This is the Easiest and Most Tender Braised Pork Shoulder Recipe. It’s a strong statement, I know, but I stand by it. With only 10 ingredients, 95% of the cooking being hands-off, and the incredible flavor and texture, this pork shoulder is a winner every single time.

A bowl of braised pork shoulder next to a teal napkin on a marble table.

I REALLY want you to make this pork shoulder. Like REALLY want you to.

I want you to see how just how easy it is to make. AND, I really want you to learn the technique of braising.

Braising is what gifts us with so many comfort foods this time of year, so it’s in your best interest to know how to do. And my favorite part, is that once you know the technique, you don’t need to rely on recipes anymore.

What does that actually mean? It means gathering all of the ingredients you need to make the dish – the protein, the vegetables, the aromatics, the stock, and the deglazing liquid and just proceeding through the steps – searing and removing, sauteing vegetables, deglazing, adding the protein back, adding aromatics, adding stock — all without looking at a recipe or really measuring.

I’m going to walk you through this recipe, step by step. And I promise that if you make it a few times, you will no longer need to look at this recipe because you will know the technique.

And guess what? When you know the technique, cooking becomes a lot more fun.

Let’s get into it!

These Beer Braised Short Ribs are another example of the exact same technique with equally delicious results!

Why I love this recipe:

INCREDIBLY EASY – You won’t believe how easy this really is. Only 5 minutes of prep and the stovetop and oven do all of the rest, leaving you plenty of time to make the rest of your meal or just relax!
ONLY 10 INGREDIENTS – That’s right – only 10 simple ingredients that easy to find at any grocery store. I call that a win, any day of the week!
ACTUAL HANDS-ON COOKING TIME IS ALMOST NOTHING – Sear the pork shoulder and chop the onion, carrot, and celery, and the oven does the rest. Really!
ULTIMATE COMFORT FOOD – After cooking low and slow in just enough liquid, the pork is fall-apart tender and has a richness all its own. It is the ultimate comfort food on any given chilly night.
HAS SO MANY USES – I purposely made this recipe very basic in its prep and flavor profile. Why? First, so you can master the technique, and second, so you can use the leftover meat in different ways – think pork ragu for pasta, carnitas for easy weeknight pork tacos, or pulled pork with bbq sauce for sandwiches. YUM!

Recipe Ingredients

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this pork shoulder recipe:

An overhead view of the ingredients required to make braised pork shoulder.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

The ingredients to make this braised pork shoulder are easy to find at any grocery store. For the best flavor, seek out the best quality pork that you can find.

Here are a few ingredient notes:

Pork shoulder: For the best flavor, use a bone-in pork shoulder. A pork butt or Boston butt is best as it has the most fat marbling providing the most flavorful and tender results. These are tougher cuts of meat and are well-suited to long, slow cooking methods. For a full explanation of these cuts, see the FAQ section below. If you can’t find a bone-in pork shoulder, it is completely fine to substitute a boneless pork shoulder.

Garlic: Use a whole head of fresh garlic for this recipe. It might seem like a lot of garlic, but the flavor becomes so mellow with braising and it adds a lovely background note to the sauce at the end.

White wine: White wine is used to deglaze the pot and scrape up all of the brown bits which add so much flavor to the cooking liquid. Use a dry wine and something of good drinking quality. I would recommend a Sauvignon Blanc, Sancerre, or a not-too-oaky Chardonnay. And if you would like to skip the wine altogether, you can substitute apple cider or more stock.

Chicken stock: Use chicken stock for the best effect in this recipe as it is lighter than beef stock but has more flavor than water. You can substitute vegetable or beef stock if you don’t have chicken stock.

A close up view of a white shallow bowl with braised pork shoulder on a marble table.

THE TECHNIQUE: What is Braising?

WHAT IS BRAISING: Braising combines a dry-heat method of cooking (searing the short ribs, uncovered, over high heat) with a moist-heat method of cooking (cooking the short ribs in liquid, covered, in low heat). The keys are that the the lid must be on during the moist-heat cooking, AND the liquid level should come up 2/3 of the way on whatever you’re braising.

