These 16 superb pork butt recipes cover all the basics for this scrumptious cut of meat. Smoked, roasted, braised, and stewed. Tacos, tinga, posole, and ramen. Seriously, it’s all here, and it’s all delicious.
I’m a sucker for pork butt recipes. Our freezer is filled with a bunch of shoulders (another name for the cut), because we serve it year-round.
In the summer, The One and I take to the great outdoors (well, to the limits of our backyard) and the grill and smoker. There’s nothing like slowly-smoked pork. Tacos, anyone?
Autumn is all about braised pork butt recipes, our favorite being carnitas.
Winter and spring are when we make casseroles, soups, and the delicious pork tinga below.
These sweet 16 recipes will have you lapping up supremely-succulent, deeply-flavored pork dishes every month of the year.
xo,
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
This slow cooker pulled pork is easy to make with pork shoulder, aka pork butt, onion, beer, sugar, and spices, and it capably feeds a crowd. (Just be certain to stash some in the back of the fridge so you have leftovers.)
Just learning to get over my fear of new recipes and broke out the slow cooker for its first run. This slow cooker pulled pork recipe was not only easy but absolutely delicious. I froze a good chunk of the pork afterward and took out some for pulled pork and egg breakfast sandwiches. 10/10, so glad you shared this.–Jesse
Roast Pork Butt
This roast pork butt, coated in a simple rub of brown sugar, paprika, cumin, and red pepper flakes, is an easy recipe to make and yields enough pulled pork to feed a small army. Perfect for Super Bowl, weekend bashes, and weeknight dinners.
This roast pork butt recipe is THE perfect recipe for slow-cooked, fall-apart tender, crispy flavourful bark with a pork butt. Search no more. You have found the recipe you were looking for.
So unbelievably easy and really hard to make a mistake. Definitely make sure you have that meat thermometer.–Bree
Pork Casserole with Apples and Cider
This pork casserole with apples and cider, made with slow-cooked pork shoulder that’s gently braised in a cider gravy with apples and mustard, is autumn comfort food at its finest.
Smoked Pork Shoulder
When slow-smoking a pork shoulder, you should figure 1 1/2 hours per pound of pork. A 10-pound, bone-in pork shoulder takes a long time to cook, but for the majority of that time it is in the smoker. You can get it started right after breakfast and have it ready in time for dinner.
This smoked pork shoulder was absolutely mouth-watering, tender, and easy. Five stars without a doubt.–LaBorde
Pork Tinga
Pork tinga, an authentic Mexican dish, is a slowly simmered pork stew made with roasted tomatoes, chipotle chiles, chorizo, and onions. When topped with avocado, sour cream, cilantro, queso fresco, and lime, it’s comfort food at its finest.
Pork Tacos
These pork tacos, made with pork, beer, spices, and soft tortillas, are wicked tender and almost like tacos al pastor. Slather, bite, repeat.
I tried the crockpot version of these pork tacos, and it was fantastic. Not to mention really easy to throw together. We ate our shredded pork over brown rice with guacamole on top. There was really no need to add anything else.
The pork was very flavorful and moist. I will definitely be making this again…and again…and possibly again.–Jesica
Pulled Pork Sandwiches
As American as apple pie—and, if hashtags can be trusted, far trendier. It’s not hard to understand why. Knee-wobblingly tender and rich pulled pork collide with cool, crisp, tangy coleslaw to terrific effect.
Quick Posole with Pork
This quick posole is an easy one-pot meal made with pork shoulder, hominy, onion, stock, spices, and all your fave toppings, that can be made in the pressure cooker or slow cooker.
Carnitas ~ Mexican Braised Pork
This old-school carnitas–pork shoulder simmered with onion, garlic, bay leaf, and orange until falling-apart tender and crispy–is excellent in burritos, tacos, or on its own. And it can be made in an Instant Pot or slow cooker.
This recipe is how I found my way to this food blog. I had never cooked carnitas before, and I was VERY skeptical. I have tried it all the ways, and it always comes out spectacular!! Texan friends were enamored!–Amy C.
