelizes more evenly.
- Boneless versus bone-in. Boneless pork shoulders cook slightly faster than bone-in. Start checking the internal temperature about 30 to 45 minutes earlier.
- Sizing for a crowd. A 4 to 5 lb. pork shoulder feeds about 4 adults. For a larger crowd, size up and add roughly 45 minutes per additional pound to the cook time.
- Add brown sugar or paprika. A tablespoon or two of brown sugar in the dry rub gives you a sweeter, more caramelized bark. Smoked paprika adds color and smoky depth.
- Storage. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat with reserved pan juices to keep the meat moist.
- Mississippi pot roast twist. Add 6 pepperoncini peppers, 2 tablespoons of the brine, and 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter to bridge this recipe with the buttery, briny flavor of the classic beef version.
Nutrition
Originally published in November, 2019, this post was updated in June, 2026.
I was looking for something different for a pork butt and found this recipe. I had everything in the cabinet. OMG this is delicious and my husband loved it so I had to subscribe to your page. This will be another nights main dish when it’s too hot to smoke a butt. So easy and taste great. I did add a little smoked paprika and will add more next time.
Thanks, Vicki! I’m so glad that you found my site. Welcome! 🙂
I used a boneless pork butt and it took a little more than 4 hours to cook. However might have been a problem with the oven or the user LOL. The meat was pretty delicious and worth the wait! I served it with skillet cornbread on the side. Also, I took it out at 195 degrees and let it rest til the internal temp reached 205 which wasn’t indicated but figured it applied here. I wasn’t sure what the seasoning packets would yield as far taste but it worked! Next time will add cayenne.
Thank you, CJ! I’m glad that it worked for you — even it required more time than expected!
Do you place the roast meat or fat side up?
Hi, Laura! Fat-side up is perfect!
I didn’t see the coleslaw recipe.
Awsome
Thanks, Grady!
Sounds delicious!
Can I use 2 Taco Seasoning packets instead?
Hi, Linda! You certainly can, it will just have a very different flavor. Let me know if you give it a shot!
Absolutely perfect recipe and delicious! Thank you for all the research and details you provide.
You’re very welcome, Kristi! We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
What can I replace for ranch dressing please, since allergic to it?
Hi, Ferryal! I would try a homemade ranch seasoning like this one: https://www.theseasonedmom.com/homemade-ranch-seasoning/