Mississippi Roasted Pork Shoulder
Just 5 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep make this Mississippi Roasted Pork Shoulder crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside!
Servings 4 people
Calories 402.6kcal
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 oven to 425°F.
- Pat pork dry with paper towels. Place pork on a wire rack in a large roasting pan (line the roasting pan with foil for easy cleanup, if desired).
- Drizzle pork with olive oil and vinegar; rub to coat evenly. Sprinkle 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).
- Remove pork from the oven, transfer to a cutting board, and let stand until 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.
- Use a boneless pork shoulder or pork roast in lieu of the bone-in pork butt. The boneless roasts tend to cook slightly faster, so adjust your cooking time accordingly.
- Instead of a regular barbecue sauce, try topping your pulled pork with this delicious Alabama White BBQ Sauce.
- Give it some spice! Make spicy pulled pork by adding some cayenne to the dry rub, and serve the pork with crushed red pepper flakes, sliced jalapeños, or hot sauce.
- Since the cooking time can vary significantly depending on the size of your pork shoulder and whether it's boneless or bone-in, I recommend using a meat thermometer to know when your pork is ready to come out of the oven. The pork is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 205°F, since this is the point at which is will "fall off" of the bone and become incredibly tender. Don't stress about the exact timing too much, though -- it's hard to "overcook" a pork shoulder, since it just gets more and more tender as it roasts.
- How many minutes per pound do you cook a pork shoulder roast? If you are using a pork shoulder that's larger than 4-5 lbs., I recommend increasing the cooking time by 45 minutes per pound. Again, the meat thermometer is the best way to know when your pork is done.
- You do not need to cover the pork shoulder in the oven. You want the exterior to get nice and charred and crispy!
- 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.
Nutrition
Serving: 5.3oz cooked pork | Calories: 402.6kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 37.7g | Fat: 23.6g | Saturated Fat: 7.6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11.7g | Cholesterol: 133.9mg | Sodium: 691.6mg | Potassium: 514.7mg | Sugar: 2g