Slow roast pork that’s caramelised on the outside, ultra tender on the inside, with syrupy sweet-savoury-buttery juices. You could totally make this using a whole roast, but using large pieces means more surface area = more golden sticky caramelised goodness!
This is an ideal recipe for pork neck / collar butt – also known as pork scotch roast. Brilliant pork cut for both fast and slow cooking!
Slow roast pork recipe
As I was thinking what to say about this recipe, a feeling of deja vu swept over me. I freaked out, wondering if I had already published it….
And then it suddenly dawned on me. This recipe is almost like the baked non-Asian version of Vietnamese Coconut Caramelised Pork!
The same sweet-savoury flavour with incredible caramelised surfaces, but this doesn’t have the Vietnamese flavours.
Also, this Roast Pork is also a bit more hands off because it’s roasted, rather than cooked on the stove. No stirring, just pop it in the oven and set the timer.
“This roast pork is slow roasted so the flesh becomes tender and the outside is caramelised. By using smaller pieces, we keep the roasting time under 2 hours!”
Best pork for caramelised pork roast
Ultra tender insides and golden caramelised outsides calls for a slow cooking cut of pork and for this one, I use pork shoulder aka pork butt.
It also works brilliantly with pork scotch roast aka pork neck / collar butt. It’s a brilliant pork cut widely available in Australia that’s suited to both fast and slow cooking. I throw pork scotch fillet steaks on the barbie, and I slow cook it for things like this pork roast and Chinese BBQ Pork (Char Siu). Here’s a photo of this Brown Sugar Garlic Butter Pork Roast made with scotch fillet roast cut in half lengthwise (see note 1 of recipe)
That brown sugar braising sauce!
Four ingredients – brown sugar, butter, vinegar (to balance out the sweet) and garlic, plus salt & pepper. Simmer to dissolve the sugar, then pour it all over the pork.
Pop it in the oven and out comes this:
THIS being the most incredible deeply golden, caramelised crust enclosed around juicy, tender pork, sitting in a buttery syrup that you want to drown the pork in.
Sweet? Yes. If you don’t like sweet-savoury foods, this recipe isn’t for you.
And it needs to be paired with the right protein. Sweet works brilliantly with pork. But this recipe would probably be too sweet for chicken. For beef, I think it would need a kick of something else to work with the strong beefy flavours, perhaps a good hit of cracked pepper.
I’m rambling. I’ll stop. Recipe time! – Nagi x
PS Pictured in the top photo with this Everyday Cabbage Salad peeking out of the corner. Extra recipe for today, goes great with this pork!!
More pork roast recipes to try!
- Pork Carnitas – Mexican Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
- Roast Pork with Crispy Crackling
- Char Siu – Chinese BBQ Pork
- Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Pork Loin
- Cuban Mojo Roast Pork (from the Chef Movie!)
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Brown Sugar Garlic Butter Pork Roast
Ingredients
- 1.75 - 2kg / 3.5 - 4lb pork shoulder / butt , cut into 8 equal pieces (Note 1)
- 1 tsp each salt and pepper
Sauce:
- 100 g / 7 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup / 80g brown sugar , loosely packed
- 1/4 cup / 65 ml cider vinegar (white wine or red wine vinegar also fine)
- 4 garlic cloves , minced
- 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160C/320F (standard) or 140C/290F (fan).
- Place Sauce ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Once better has melted, stir to combine then leave for 1 - 2 minutes until sugar is melted. Remove from heat.
- Sprinkle pork pieces all over with salt and pepper.
- Line pan with foil then parchment / baking paper, place pork in pan.
- Pour Sauce all over pork. Cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven, remove foil. Turn pork. Return to oven uncovered for 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Turn pork, spoon pan juices over. Return to oven for 20 - 30 minutes or until pork is golden and sauce has reduced to a thin syrup (thickens more when it cools).
- Stand for 5 minutes, then turn pork to coat in sauce. Serve pork with syrupy pan sauce. Pictured in post with this Everyday Cabbage Salad.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
Next Hollywood blockbuster – The Great Toy Heist.
Can you suggest an instant pot or pressure cooker way to cook this?
Hi Jodi, I haven’t tried but I would use the same method as the slow cooker method in the notes, but cook for 20-30 minutes in the pressure cooker. N x
Thank you for your many wonderful recipes which I have tried and family enjoyed them.
Tried this tonight and the family loved it.
After the first 30mins in the oven uncovered, I transferred my pot (cooked in my Le Creuset) to my stove to quicken the last part for the sauce to turn more syrupy.
Love, Love, Love!!!
Recipe sounds great but those temps look way to low? Am I missing something here? Took it out of the oven and it was still raw!
Hi Thomas, sorry you had issues here – you’re cooking the pork for 2 hours at a lower temp. Could there be issues with your oven thermostat? How big was the piece of pork you used? N x
My family loved this pork I’ll try the slow cocker next time. It as great an easy.
Absolutely LOVE this recipe! I have found it even more succulent when slow cooked – removing the foil in the last hour to turn and baste. The meat is much more tender. I also slow cook the crackling on a separate tray, comes out perfectly! thank you! <3 this is a regular in our house!
Delicious! We are in our eighties, and there’s only two of us here. Can you please suggest ideas for me to use this in other ways after freezing what’s left in small portions?
My husband didn’t grow up eating pork but I did. I’ve tried various way to cook it so he would like it as much as I do. This recipe rocks. It is so tasty and tender. Thank you for this. I can now cook and enjoy pork knowing he will enjoy it too.
That’s great Nancy!
This is the third time making this recipe. Talk about easy peasy!! Cutting the pork covers more of the roast’s surface and adds more flavor all around. Thanks for the great recipe
I’m so glad you love it Barbara!
Hi Nagi! Can I use boneless pork leg for this recipe? If not, can you suggest a suitable recipe for the cut from your repertoire? Thanks! Lily xx.
PS @ Dozer: I love soft toys too!😊
Hi Lily, yes pork leg would be fine!
Could you brown the meat briefly on the bbq before putting in the oven with the sauce? Just thinking the smoky flavor might be a nice addition.
Can you add an air fryer version of this? Thanks!
Mine didn’t come out carmelized with burnt tips, but the flavor. Wow!! Incredible flavor and “fall off the fork” tenderness!
OMG scrumptious ! We had this pork recipe along with your cabbage salad .
A great combo!
So often I have encountered pork neck / collar butt in recipes or on a restaurant menu and never see it in the local market. At last, I saw two pieces in an Asian market I occasionally shop and promptly purchased one 3 1/2 lb piece. I used half of it as there are only two of us. This recipe was all you said it would be and my husband asked if we could come to this “restaurant” again. It’s his way of lauding a recipe. Many thanks, Nagi
That’s awesome – you nailed it!