Dinner Meat Dishes Pork Main Course Pork Roast Pork Picnic Roast Be the first to rate & review! This juicy, slow-roasted pork boasts tender garlicky meat and a shatteringly crispy skin. By Catherine Jessee Catherine Jessee Catherine Jessee is a Test Kitchen Assistant in the Dotdash Meredith Food Studios. She has tested recipes for brands including All Recipes, Eating Well, Food & Wine, Real Simple, People, and Southern Living. Prior to joining the Food Studios, she accumulated 3 years of experience cooking in restaurants. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 23, 2023 Tested by Melissa Gray Tested by Melissa Gray Melissa Gray is a Recipe Developer and Food Stylist for Dotdash Meredith, working on titles such as Food & Wine, Southern Living, Real Simple, and Health. She has been cooking professionally since she was 16 years old but could always be found cooking and baking with her mom even from a young age. Meet the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Rate PRINT Share Trending Videos Photo: Carson Downing / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Gabriel Greco Active Time: 50 mins Bake Time: 8 hrs Chill Time: 12 hrs Total Time: 21 hrs 10 mins Yield: 12 servings This juicy, tender roast is the perfect centerpiece to a hearty dinner. Use leftover roast pork to make roast pork sandwiches later in the week. Frequently asked questions What is a pork picnic roast? Pork picnic roast is cut from the front shoulder. This is a cut of meat with a lot of flavor, but needs a long cooking time for the meat to be tender; plan on a long cooking time for best results. How long does it take to cook a pork picnic roast? Pork butt benefits from a long, slow cooking time, roasted for eight to ten hours as in this recipe, or braised, or cooked in a slow cooker. Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen This roast is juicy and tender, plus slightly sweet-scented from the herbs and crispy-garlicky where the herb paste has roasted onto the pork. The pan sauce gets a thick gravy-like consistency, with a kick from the Dijon balanced by the shallot, butter, and rich pan drippings. Ingredients Roast pork 1 [8- to 10-pound] rind-on pork picnic shoulder 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons light brown sugar 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (from 1 [1/2-ounce] package) 2 tablespoons fresh sage 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (from 1 [1/2-ounce] package) 1 tablespoon chopped garlic (about 4 large cloves) 1 teaspoon black pepper Fresh thyme leaves Shallot pan sauce 2 teaspoons cornstarch 3 cups, plus 2 tablespoons vegetable stock, divided 1/2 cup finely chopped shallot (from 2 [2-ounce] shallots) 2 cups dry white wine 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard Freshly ground pepper, to taste Directions Prepare the Roast Pork On a clean surface, pat pork dry with paper towels. Using a sharp knife, score skin 1/8-inch deep and 1/2-inch apart; set aside. Stir together mustard, oil, sugar, rosemary, sage, salt, thyme, garlic, and black pepper in a medium bowl until combined. (Herb mixture will form a paste.) Rub herb mixture evenly over pork. Place pork on a roasting rack fitted inside a large roasting pan, and refrigerate, uncovered, 12 to 16 hours. Preheat oven to 250°F. Remove pork from refrigerator, and let stand at room temperature while oven preheats. Bake pork in preheated oven until a thermometer inserted into thickest portion of pork registers 180°F (sliceable) to 195°F (fall-apart), 8 to 10 hours. Remove pork from oven, and transfer rack and pork to a large, rimmed baking sheet, reserving drippings in roasting pan; tent pork with aluminum foil, and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. While pork is resting, prepare the Shallot Pan Sauce Pour drippings from roasting pan through a fine mesh strainer into a small heatproof bowl. Reserve 2 tablespoons drippings; discard remaining drippings or store in an airtight container in refrigerator for another use. Set roasting pan aside until ready to use; do not wipe clean. Whisk together cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of the stock in a small bowl until combined; set aside until ready to use. Place roasting pan over 2 burners; add reserved 2 tablespoons drippings to roasting pan, and heat over medium-high. Add shallots to drippings, and cook, stirring constantly, until softened and starting to crisp up on edges, about 2 minutes. Add wine, and cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon to scrape up browned bits on bottom of pan, until liquid is reduced by half, about 7 minutes. Add remaining 3 cups stock, and bring to a simmer over medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 2 cups, 7 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to a medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer; whisk in butter and mustard until combined. Whisk in cornstarch slurry until combined, and cook over medium-low, whisking occasionally, until sauce is thickened to desired consistency, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with a few grinds of black pepper, and pour into a sauceboat. Slice or pull apart pork, and serve with Shallot Pan Sauce. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves. Rate It Print