Top 10 Pork Shoulder Recipes - The Seasoned Mom (2024)

FAQs

Which is the best cooking method for a pork shoulder? ›

Pork shoulder benefits from long, slow cooking that tenderizes the meat and melts the fat. The best cooking methods for pork shoulder are braising or stewing, but it may also be fried, baked, or made into ground pork.

This could be your favorite pork shoulder rub, or you can always make your own. A simple blend of garlic powder, salt, and pepper will do the trick just fine. Moist and cold meat absorbs more smoke, so after your meat is seasoned, refrigerate it until you're ready for the smoker.

Unlike the more lean tenderloin and chops, pork shoulder is an incredibly forgiving cut of meat. It becomes more tender as it cooks and benefits from a lengthy cook time, so even if it stays on the heat a few minutes too long, you won't suddenly end up with something dry or rubbery.

Pour 1 1/2 cups liquid, such as low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth, tomato juice, light or amber beer, white or red wine, orange juice, or a mix of several liquids (and optional liquid smoke) over the pork. The pork should be only partially submerged, with some of the pork remaining above the surface of the liquid.

Sear it good. This is an optional step, but if you have the time, adds a lot of flavor. Heat a little oil in a large skillet or your Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the pork heavily on all sides until golden brown.

Set the meat on a rack set into a roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 325 degrees F. Continue to cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the shoulder reads 185 degrees F, about 4 hours.

When it comes to pork, the rich umami flavour of garlic works very well. You can use fresh garlic, garlic flakes or garlic powder, depending on the recipe. A no-nonsense seasoning requires a no-nonsense recipe, so, if you're fancying garlic and pork, try our Mexican Pork With Garlic And Kidney Beans.

Pull the pork from the fridge to take the chill off while you chop a few onions and smash garlic cloves. Transfer everything to a large slow cooker and add a splash of liquid — water is great, but so is broth, apple juice, or beer if you have them handy.

The tough cuts of pork, like pork butt and shoulder, can greatly benefit from a marinade to break down the connective tissues and help make the meat easier to chew. Other tough cuts, like ham hocks and pigs feet, usually work best in a soup or stew as a flavoring agent.

The USDA recommends that pork is cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F (62.8°C) for food safety. But every griller worth their salt knows that cuts rich in collagen, like pork butt, need to be brought to much higher temperatures (195-205°F [91-96°C]) to properly break down the connective tissues.

Do you take fat off pork shoulder before slow cooking? ›

Don't Trim the Fat

Worgul recommends placing the pork in the slow-cooker fat side up. The fat will render thoroughly during the cooking process and by placing the meat fat side up, it makes it much easier to remove excess fat before serving. "The cooker will be nearly filled with fat and liquid after hours of cooking.

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.

No matter the cooking method, the key to delicious, flavorful Texas-style pulled pork is a delicious pepper-forward rub with coarse salt and black pepper. These coarse spices really stick to the pork and give it that signature Texas dry rub flavor.

Personally, I think that pork benefits best from both marinating and brining. Think of it as two separate techniques; the injection moistens and flavors the deep muscle tissue, while the marinade adds flavor to the exterior of the meat, and to the skin.

Pork shoulder and ribs should be cooked for a long time at a temperature at or below 275°F until the meat is tender. For this reason, these cuts are often used in slow-cooker recipes because the slow cooker gently cooks the meat at a lower temperature for hours at a time.

Slow cooking the meat means it never has the chance to toughen up and will be extra silky and tender. Pressure cooking is faster, though you may lose a little bit of the tenderness. If you're going for the pressure cook method, be sure to get a pork shoulder or pork butt, as opposed to a pork loin.

Try brine: Choose a wet marinade rather than a dry one. Dry rubs may work fine but brine or a wet rub will add that extra moisture along with the flavor that will penetrate deep inside the meat. Keep a spray bottle handy: Keep spraying the meat during smoking or reheating to replace the lost moisture.

Since pork butt has more fat marbling throughout the meat and a more uniform shape, it's the best cut for stewing and braising as well as for making fall-apart-tender pulled pork for a barbecue or for tacos. If a recipe calls for a choice between pork shoulder and pork butt, we highly recommend choosing pork butt.

Pork shoulder (also known as Boston Butt) is the most popular cut for pulled pork and rightly so as it produces the best result. However pork collar, also known as pork neck, works well too. Collars are smaller than shoulders so if time is an issue grab a collar instead.