This oven roasted Bone-in Pork Shoulder is fall apart tender after being cooked low and slow in the oven all day (or night). Seasoned with a tasty homemade spice blend, this recipe makes fork tender shredded pork that is perfect for tacos, pulled pork, enchiladas, and wraps!

pork shoulder on a serving plate being shredded with a fork.

There is nothing quite like a fall apart tender roast. And now you can make one yourself with this foolproof recipe. Cooking at a low temperature for a longer cook time is key for a moist, tender pork shoulder.

I purposely left the spice blend pretty neutral. This seasons the meat well, but allows you do use this recipe for whatever you'd like (and even repurpose any leftovers more easily!).

For more delicious roasts using different meats, try Slow Cooker Venison Roast and Sirloin Tip Roast in the Slow Cooker.

Ingredients

Bone in pork shoulder: This will generally have a large cap of fat/skin on top which is great for keeping the meat moist. It can also go by the name pork butt, boston butt, or picnic shoulder. You can use boneless if you prefer.
Spice blend: For this recipe, I used a blend of red pepper flakes, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and a bit of brown sugar.

How to roast a bone in pork shoulder in the oven

skin cap of pork shoulder sliced with a criss cross pattern.

Step 1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Remove pork shoulder from packaging and pat outside with paper towels to dry. Place meat in a roasting pan skin side up. Slice skin in a crisscross pattern, with 1 to 2 inches between slices. This will help the spices to penetrate the thick skin and flavor the meat.

Step 2. Combine ingredients for spice blend in a small bowl. Coat entire piece of pork with spice blend, pressing it into the meat as you go.

pork after it is finished roasting in the oven.

Step 3. Place in preheated oven and cook for approximately 10 hours or until meat is fork tender. Remove from oven and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

Step 4. Shred meat and serve.

Recipe tips

Keeping the fat side up/skin side up makes for more moist meat as the fat cooks down. If you prefer to have a crust on the meat itself, otherwise known as the bark, you can roast it the other way or flip it halfway through cooking.

The spice band I created for this recipe is a guide, feel free to adjust to do your own family’s tastes, heat levels, etc.

More pork recipes

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