This Italian Pork Roast is tender and delicious with savory classic Italian flavors like fennel pollen and fresh garlic. It's perfect for serving sliced with sides or on a classic Italian Philly Roast Pork Sandwich!
Looking for more Italian dishes like this Italian pork roast? Try our Authentic Italian Braciole or Italian Meatloaf!
A Quick Look at The Recipe
- ✅Recipe Name: Italian Pork Roast
- ⏲️Ready in: 4 hours (+1 day)
- 👪Makes: 8-10 servings
- 📋Main ingredients: Pork Shoulder, fennel pollen, and minced garlic.
- ⭐Why You'll Love This Recipe: It's perfect for a crowd and can be served on a sandwich or with your favorite sides.
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Why This Recipe
This Italian pork roast is perfect for family parties and events. It reheats really well, and it can be served on sandwiches with Balsamic Onions or with side dishes like Crispy Garlic Parmesan Potatoes or Italian Radicchio Salad!
Italian pork rest is tender and moist, seasoned with Italian flavors like fennel and garlic. Roasted in a Dutch oven for 3 hours, the meat can be pulled apart by hand and will melt in your mouth. Serve an Italian Pork Sandwich with Sauteed Rapini with Garlic and provolone to make the best of this meat!
Pork Shoulder vs. Pork Butt
Pork Shoulder and Pork Butt are technically both pork shoulder, but pork butt is the upper shoulder and is more marbled. The pork shoulder we're using in Italian pork roast is the picnic shoulder or lower shoulder. It's great for roasting low and slow and is a bit of a cheaper cut than the pork butt.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Pork Shoulder- Choose a well-marbled pork shoulder without the fat cap. You don't need the entire fat cap for this dish. Because you're braising in a Dutch oven, enough of the fat will render, and there will be plenty in the pot.
- Fennel Pollen- Fennel pollen is more of an intense flavor than ground fennel. You can substitute the ground fennel, but it won't be as intense. Fennel pollen is the classic spice used with Authentic Italian Porchetta.
- Garlic- Always use fresh minced garlic. Using jarred garlic would be a disservice to the whole dish.
- Chicken Stock- I use chicken stock instead of chicken broth because it has less sodium. I can control exactly how much salt I'm adding.
*Please see the recipe card below for more information on the ingredients.
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How to Make Italian Pork Roast
Step 1: Use paper towels to dry off the pork shoulder. If there is a large fat cap, use a sharp knife to slice ¾ of it off. Rub the pork shoulder with 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, garlic, and fennel pollen until well covered. Then use cooking twine to tie off the pork shoulder in 1-inch increments as shown in PHOTO 1.
Step 2: Wrap the whole pork shoulder in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge overnight or for at least 2 hours.
Step 3: Preheat the oven to 325℉. Remove the pork from the fridge 30 minutes in advance. Unwrap the pork shoulder from the plastic.
In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onions and saute for 5 minutes or until translucent.
Step 4: Place the pork shoulder in the Dutch oven. Add the chicken stock and cover. Place in the oven for 3 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 180℉.
Step 5: Remove the pork shoulder from the oven. Place it on a cutting board to rest for 1 hour.
Step 6: Set aside the au jus for serving.
Step 7: Slice the pork shoulder starting at an angle at the furthest point from the bone. Slice in towards the bone and then around it once you reach it.
Step 8: In a large saucepan, add the au jus from the Dutch oven to the pan over medium heat. Lay slices of the pork shoulder in the au jus for 1-2 minutes before serving.
Serve Italian pork roast over with some classic Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes or Mushroom Truffle Risotto and Italian Lacinato Kale Recipe (Tuscan)! Or use it to make an Italian Pork Sandwich with broccoli rabe and provolone.
Pro-Tips
- Season the pork shoulder overnight. This is minimal extra work, although you'll have to plan a day in advance. The salt will help retain moisture, tenderize, and develop flavor.
- Tying up the roast can feel like a waste of a step, but if you're cooking your roast in something that has a lot of room to rest in, a baking sheet or large Dutch oven, tying it with kitchen twine will help it roast evenly, so you don't get dry edges.
- Rest for at least 1 hour. You want the temperature of the muscles to come down so that it becomes tender rather than tight.
- Serving Italian pork roast right out of the oven, you can let people just drizzle their own au jus, but when I'm reheating pork shoulder, I add it to a pan with the au jus and heat it in that for more flavor and moisture.
- Store the au jus in the fridge. Overnight, all the fat will firm up at the top. You don't need that for serving, so you can remove most of that and just use the stock in juice at the bottom. This will have natural gelatin in it, so it will appear to look like jelly.
Serving Suggestions
Italian pork shoulder is my favorite to serve as an Italian Pork Sandwich. Here are some other serving options for more traditional Italian dinners!
- Starches- Italian pork roast is perfect to serve over a Classic Creamy Polenta, Rice Dressing with Sausage, or the Creamiest Mushroom Truffle Risotto.
- Vegetables: Serve it alongside some classic Italian serving dishes like Roasted Carrots and Fennel, BEST Garlic Parmesan Green Beans, or Italian Cabbage.
- Appetizers: I usually serve this for parties, which require appetizers. You may like to serve Veggie Stromboli, Antipasto Caprese Skewers, or Italian Pasta Salad!
- Dessert: If you're serving this Italian Pork Roast for a party, you need a couple Italian desserts like Pistachio Cream Tiramisu, Rainbow Cookie Cake, or something simple like Authentic Cannoli Dip.
Recipe FAQs
Porchetta is typically made with pork tenderloin and pork belly, while the Italian pork roast is made with a picnic shoulder.
Place it in the oven for 30-minute increments until the center of the pork reaches the correct temperature.
The pork roast will be golden-brown on top, and the inner temperature will be 180 degrees F. It's best to check the temperature because the outermost part of the pork will appear cooked well before the inside.
Resting large cuts of meat, like Italian pork roast, is important to literally let the muscles in the meat rest. This way, they're not tight while you're eating.
More Delicious Italian Classics
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Italian Pork Roast (Dutch Oven)
Equipment
- 1 Large Dutch Oven
- 1 large cutting board
- 1 large saucepan
- cooking twine
- plastic wrap
Ingredients
- 8-10 lb pork shoulder
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon salt
- ¼ cup fennel pollen
- 2 teaspoon black pepper
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 2.5 cups chicken stock
Instructions
- Use paper towels to dry off the pork shoulder. If there is a large fat cap, use a sharp knife to slice ¾ of it off.
- Rub the pork shoulder with 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, garlic, and fennel pollen until well covered. Then use cooking twine to tie off the pork shoulder in 1-inch increments. Wrap the whole pork shoulder in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge overnight or for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 325℉. Remove the pork from the fridge 30 minutes in advance. Unwrap the pork shoulder from the plastic.
- In a large dutch oven over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onions and saute for 5 minutes or until translucent.
- Place the pork shoulder in the dutch oven. Add the chicken stock and cover. Place in the oven for 3 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 180℉.
- Remove the pork shoulder from the oven. Place it on a cutting board to rest for 1 hour. Keep the au jus in the pot.
- Slice the pork roast. Then, in a large saucepan, add the au jus from the dutch oven to the pan over medium heat. Lay slices of the pork shoulder in the au jus for 1-2 minutes before serving.
Vincent DelGiudice says
This is the perfect roast to serve at parties or for family dinner! Our family loves it and it can serve a crowd.