WHY BRAISE: Low heat, moist cooking over a long period of time is the best way to break down muscle fibers, connective tissues, and dissolve collagen that are typical in large, flavorful, tougher cuts of meat. And, when collagen dissolves, it turns into gelatin, and this gelatin is what gives the resulting sauces body – and this means there’s no need to add thickeners – just a pure reduction will give the cleanest flavor and a pleasantly thickened sauce.

WHY LEARN THE TECHNIQUE: Because once you know the basic technique, YOU DON’T NEED A RECIPE! The steps are so simple:

Brown and remove.
Sauté vegetables and aromatics.
Deglaze (add beer, wine, brandy, cider, etc. and scrape up brown bits) and reduce.
Add browned items back.
Add herbs and stock 2/3 up the sides of the browned items.
Cover and cook in a 300-325 degree F oven until tender.

Let’s Make Braised Pork Shoulder Together: STEP BY STEP

Be sure to check out the full recipe details and ingredient list in the recipe card below.

First, trim any excess fat using a sharp knife if the fat cap is included with your pork shoulder. Second, heat a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat and season the pork shoulder generously with kosher salt and black pepper. Sear the pork on all sides until deep golden brown. Finally, while the pork is browning, roughly chop the onion, carrot, and celery, and trim the top off the head of garlic.

Pork shoulder on a white plate on top of a sheet pan, seasoned well with salt and pepper.

Pork shoulder searing in a Dutch oven on the stovetop.

Piles of chopped onion, celery, carrot, and garlic on a cutting board.

When the pork is browned, transfer it to a plate, add the onion, carrot, and celery to the pot, and cook until it is starting to soften. Then, add the wine to deglaze the pot.

Pork shoulder flipped over and being browned on the opposite side in a Dutch oven.

Pork removed from the pot and celery, onion, and carrot added.

White wine being poured into the Dutch oven with onion, carrot, and celery.

As the wine simmers, scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot and let the wine reduce by half. Next, add the pork back to the pot and add the head of garlic, bay leaves, and bundle of thyme. Add the stock so that it comes 2/3 of the way up on the pork shoulder.

A spatula scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pot.

Pork shoulder added back to the pot, along with bay leaves, head of garlic, bundle of thyme, and chicken stock.

Pork shoulder in a Dutch oven with all liquid added to the pot.

Bring the stock up to a boil and then cut the heat, cover the pot, and transfer it to a preheated 325 degree oven for 3 hours.

Overhead view of pork shoulder ready to be transferred to the oven.

Liquid around pork shoulder being brought to a boil in a Dutch oven on the stovetop.

Dutch oven with pork shoulder removed from the oven when finished cooking.

Carefully remove the tender pork, bay leaves, and thyme. Then, hold the garlic head with tongs and squeeze out the garlic cloves into the liquid. Using an immersion blender, blend the vegetables and liquid until completely smooth. Finally, taste the sauce to see if it needs any seasoning adjustments.

Pork shoulder removed from pot and head of garlic squeezed with tongs to remove the soft cloves inside to flavor the sauce.

An immersion blender blending the liquid and cooked vegetables inside the Dutch oven.

A teaspoon full of sauce to taste to adjust any last minute seasoning, if necessary.

Handy Tip!

Save these scraps to make stock (chicken, vegetable, beef, turkey, etc.).

Collect the trimmings of onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and place them in a ziploc bag in the freezer until you’re ready to use them.

You can add them to a stock pot straight from the freezer.

Onion, carrot, celery, and garlic scraps on a cutting board.

Chef Natalie Marble in her home kitchen.

