Pork Picnic Roast

Roast Pork Butt — Photo:
Carson Downing / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Gabriel Greco

Active Time:

50 mins

Bake Time:

8 hrs

Chill Time:

12 hrs

Total Time:

21 hrs 10 mins

Yield:

12 servings

This juicy, tender roast is the perfect centerpiece to a hearty dinner. Use leftover roast pork to make roast pork sandwiches later in the week.

Frequently asked questions

What is a pork picnic roast?

Pork picnic roast is cut from the front shoulder. This is a cut of meat with a lot of flavor, but needs a long cooking time for the meat to be tender; plan on a long cooking time for best results.

How long does it take to cook a pork picnic roast?

Pork butt benefits from a long, slow cooking time, roasted for eight to ten hours as in this recipe, or braised, or cooked in a slow cooker.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

This roast is juicy and tender, plus slightly sweet-scented from the herbs and crispy-garlicky where the herb paste has roasted onto the pork. The pan sauce gets a thick gravy-like consistency, with a kick from the Dijon balanced by the shallot, butter, and rich pan drippings.

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Ingredients

Roast pork

1 [8- to 10-pound] rind-on pork picnic shoulder
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (from 1 [1/2-ounce] package)
2 tablespoons fresh sage
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (from 1 [1/2-ounce] package)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic (about 4 large cloves)
1 teaspoon black pepper
Fresh thyme leaves

Shallot pan sauce

2 teaspoons cornstarch
3 cups, plus 2 tablespoons vegetable stock, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped shallot (from 2 [2-ounce] shallots)
2 cups dry white wine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions

Prepare the Roast Pork

On a clean surface, pat pork dry with paper towels. Using a sharp knife, score skin 1/8-inch deep and 1/2-inch apart; set aside. Stir together mustard, oil, sugar, rosemary, sage, salt, thyme, garlic, and black pepper in a medium bowl until combined. (Herb mixture will form a paste.) Rub herb mixture evenly over pork. Place pork on a roasting rack fitted inside a large roasting pan, and refrigerate, uncovered, 12 to 16 hours.
Preheat oven to 250°F. Remove pork from refrigerator, and let stand at room temperature while oven preheats. Bake pork in preheated oven until a thermometer inserted into thickest portion of pork registers 180°F (sliceable) to 195°F (fall-apart), 8 to 10 hours. Remove pork from oven, and transfer rack and pork to a large, rimmed baking sheet, reserving drippings in roasting pan; tent pork with aluminum foil, and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

While pork is resting, prepare the Shallot Pan Sauce

Pour drippings from roasting pan through a fine mesh strainer into a small heatproof bowl. Reserve 2 tablespoons drippings; discard remaining drippings or store in an airtight container in refrigerator for another use. Set roasting pan aside until ready to use; do not wipe clean. Whisk together cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of the stock in a small bowl until combined; set aside until ready to use.
Place roasting pan over 2 burners; add reserved 2 tablespoons drippings to roasting pan, and heat over medium-high. Add shallots to drippings, and cook, stirring constantly, until softened and starting to crisp up on edges, about 2 minutes. Add wine, and cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon to scrape up browned bits on bottom of pan, until liquid is reduced by half, about 7 minutes. Add remaining 3 cups stock, and bring to a simmer over medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 2 cups, 7 to 8 minutes.
Reduce heat to a medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer; whisk in butter and mustard until combined. Whisk in cornstarch slurry until combined, and cook over medium-low, whisking occasionally, until sauce is thickened to desired consistency, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with a few grinds of black pepper, and pour into a sauceboat.
Slice or pull apart pork, and serve with Shallot Pan Sauce. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves.