This easy oven roasted pork butt with garlic and herbs makes a delicious meal for a special occasion, parties, and it’s also great for meal prep. In this recipe, we slow roast a large pork roast with fresh rosemary, thyme, parsley, and lots of garlic.
This pork recipe feeds a lot of people. It is tailored for a large, bone-in roast. For a smaller, boneless pork shoulder roast try our slow-roasted pork shoulder recipe. It is an easy recipe where a smaller cut of pork is also cooked at a low temperature until fall-apart tender.
A pork butt roast, also called Boston butt pork roast comes from the upper portion of the pig’s shoulder. This cut is best suited for slow-roasting, braising, or smoking because it has lots of connective tissue and fat marbling that needs a long, slow cooking time to break it down.
The lower portion of the shoulder is called the picnic shoulder. This Cuban roast pork is my favorite picnic roast recipe. It’s made with a large bone-in pork shoulder that is marinated overnight with a homemade mojo.
Ingredients
- Pork – Large bone-in pork butt (Boston butt) anywhere from 6-9 pounds will work for this recipe.
- Herbs and spices – Fresh garlic, rosemary, thyme, parsley, salt, and pepper are used to add flavor.
- Oil – Use oil with a high smoke point because the meat goes in the oven at a high temperature (425°F). We use canola oil because of its smoke point and because it is flavorless.
- See the recipe card for quantities and preparation.
Instructions
Add the garlic, oil, rosemary, thyme, parsley, 1 tablespoon of salt, and pepper to a small bowl. Stir well to combine.
Place the pork butt in a large, rimmed roasting pan or dish. You can use a roasting rack if desired, but I like the meat to sit in the rendered drippings while it cooks.
Rub the roast all over with the prepared garlic herb mixture. Then, turn it over so that the fat cap is down. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour (or up to 24 hours).
- Remove the pork from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature to get the chill out of the meat and roasting pan/dish. Uncover and sprinkle the top with 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Set the oven rack to the bottom third of the oven (usually two positions from the bottom). Then preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Roast the pork at this high temperature for 30 minutes.
- Then drop the temperature to 300°F. and continue cooking for 6-7 hours until the internal temperature is at least 180°F-190°F (use a meat thermometer to make sure) and it is very tender.
- Check the top of the roast after 4-5 hours. If it is browned and caramelized to your liking place a piece of aluminum foil on top. Make the piece roughly the size of the pan and do not wrap it. Just place it on top.
Serving instructions
Transfer the roast to a rimmed platter or sheet pan. You can try to transfer it whole, although it will be very tender and might fall apart. We used a spatula to loosen the bottom and sides to make sure it wasn’t sticking to the baking dish. Then we used two spatulas to lift and support the pork while we transferred it to the platter. Serve with your favorite side dishes and enjoy!
Storing instructions
Store leftover pork in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To freeze the pork let it cool and place it in a freezer-safe container or zip top bag. Freeze for 2-3 months.
For more information on food storage and safety guidelines visit U.S. Department of Agriculture and foodsafety.gov.
Top recipe tips and notes
- Let the chill come out of the roasting pan or baking dish before placing it in the preheated oven. Especially if you are using glass, ceramic, or stoneware. Some cookware does not do well with extreme temperature changes.
- Avoid opening the oven if possible so the temperature stays constant. If you want to peek in, use the oven light instead of opening the door.
- Check the top of the roast after 4-5 hours. If it is browned and caramelized to your liking place a piece of aluminum foil on top. Make the piece roughly the size of the pan and do not wrap it. Just place it on top.
Frequently asked questions
You can do it either way. We prefer to place the fat cap down so the top develops a nice crust.
Yes, it will. If your roast is 5-6 pounds the initial and subsequent oven temperature will remain the same. You might need a little less oil (4-5 tablespoons) and you can keep the herbs the same. The cooking time will still be around 6 hours. Ensure the pork butt is at least 180°F-190°F in the center of the largest part of the roast and very tender.