Natalie’s Expert Tips

Work smarter, not harder! Instead of prepping everything before beginning cooking, gather all of your ingredients and then prep in this order to save time: (1) Trim and season the pork while your pot is heating up over low heat. Then, when you’re closer to being ready to sear the pork, turn the heat up to medium-high and add the oil. (2) While the pork is browning, chop the onion, carrot, and celery, and prep the garlic and thyme. This way, by the time the pork is done browning, you’re ready with the next step. And that’s it! The oven does the rest!
Make sure to sear each side of the pork shoulder until golden brown. This browning is called the Maillard reaction. Very simply, it’s the chemical reaction between proteins and reducing sugars when heated, creating browning and a deep level of flavor that you do not want to skip out on! If you want to geek out and learn more about the Maillard reaction, this is a great article.
Please resist the urge to add flour at any stage, thinking that you need it to thicken the sauce. Instead of straining the liquid from the vegetables, simply blend them together to make a flavorful sauce with perfect sauce consistency.
The liquid in the pot will reduce as it cooks, which means the flavors become more concentrated. Therefore, while we always want to season in layers to end up with a well-seasoned finished dish, be careful not to overseason the stock when you add it because it will reduce and become saltier. It is better to exercise some caution here and adjust any seasoning after you’ve blended the sauce to be on the safe side.

An overhead closeup of a white bowl of pork shoulder on a teal napkin.

Serving Suggestions

Serve this tender pork with my Mustardy Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potato Puree, or my Classic Potatoes Anna!
Want to keep it lighter? How about this Pear and Fennel Salad?
Consider other vegetable side dishes that complement the pork like Hot Honey Pan-Roasted Carrots, Simple Roasted Cabbage Wedges with Orange-Mustard Vinaigrette, or these Pan-roasted Brussels Sprouts.

Storage & Reheating

STORAGE:
Store this in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

REHEATING:
To reheat in the oven, place the pork and sauce in an oven-proof pan or dish and cover with aluminum foil. Place in a 375-degree oven until warmed through. On the stovetop, place the pork and sauce into a sauté pan and heat over medium-low heat until warmed through. And finally, you can also reheat everything in the microwave in 30 second intervals until everything is warmed through.

FREEZING:
This dish freezes well in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes.

Slow Cooker

Sear the pork shoulder and sauté the vegetables in a pan on the stovetop. Add the white wine and scrape up the bottom of the pan.
Transfer the vegetables to the slow cooker and add the stock, garlic, bay leaves and thyme. Nestle the pork shoulder on top and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until the pork is tender and falling off the bone.
Finally, skim any excess fat and blend the sauce as in the regular recipe.

Instant Pot

Using the sauté function, sear the pork shoulder on all sides and set aside.
Next, add the vegetables and cook until starting to soften a bit. Then add the wine and deglaze the bottom of the pot.
Finally, add the pork back to the pot, add the stock, thyme, garlic, and bay leaves, and cook for 60 minutes on high pressure, followed by a natural release. If the pork is not fall-apart tender, put it back in for an additional 10 minutes of pressure cooking time.
Skim any excess fat and blend the sauce as in the regular recipe.

I get this question all the time, and I get it, it’s confusing! Is it a shoulder or is it a butt?! Let me try to break it down.

All 3 of those terms are a pork shoulder – this is the primal cut – the shoulder.

The shoulder, however, is then broken down into 2 sub-primal cuts: pork butt and pork shoulder. The pork butt is the lower of the two, located at the top of the pig’s foreleg. The pork shoulder is located above the pork butt – and it is generally a fatty, more well-marbled cut of meat.

To make things even more confusing, those 2 primal cuts have ‘nicknames’: the pork butt is also known as a Boston butt, and the pork shoulder is often referred to as a picnic shoulder. These nicknames have stories behind them. Pork shoulders are referred to as picnic shoulders because they are a cheaper cut of meat and used in more casual dishes – like at picnics. The Boston butt nickname actually dates back to colonial times when butchers used to put the cheap cuts in barrels to sell. The barrels were called ‘butts’ and they were especially popular in Boston.

Whew! I hope that clears it up a bit!

Yes, absolutely! Braised dishes like this are always best the next day, as the flavors have additional time to meld.

A white bowl of pork shoulder and sauce in the foreground and a blue Dutch oven in the background.

I hope you love this BRAISED PORK SHOULDER!
If you make it, be sure to leave a rating so I know how you liked it!

Did you make this recipe? I want to know!

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Nice to meet you!

I’m Natalie and I love to create seasonal and interesting elevated food for busy everyday real life! Dinner doesn’t have to be boring and I’m here to help. This is where busy meets delicious!