Chashu Pork Ramen
This chashu pork ramen will rival your local take-away spot for flavor and comfort levels. The gorgeous braising liquid is used as broth to take advantage of all the sumptuous flavors.
Pulled Pork Tacos
These pulled pork tacos with apple-serrano slaw are made with shredded pork cooked with a blend of Indian spices. Taco Tuesday just got a whole heck of a lot more interesting.
Roast Pork, Potatoes and Pears
This roast pork, potatoes, and pears is a simple German dinner casserole made with pork shoulder, Yukon gold potatoes, and pears.
I just took this recipe on a test run for a potential Christmas Eve dish, and it’s earned the coveted spot! Not only is it indecently delicious, but my house also smells like Christmas. And you can get the family into the kitchen to help create the “shoe.” Thanks for another winner, Leite’s!–Kristen K.
Instant Pot Pork Stew with Hominy
This Instant Pot pork stew with hominy has that tender cooked-all-day comfort vibe, except it’s ready in just a little more than an hour. You’re welcome.
Wine-Braised Pork Shoulder
This braised pork with red wine is an easy, set-it-and-forget-it one-pot meal. Made with meltingly tender shredded pork shoulder, red onions, and a rich red wine and herb sauce, it boasts French overtones but without any fussiness.
This is absolutely one of my favorite recipes on the site. I made it on the weekend and was again surprised by just how good it is. Everyone who got a taste agreed AND they were actually pretty stunned when I told them how easy it is.
Honestly–it’s perfection. Serve it with brown butter garlic mashed potatoes for a divine dinner.–Jenny L.
New Mexican Red Pork Chili
This New Mexican red pork chili is made in the slow cooker using cubed pork butt, chili powder, broth, chipotle chiles, coffee, raisins, and cilantro. It’s easy, set-it-and-forget-it comfort food.
Pork Butt FAQs
Pork butt and pork shoulder both come from the shoulder of the pig and can be used interchangeably.
Despite the name, pork butt does not come from the rear end of the pig. Pork butt is often also sold as “Boston butt” and was given its name because inexpensive cuts of meat, such as pork shoulder, were originally transported in large barrels called butts.
Low and slow. Pork butt is a relatively fatty cut of meat and needs a long, slow cooking time in order to break down the connective tissue and render soft, shreddable meat. You’ll know it’s ready when it can be easily pulled apart with a fork.
Pork shoulder should be cooked to an internal temperature of 195°F to 200°F (90°C to 96°C) for best results. This may seem counterintuitive since pork is normally only cooked to 145°F (63°C) in order to stay moist and tender, but a higher internal temperature is needed for pork shoulder recipes in order for the fatty tissue and collagen to break down.
Nope. You can, and it’ll impart additional flavor to the meat, but pork shoulder is naturally very flavorful, and you can achieve excellent results by simply seasoning it with salt and pepper and roasting the pork butt in the oven.
Definitely. We highly recommend portioning out cooled shredded pulled pork into meal-size portions, stashing them in resealable bags, and tossing them into the freezer. They’ll be good for at least 3 months.
It’s obvious from our large collection of pork and ham recipes that we love our pork, particularly meltingly tender, shredded pork shoulder. It’s incredibly easy to cook, making it perfect for a newbie home cook, it feeds plenty (hello, leftovers!), and it’s incredibly forgiving and hard to overcook.
Last but not least . . .
- In a cast-iron pan or griddle set over medium heat, melt the butter.
- Place the bun halves, cut side up, in the skillet. Place 1 cheese slice on each bun half. Top the bottom bun half with the pulled pork. Using a spatula, place the top bun half, cheese side down, on the other side that’s topped with pulled pork.
Cook, turning occasionally and gently pressing the sandwich with the spatula, until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
- Serve immediately. Don’t forget the napkins.
Serving: 1 portionCalories: 583 kcalCarbohydrates: 43 gProtein: 26 gFat: 35 gSaturated Fat: 18 gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2 gMonounsaturated Fat: 7 gTrans Fat: 1 gCholesterol: 121 mgSodium: 1587 mgPotassium: 110 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 21 gVitamin A: 917 IUVitamin C: 3 mgCalcium: 559 mgIron: 3 mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
All rights reserved.
Share
Print
