Mississippi Pork Shoulder Butt Roast

Square side shot of a plate of Mississippi pork shoulder roast recipe on a platter with cornbread and coleslaw.

5 from 3 votes

Mississippi Pork Shoulder Butt Roast

Just 5 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep yields one of the best pork shoulder roast recipes you'll ever taste!

Course Dinner

Cuisine Southern

Keyword crock pot pulled pork, pork shoulder butt recipes, pork shoulder roast, pork shoulder roast recipes, Pulled Pork, pulled pork in oven, roasted pork shoulder

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 4 20

Resting Time 30

Total Time 4 55

Servings people

Calories 402.6kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Equipment

Roasting pan with rack

Ingredients

1 (4-5 lb.) bone-in pork shoulder (or “pork butt”) (or see notes to substitute with boneless pork shoulder)
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
Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Place the pork on a wire rack in a large roasting pan (line the roasting pan with foil for easy cleanup, if desired). Drizzle the pork with olive oil.
Add the vinegar to the pork; rub to coat evenly.
Sprinkle the dry seasoning packets all over the meat, rubbing the seasoning into the pork.
Roast the pork, uncovered, in a 425°F oven for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325°F and continue to cook for about 4 more hours (or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 205°F). If your pulled pork is tough, it's probably because you haven't cooked it long enough. The collagen in the meat is what keeps it tough, so you need to allow plenty of time for those fibers to break down. Remove the pork from the oven, transfer to a cutting board, and let it stand until it's cool enough to handle (about 20-30 minutes). Use two forks to shred the meat. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Drizzle with barbecue sauce and serve!

Notes

Crock Pot Pulled Pork: I prefer the oven, which yields a nice crispy exterior; however, the slow cooker gives you really tender and juicy meat as well. Place the pork in a Crock Pot and prepare as directed in the recipe. Cover and cook on LOW for 10-12 hours or on HIGH for 6-7 hours.
How Much Pulled Pork Per Person: The 4 ½-lb. bone-in pork shoulder showed here yielded about 21 ounces of cooked meat. Assuming about ⅓-lb. of cooked meat per person, this size pork shoulder will feed about 4 adults. If you're serving a larger crowd, buy a larger pork shoulder or use a boneless pork shoulder for more meat.

Nutrition