Best Damn Oven Roasted Pork Butt

This Best Damn Pork Butt Roast gives you tender, juicy slices of pork with a crusty, flavorful outside, using nothing but a simple brown sugar rub, your oven, and a roasting pan. No smoker and no searing. It’s an inexpensive cut that slices up like a much fancier roast.

The Keys to Tender, Sliceable Pork Butt

This is a very forgiving recipe, but three things make the difference between tough pork and tender slices:

1. Cook to 185°F, not the clock — Pork butt doesn’t get tender until it passes about 180°F. Use an instant-read thermometer and pull it at 185°F, whatever the timer says.
2. Stick with a 3 to 4 lb roast — Bigger roasts take much longer, and the outside dries out before the center is ready. Save the big ones for pulled pork.
3. Rest it at least 15 minutes — If you slice it right away, the juices end up on the cutting board instead of in the meat.

What is a Pork Butt Roast?

Pork butt, also called Boston butt, despite the name, is not from a pig’s rear end. It comes from the thicker upper part of the shoulder, and it has a lot of fat marbling. That fat melts as it roasts, which keeps the meat juicy through a long cook.

You’ll see it labeled a few different ways: pork butt, Boston butt, pork shoulder, or pork shoulder butt roast. Picnic roast comes from the lower part of the same shoulder. For this recipe, look for a 3 to 4 lb boneless roast. Many of them come wrapped in netting to hold their shape.

Sliced or Pulled? Check the Temperature

The same cut can give you neat slices or tender shredded pork. What decides it is how far you take the internal temperature.

For slices, pull it at 185°F. The fat and connective tissue have broken down enough to make it tender, but the meat still holds together when you cut it. Up to about 190°F, it’ll still slice. Past that, it starts to fall apart, and most pulled pork is cooked closer to 200°F.

That’s also why this recipe roasts at 350°F. It builds a nice crust on the outside and gets the roast to slicing temperature in about an hour per pound. Low-and-slow cooking at 225°F or 250°F works great too, but it’s better suited to shredding.

How to Make Pork Butt Roast

This one is mostly hands-off. You’ll spend about 10 minutes on prep, and then the oven does the rest while you keep an eye on the thermometer.

Step 1: Prep the Roast

If your roast came in netting, gently cut it away. Pat the roast dry with paper towels so the rub sticks and the outside browns better.

If there’s a thick fat cap, trim it down to about ¼ inch. Don’t take it all off, though. That fat melts into the meat as it roasts and adds a lot of juiciness and flavor.

Step 2: Mix the Rub

In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, kosher salt, onion powder, garlic powder, ground mustard, paprika, black pepper, and cayenne. 

It’s all simple pantry stuff, and you probably have most of it already. The little bit of cayenne adds a gentle kick without making it spicy.

Step 3: Season the Roast

Sprinkle the rub all over the roast and massage it in well, pressing it into every side. Use all of it.

For extra flavor, seal the seasoned roast in a large zip-top bag and refrigerate it overnight. The rub works like a dry marinade and gets deeper into the meat. It’s optional, though. The roast is still great if you season it and go straight to the oven.

Step 4: Roast Fat Side Up at 350°F

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Set the roast on the rack of a roasting pan with the fat side up. As the fat melts, it bastes the meat from the top. The rack lets hot air reach all sides, so it roasts evenly, and the pan below catches the drippings.

✦ No roasting pan? Make a foil rack. Roll a few pieces of aluminum foil into ropes, set them in a large baking dish, and put the roast on top.

✦ Leave it uncovered. Covering it traps steam, and you won’t get that crusty outside.

Plan on about an hour per pound, so roughly 3 to 4 hours for a 3 to 4 lb roast. Treat that as a guide for when to start, not when to pull it.

Step 5: Check the Temperature

Start checking the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer as you get close to the 3-hour mark. Push it into the thickest part of the roast, away from any bone or big pockets of fat.

✦ Don’t stop at 145°F. Pork is safe to eat at 145°F, but a pork butt will be tough at that point. Keep going until it hits 185°F.

If it’s taking longer than expected, don’t worry. Pork butt is very forgiving. Just give it more time and keep checking.

Step 6: Rest and Slice

Take the pan out of the oven and let the roast rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting into it. This gives the juices time to settle back into the meat.

Move it to a cutting board and slice it about ¼ inch thick. Some of the edges may shred a bit, but that’s fine. You’ll have a nice dark crust on the outside, with tender, juicy meat inside.

✦ Done early? Wrap it in foil and towels. If the roast hits 185°F before you’re ready to eat, wrap it in foil, then in a couple of clean kitchen towels. It’ll stay hot for about an hour.

What to Serve Alongside

Roasted pork goes with just about any side dish, so there are really no wrong answers. These are the classics I keep coming back to:

• Mac and cheese: It’s a Southern BBQ staple, and my Instant Pot Mac and Cheese is ready while the roast rests.
• Coleslaw: The cool crunch of Country Creamy Coleslaw is a great contrast to the rich pork.
• Cornbread: Oh my goodness I LOVE cornbread with any BBQ or pork dish. Skillet Cornbread is a homemade classic.
• Applesauce: For more of a Sunday dinner feel, my Homemade Instant Pot Applesauce is an old-school pairing that works really well with pork roast.

✦ Save the pan drippings. Skim off some of the fat and spoon the drippings over the slices for extra flavor.

✦ Add BBQ sauce after slicing. Serve it on the side or brush some on the slices. The sugar in most BBQ sauces burns during a long roast, and the dry rub already seasons the meat.

Storage, Reheating & Leftovers

Cooling: Let leftover pork cool, then store it within 2 hours of cooking.

Fridge: Keep the slices in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days. Pour a little of the pan juices over them to help keep them moist.

Freezer: Freeze slices in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 2 to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Reheating: Place the slices in a shallow baking dish, add a splash of water or broth, cover with foil, and warm in a 250°F oven for about 15 minutes. You can also use the microwave. Just add a little liquid and cover the dish so the pork doesn’t dry out.

Leftover ideas: Leftover pork makes great sandwiches on a hearty bun with BBQ sauce and a scoop of coleslaw. Chopped pork is also really good tossed into Fried Rice, or warmed up and tucked into tortillas like Pork Tacos.

FAQs

More Hearty Pork Dinners

• Instant Pot Pulled Pork
• Herb Crusted Pork Loin
• Crusted Pork Loin Roast
• Cranberry Balsamic Pork Loin Roast
• Slow Cooker Balsamic Pork Roast
• Smothered Pork Tenderloin