Rotisserie Pork Shoulder Roast
This recipe is a happy accident; I meant to bring you a pork loin roast today, but I confused my wife* by asking for a “blade end” pork loin roast; she brought home a blade shoulder roast instead.
1
*If you’re looking for a rotisserie pork loin recipe, click here.
Pork shoulder (often called “boston butt”, or in this case ” blade shoulder”) is my favorite cut from the pig, so I wasn’t very upset about this mistake. Pork shoulder, unlike the very lean pork loin, has a lot of fat in it. This helps it cook up nice and juicy, even when you cook it well done. And you must cook it to well done – there’s a lot of connective tissue in there with the fat. If you don’t cook it enough, that connective tissue makes this a very tough cut of meat. But…if you get the connective tissue to melt (by cooking to AT LEAST 180*F), the result is tender, melt in your mouth porky goodness.
The rotisserie adds a crispiness to the outside of the roast that…well, Diane put it best while we were eating:
“Oh, my. This is soooooo good. It’s like bacon on the outside, and juicy on the inside.”
Recipe: Rotisserie Pork Shoulder Roast
Equipment
- Grill with Rotisserie attachment (I use a Weber Summit with an infrared rotisserie burner. Here is the current version of my grill.)
- Aluminum foil drip pan (9“x13”, or whatever fits your grill. I use an enameled steel roasting pan.)
- Butchers twine
- Instant Read Thermometer
Rotisserie Pork Shoulder Roast
Prep Time: 15 minutes- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Yield: 8-12
Category: Rotisserie
Cuisine: American
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Rotisserie Pork Shouder, brined, then spit-roast on the rotisserie. Crispy on the outside, tender and shreddable on the inside.
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb Boneless Pork Shoulder Roast, trimmed of any excess fat
Brine
- 3 quarts water
- 3/4 cup table salt (1.5 cups kosher salt)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
Rub
- 1 teaspoon whole coriander seed
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest or dried lemon peel
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Brine the pork: In a large container, stir the salt and sugar into the water until dissolved. Add the pork and refrigerate for 3-8 hours.
- Prepare and rest the roast: One hour before cooking, mix the rub ingredients in a small bowl. Remove the pork from the brine, and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the rub evenly over the entire roast, working it into any nooks, crannies, and seams you can find. Truss the roast with butcher’s twine, tying it every inch and a half into a tight cylinder shape. Skewer the roast on the spit through the center of the roast, then let it rest at room temperature.
- Prepare the grill: Set your grill up for rotisserie cooking at medium heat (350°F). For my Weber Summit, I preheat my grill for 15 minutes with all the burners on high. Then I turn off all the burners except for the two outer burners (burners 1 and 6), light the infrared burner, and turn it to medium. I put my drip pan in the middle of the grill, over the unlit burners.
- 4. Cook the roast Put the spit on the rotisserie, and cook with the lid closed. Cook the pork roast until it reaches 185*F to 190*F in the thickest part of the meat. This should take about 1 1/2 hours; assume about 25 minutes per pound of meat. (If you are using an infrared rotisserie burner, turn it off after the roast is browning nicely, about 45 minutes, and let the burners in the body of the grill finish the cooking.)
- Rest, carve and serve: Remove the spit from the grill and cut the twine away from the roast. Rest the roast for 15 minutes, then slice into 1/2″ thick slices. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Sometimes, boneless pork shoulder roasts are hard to find at my local grocery. That’s no big deal; I cut the bone out before cooking. It gives me more nooks and crannies to get the rub into before I truss it up.
- Again, this is not the time to go for medium-rare, slightly pink pork. The connective tissue in the shoulder will make it jaw-achingly tough. Cook it to well done and beyond. In fact, you’d have a hard time overcooking this roast. If you have any questions about “is it done?” you should err on the side of cooking it more.
Questions? Comments? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Click here for my Rotisserie Pork Shoulder, Char Siu style
Inspired by:
Luck of the draw at Acme Grocery
Steven Raichlen’s The Barbecue! Bible
 Check out my cookbook, Rotisserie Grilling. |
Everything you could ask about the rotisserie,
plus 50 (mostly) new recipes to get you cooking.
It’s a Kindle e-book, so you can download it and start reading immediately!
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Thank you for this recipe, I am going to try it on Friday.
Hey Mike! Do you have trouble keeping your grill hot in the winter?
Hi, Chantal!
No, I don’t really have any problems with keeping my grill hot in the winter. The Weber grills I have do a good job of holding in the heat. They probably get up to temperature a little slower, but once they’re at temperature, they’re fine. My gas grill is a monster – I’ve used it in single digit weather without any problems.
The only thing that seems to slow it down is high wind, which knocks the heat down a little. In that case, if I’m cooking at, say, medium, I increase the burner temp to medium-high to make up for it.
One more thing about grilling in the winter – the key is to keep the lid closed unless absolutely necessary.
As I said, my grills do a good job of holding in the heat, but if I leave the lid open too long the heat escapes, and they have to build it up again.
