Boston Butt Pork Roast Recipes

Cook this pork at home.

A simply delicious piece of pork that lends itself to various cooking techniques. Boston Butt is a cut of pork that comes from the upper part of the shoulder from the front leg and may contain the bone. Smoked or barbecued Boston butt is often found at cook-outs and barbecues.

Loaded with flavor, inexpensive and with a delightful stringy texture, the cut called "Boston butt" makes delicious pulled pork sandwiches. You can cook the meat in an outdoor smoker, on a grill, or in your oven. After eating pulled pork, you will start to experiment with different recipes. Try beginning with a dry rub and let the butt slow roast for several hours, 'low and slow'. After pulling and shredding the succulent meat, it is then heaped onto soft rolls. Many people like to pile on creamy cole slaw, utlilize a simple vinegar, or tomato-based barbecue sauce to finish off the flavors. Umm, umm.

Boston Butt Pork Shoulder

It is the top portion of the front leg of the hog. The terminology for pork shoulder can vary widely depending on the region. However, the lower ‘arm’ portion of the shoulder is most commonly called the arm picnic. The upper part of the shoulder, often called the Boston blade roast (also known as Boston- style butt), comes from the area near the loin and contains the shoulder blade bone. The Boston blade roast is a well-marbled cut. This versatile cut can be pot-roasted whole, cut up for stews or cooked over moist smoke in a smoker to transform it into classic pulled pork barbecue. Whether it is roasted, braised or barbecued, Boston blade roast becomes meltingly tender and deliciously flavorful. The Boston blade roast is available bone-in, averaging six to nine pounds, or boneless, which averages four to seven pounds. Pork shoulder also is often ground for use in making ground pork.

Caribbean Style Roast Pork Shoulder
4 – 5 pound bone-in pork shoulder
1 medium onion, thickly sliced
1 head of garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons oregano
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper corns
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoons lard or oil
Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 bitter orange

Cooking directions:

Using a sharp knife make several shallow cuts (about 1/2-inch deep) in the pork, place in a glass or ceramic roasting pan. Spread the onion slices on the bottom of the pan. Place the rest of the ingredients a in a food processor or blender and process to make a paste. Rub the pork with the mixture on all sides, making sure it goes into the cuts. Place pork on top of the onions. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 4 hours, turning once, leaving the fat side up for cooking. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the pork in the middle rack of the oven. After 30 minutes turn down the temperature to 325 degrees and cook an additional 2 hours, basting every 30 minutes or so with its own juices. Cook 30 minutes per pound total, or until the internal temperature as measured with a meat thermometer is 150 degrees F. Remove from the oven and allow to rest 15 minutes before carving. Serves approx 8-10.