The roast is started at a higher temperature to encourage browning and to heat the meat up quickly. Then the temperature is lowered to allow the roast to cook slowly and give time for connective tissue to break down.
One final note
If you are wondering what to do with so much leftover roast pork butt, may we suggest a variety of delicious pork sandwiches like a pan con lechon, the classic Cuban sandwich, or a midnight sandwich. You can also pull the pork, combine it with your favorite barbecue sauce to make pulled pork sandwiches. Whatever you decide you’ll have a meal the whole family will enjoy.
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📖 Recipe
Easy Oven Roasted Pork Butt with Garlic and Herbs
Ingredients
- 7-8 pound Pork Butt also called Boston butt, bone-in and we leave the fat cap on, but you can trim some, or all of it if desired
- 5-6 Large Garlic Cloves chopped (don’t chop them too fine because smaller pieces will burn quickly)
- 6 tablespoons Oil use a neutral oil with a high smoke point – we use canola oil
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Rosemary thick stems removed and chopped
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Thyme thick stems removed and chopped
- 2 tablespoons Fresh Parsley thick stems removed and chopped
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Salt we use Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
- Add the garlic, oil, rosemary, thyme, parsley, 1 tablespoon of salt, and pepper to a small bowl. Stir well to combine.
- Place the pork butt in a large, rimmed roasting pan or dish. You can use a roasting rack if desired, but I like the meat to sit in the rendered drippings while it cooks.
- Rub the roast all over with the prepared garlic herb mixture. Then, turn it over so that the fat cap is down. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour (or up to 24 hours).
- Remove the pork from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature to get the chill out of the meat and roasting pan/dish (see notes). Uncover and sprinkle the top with 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Set the oven rack to the bottom third of the oven (usually two positions from the bottom). Then preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Roast the pork for 30 minutes.
- Then drop the temperature to 300°F. and continue cooking for 6-7 hours until the internal temperature is at least 180°F-190°F and it is very tender.
- Check the top of the roast after 4-5 hours. If it is browned and caramelized to your liking place a piece of aluminum foil on top. Make the piece roughly the size of the pan and do not wrap it. Just place it on top.
Serving
- Transfer the roast to a rimmed platter or sheet pan. You can try to transfer it whole, although it will be very tender and might fall apart. We used a spatula to loosen the bottom and sides to make sure it wasn’t sticking to the baking dish. Then we used two spatulas to lift and support the pork while we transferred it to the platter.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate. This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.
Emily Theilig
Could I make this in an electric roaster oven? If so, would I need to do anything different with it?
Elizabeth Rodriguez
I've never used an electric roaster so I can't offer any guidance. Check the product/brand's website, you may find a cooking guide. Good luck!
Shelley
This sounds delicious, but
Urgent Question: Do you roast it with the fat cap on top or on the bottom?
Elizabeth Rodriguez
Hi Shelley, Fat cap down.
Andrea
Do you add water or something to the pan when cooking?
Elizabeth Rodriguez
No. Since I'm not using a roasting rack I do not add water. The meat is placed in the baking dish. The liquid you see in the casserole dish are drippings.
Virginia
Can I use a boneless pork butt? Should I do anything different?
Elizabeth Rodriguez
Yes you can. If it has a slit, tie the roast with kitchen twine to create a uniform shape.
Kevin P BARTON
I was looking for different Pork Butt recipes to cook a small boneless one I had in freezer.
Found yours, looked fantastic! Was night time and did not have all ingredients at hand. I remembered my wife had made a big batch of recaito to use up some culantro we had grown and froze some. So I used that in place. I followed your excellent guidance in roasting it and it was delicious!
Thank you!
Followed excellent guidance from you and
Renee Heckendorf Witte
Fantastic way to use the herbs in my garden! So very good!
Brenda E.
I made it a couple of weeks ago and it came out perfect. Falling apart, but not mushy. Much better than the crockpot version and not much more trouble, just have to be around most of the day. Pork roasts are on sale at my local grocery store so still affordable. And my family of 4 adults got 3 meals out of it. Hence, I am making this again today.