Mike, The rotisserie pork shoulder roast turned out spectacularly – exceeded expectations. I am a newbie to rotisserie bbq and have not previously had good experience with roast pork; perhaps I have not cooked them hot enough to break down the connective tissue. In any case I took this one to 188 degrees and the family loved it.
Yes it is the wind, not outside temperature that makes it hard to hold bbq temp. Blustery day today forced me to keep an extra burner on.
John
@John T:
Great! I’m glad to hear it worked well for you. This recipe is probably my favorite one that I developed for the blog – I just love the pork roast you get from it.
Tried your Pork Shoulder recipe tonight, and the family loved it. Just found your site while looking for a way to do Carnitas. Thanks. I will be trying more of your ideas. – Harry
@Harry Miller:
Thank you.
I’d suggest the rotisserie Cornish game hens, or maybe the baby back ribs next.
Good luck!
@Philippides:
High heat – in my case, I get that with a Weber charcoal chimney full of coals, about 5 quarts of charcoal, split into two piles with a drip pan in the middle.
For more details check out: Rotisserie Boneless Pork Loin Roasts
I’m thinking about doing this kind of roast but over coals. What temperature do you think I should have the grill at? Thanks.
Hi Mike! Great stuff. As another Dad who does all the cooking I fully relate to your passion for cooking, both as a hobby and, more importantly, for keeping our families healthy!
My loving family gave me a Summit 650 3 years ago for my birthday and I LOVE it! However, I probably have used the rotisserie no more than a total of 5 times in the 3 years. I never found time to experiment with the technique. Needless to say, I was beyond excited to come across your site a month back. Since, I’ve rotisseried a MINIMUM of 3x/week! For today I’m featuring this fantastic rotisseried Boston Butt in celebration of Grandparents Day (there is such a thing). My in-laws love pork and I’m certain this will be a hit (yes, I’ve already prepared for our family), along with the roasted potatoes in the drip pans beneath. 🙂
Thanks again….look forward to getting into your inspirations that do not involve grilling in a couple months.
Chris
@Chris:
Rotisserie pork butt for grandparents day – sounds like the perfect holiday to me!
I will have a few non-grilling recipes starting soon. I like to get outside and grill during the summer, while the weather here in Northeastern Ohio is cooperating.
@Marcy:
Yes, you can! I have a picnic roast in my freezer right now, waiting for the weather to get a little warmer.
Do you think this recipe would work for a picnic roast? It’s apparently a leaner cut, but since you removed the excess fat from the shoulder roast I thought it might be appropriate.
Thanks.
Thanks for sharing this accident. I’d be happy to do it over and over again. It looks delicious!
@Carol:
You’re welcome. I love it when an accident results in a better outcome than my plan!
I use a Ducane grill with the rotisserie burner on low. It will cook this in about 20-30 minutes per pound. I tried it on high and medium and dried out the outer layers a tad bit. On low-medium low it beautiful. I have been doing 2 shoulders tied together with lightly cooked bacon in between + a little sauce. Today i did that and wrapped the whole thing in bacon. It cooked low for about 1.75 hours at 3.75 pounds + 1/2 pound of bacon. After you put the bacon in the middle of the 2 shoulders tie it off in 3 places the spread a layer of sticky sauce or honey over your tied together shoulders to make the bacon stick to the outside. Then spiral tie the bacon around the shoulder. Baste as directed above.
@Ted Canova:
That sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing it.
Hi Mike,
What temperature should I try to hold inside the grill when cooking this roast? I plan to use the outside burners and a infrared burner on a Weber Summit 670.
Thanks,
Justin
Folsom, CA
@Justin:
I always cook this with my two outer burners on high, and my infrared burner on high for the first 30 to 45 minutes.
I’m surprised to say this, but I don’t know what temperature that means… [UPDATE: 350°F without the IR burner, about 425°F with it to start.]
What was your reference for the brine ratios?
I use 1/4 cup table salt or 1/2 cup kosher salt per quart of water. I’m pretty sure I picked that ratio up from Cooks Illustrated, but it might be Alton Brown…I’ve been using it for so long that I don’t remember for sure.
I do like a lot of your stuff but I just do my pork shoulder so different, I wanted to share. I get 8 to 10 pound whole pork shoulder, I leave the bone in (my wife and I both agree that any meat cooked with the bone in has more flavor) I also leave the fat and skin on but slice it into squares about 1/’2 to 3/4 inches deep. Once I have the squares cut in and any loss hanging fat cut off I smear Seasoning all over and into all the cracks and let it sit over night. The next morning I preheat the grill, put a drip pan with water, tie the shoulder, put it on the spit have the outside burners on and keep the temp at 275 deg and leave it on for 7 to 8 hours. You will know when its done when it stats to fall off the spit. The fat squares we pick off and eat Yummy!! No knife need just use tongs to pick the meat from the bone. I can do this on my summit or genesis, do not use the rotisserie burner.
