A good roast with pork shoulder cooked in the oven, tender and flavorful thanks to the marinade, dry cooked in the oven, without liquids, in a couple of hours it’s perfectly done and ready to serve, a great idea for the Christmas or New Year’s lunch menu if it won’t be fish-based. I had bought this shoulder roast already tied in the net at the butcher’s, thinking and rethinking how to cook it, I finally decided to try a different cooking method than usual, especially because I thought it had a fat part, but in the end, it turned out to be a very lean cut, that looks like the classic loin, which I usually cook with some liquids so it doesn’t dry out too much. To prevent it from drying out, I marinated it first to enhance the flavor and then cooked it directly in the oven, starting with a slightly higher temperature to seal the meat on the outside, then lowered the temperature and brought the meat to about 160°F at the core, even 170°F if you want it a little more cooked, but better not to go beyond, or it might dry out too much. In the end, I was very satisfied with the recipe, and here I am sharing it with you, sure that it’s a valid alternative to cook it this way, quickly with direct cooking in the oven, without browning it first in a pan, but of course, small variations are always allowed, indeed it can also be browned in a pan, and a nice glass of fortified wine can be added for oven cooking, or even for the marinade itself. Let’s see how to prepare this delicious pork shoulder roast accompanied with delicious roasted potatoes.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for oven-baked pork shoulder roast
- 2.65 lbs pork shoulder
- to taste olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste oregano
- to taste pepper mix
- to taste rosemary
- to taste oregano
- to taste fennel seeds
- 4.41 lbs potatoes
- 2 cloves garlic
Tools to prepare the Christmas pork shoulder roast
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 Brush
- 1 Baking dish
- 1 Baking sheet
- 1 Thermometer
- 1 Parchment paper
- 1 Peeler
- 1 Knife
- 1 Bowl
Steps for preparing oven-baked pork shoulder roast
If we don’t have the roast already tied, we tie it with string. Mine was already in a net, ready to be seasoned and prepared. We massage it a little to give it the right shape.
In a small bowl, we put some olive oil, add ground salt and pepper, crumbled dried oregano, chopped rosemary, and finally fennel seeds rubbed a bit between your hands to release all the aroma. If you want, you can add a little wine or liquor, like whiskey.
Put the meat in the baking dish, brush it all over with a brush. Let it marinate at room temperature for a couple of hours.
Preheat the oven to 390°F static. Add 2 cloves of garlic in the pan, with the skin on, and bake. Cook at 390°F for 20 minutes, then lower to 350°F and continue for a couple of hours, checking the cooking with a kitchen thermometer now and then, we need to bring the core to at least 160°F, not exceeding 170°F.
We also prepare roasted potatoes, peel them, wash them, and season them in a bowl with oil, salt, rosemary, and ground pepper. Mix and place on the baking sheet with parchment paper, and bake for about 30 minutes at 480°F in a ventilated oven. If we want to cook them simultaneously with the roast, we need to set the oven to a ventilated mode, keep the temperature at 390°F, and cook them a bit longer, placing the roast on the lower part, and the potatoes above, so we put them in about 45 minutes before the end of the roast’s cooking. Always check the cooking as you go.
Let the roast rest a bit, covered with aluminum foil, before slicing it and serving it hot with freshly baked potatoes.
It can also be accompanied with a sauce if you don’t like meat without sauce, you can create it with the cooking juices, adding a bit of thickener, oil, and water, and make a sauce in a small pot.
It can be stored in the fridge if there’s any left over, it is great eaten cold, perhaps with some tuna sauce, or it can be quickly reheated in the microwave or in a pan, perhaps with some sauce, so it doesn’t dry out too much.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can it be marinated the night before?
Yes, it can be marinated the night before and left to marinate in the fridge
