Pork Shoulder Picnic Roast Recipe [Crispy Skin & Slow Roasted] (2024)

FAQs

How do I get crispy skin on my picnic shoulder? ›

Starting the pork in a low oven breaks down tough connective tissue. Finishing the pork in high heat rapidly crisps up the skin.

Picnic Shoulder Versus Pork Shoulder

In short, not much. They are theoretically the same, with slight variations in how they are cut in different parts of the country. One can be substituted for the other in recipes without worry. Don't get too hung up on the confusing names of the meat.

For a Smaller Pork Shoulder Roast

Roast the pork for 20 minutes, then turn the heat down to 250°F and continue to cook for 4 to 7 hours until the middle of the roast registers 180°F on an internal thermometer, and as you slide the thermometer in you can feel that the meat is very tender throughout.

Not enough salt - use the full amount specified in the recipe to cover the pork belly rind when dry brining as this is what causes the crackling to puff up and become crispy when the salt reacts with the fat. You can mix it with some oil to help it coat the pork if you need to.

You're going to have to be cooking low and slow to build an awesome bark on your brisket, ribs or pork shoulder. Cooking at high temperatures is going to really make it hard, if not impossible to build a good layer of bark. Keep your grill around 225-degrees or lower for best results.

Preheat oven to 230°C, 210°C fan or Gas Mark 8. Put the joint in a roasting tin on the top shelf for 20 minutes. This sudden blast of heat is the key to crispy crackling. Reduce the temperature to 180-190°C, 160-170°C fan or Gas Mark 4-5 and follow the cooking times below to ensure the joint is cooked through.

A picnic roast also works well, but tends to be a little less flavorful and is leaner than the butt roast. You can make pulled pork with either a bone-in or boneless Boston butt or picnic shoulder, but we think the bone-in has more flavor even though it takes longer to cook.

Use the meat for stews, tacos, pulled pork sandwiches, mini quiches, empanadas, or as the centerpiece of a special meal, with sides of potatoes, vegetables, or casseroles.

Slow and steady wins the race when it comes to cooking pork shoulder. At a low temperature of 225 degrees Fahrenheit, it can take anywhere from 6 to 8 hours to cook a 5-pound pork shoulder until it reaches an internal temperature of 195 degrees Fahrenheit.

When smoking a pork butt at 250 degrees, you can plan to cook it for 90 minutes per pound. So an 8-pound pork shoulder is going to take about 12 hours so to smoke until its fall-apart tender reaches an internal temp of about 200 degrees.

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.

Cook the pork shoulder in a 275° F oven, or on the grill over indirect heat, until the internal temperature reaches 180° F to 190° F—about 6 hours. The meat should be very tender and easily pull away from the bone.

Place an oven-proof wire rack onto a baking tray and brush the rack with a little oil. Place the pork on top, skin side up and roast in the oven for 90 minutes. Then turn the heat up to 240°C/460°F and roast for a further 30-40 minutes or until the skin is super crispy.

Return the pork to the hotter oven to allow the skin to crisp, 35-45 minutes. If the skin hasn't completely transformed to crisp crackling, turn on the broiler and blast it for a further 10 minutes, keeping a close eye to make sure it doesn't burn.

The secret to achieving the pork crackle is dry skin, salt, and high heat. Also give yourself at least 24hrs for the best results. Use a rolled shoulder/neck or belly with all the skin still in tack. I find using these mentioned cuts yield the best results.

Heat the oven to a high temperature: 230C/210C fan/gas 8. Roast the pork for 15 mins to allow the heat to penetrate quickly. Turn the heat down to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and roast for another 1 hr 30 mins. If the crackling has not properly formed, turn the heat up again and check every 5 mins until the skin has crackled.

KEY STEPS: Use pork shoulder, dry skin, no need to score (but if it's already scored, that's ok), salt the skin evenly, slow roast low uncovered, keep the skin surface level using foil balls, and blast it for crispy skin!

Finally, sprinkle just a little bit of adobo onto the skin. This last hit of salt will help pull out any excess moisture, allowing the skin to really get crispy. Now put your pernil back in the 450 degree oven, uncovered and cook for 40 minutes. At then end of the 40 minutes, check to see if the skin is crispy.