Mark,
Sounds like a great low-and-slow pork shoulder. Thanks for sharing!
Great site – been a fan for a while –
Have you ever achieved textures of a pulled pork which has been slow cooking in a 250 degree oven for 10 hours and the meat just falls apart using your rotisserie? I am able to achieve moist juicy meats but was wondering if I can get the “falling apart” effect using a rotisserie.
Yes, and I’m working on my recipe for that right now – I hope to post it in a couple of weeks. Roughly, if you cook it at 250°F to 300°F until the pork is 195°F in its thickest part, it will pull apart beautifully.
Do you think it needs to be wrapped in foil at some point? For example I was thinking of doing like a high heat right in the beginning for a decent sear, bringing down the temp to 250, wrapping in foil, and cooking for a few hours – then remove the foil for the final stages. Think that is even necessary/
I don’t think it’s necessary, but it won’t hurt. I usually do a foil wrap finish when I cook barbecue, but I didn’t last time, and it still worked fine.
looking forward to your post – if i get around to it before you i’ll let ya know how it goes …
One thing with pork shoulders though. If you get one that is ‘enhanced with up to XX% solution of….’ you’re better off skipping the brine process entirely otherwise it could end up being too salty. I find you have to read the labels carefully since it’s often stated in pretty small print that it is enhanced. If you can’t find any pork shoulders that are not enhanced, then just apply the rub and you’re good to go 🙂
You’re right, watch out for enhanced pork. (Though I can’t find enhanced pork shoulder at my local grocery stores – they all sell natural pork for the shoulder, and “enhance” the loins and tenderloins.)
Dear Michael, We are having Mandy, Bryan and your two grandnephews here for dinner and we got a pork shoulder. I just googled it and voila hit gold. One variation is that I’m also using a smoke box with big hunks of wood and some rosemary (we have a giant bush). I too love to barbeque and but Bryan Mandy’s husband is a real(!) cook like you.
Best to you and your family.
Don
I’m going to to the same roast this afternoon ( 9 lbs ), can’t wait to dig in…Thanks for the info…
You’re welcome – good luck!
I am cooking next month for a church dinner (~100 people) and wonder if it is possible to do this pork shoulder roast recipe the day before, slice it, refrigerate it and then reheat it for dinner the next day (like brisket). Is this a really bad idea or is it doable? I hate dry pork…
Pork shoulder will reheat well – it has enough fat in it so it won’t dry out too much.
Good luck!
Great recipe and with those potatoes is something of beauty. I’ve got the Summit 420, I’ve been reading that some people use the infra-red for the last 20 minutes to make the skin extra crispy, what’s your thoughts on that?
With a small (3 to 4 pound, kind of thin) roast like this one, I run the IR burner for the entire cooking time, to make sure the crust is extra crispy. (See step 3).
With bigger roasts like this one:
https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/2013/08/rotisserie-pork-shoulder-with-south.html
then it’s a great idea; if the roast is cooking on Medium or lower for most of the cooking time, a blast of heat from the IR is a great finishing touch. (That is, if the roast looks like it needs it – sometimes they’re pretty crispy from the long cooking time in the grill, even without the IR burner.)
I’d like to fix a 3 1/2 lb. butt on my indoor rotisserie but can’t find any info. Do you think your method would work on a Set It & Forget It table top style rotisserie? This is going to be a company meal, so it has to be right! Thanks 🙂
I’ve never used a tabletop rotisserie, but I’ve been told by a bunch of people that my recipes work with them. So, yes, I think it will work fine.
do you have to rinse the brine off after brining? And also does it matter what kind of grill you have for tempeture is it high heat for any gas grill? Making today was not sure.
No, you do not have to rinse the brine off. High heat is 450*F or higher.
Loved it more then once, only thing we do different is two bottles of Sam Adams in brine.
A little beer never hurts.
Just found your site and am loving your recipes.. SQL you indicate at the beginning that you should prepare the BBQ at medium heat at 350, but hen in your comments you estimate you are at 450 give or take 50… should I be keeping closer to 450 or 350? Thanks
350°F is what you want – I updated the recipe after that comment was posted.
Fricken Awesome!!.. but I did end up at the 450 range on a 2.5 pound roast.. took just about 1 hour.. I ended up with the skin a bit burned from the infrared… I need to check that better next time. But it was the best piece of pork I have had in a very long time.. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes, Thanks!
Would this work on a picnic roast smoked?
I don’t think you want to use a smoked picnic roast with this – it’s already cooked. I would cook it like a ham instead:
https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/2013/03/rotisserie-ham-with-orange-and-honey-glaze.html/
This was awesome! I made some small changes but overall… The Best! I used Adobo & Sazon Seasoning, Pork Rub, Garlic Powder and Italian Seasoning after the salt brine and pat dry.
★★★★★
Hi. I’m just wondering what the brine-ing achieves? Thx.
It seasons the meat all the way through, and makes the roast more juicy, even with the long cooking time.