Brown Sugar Garlic Butter Roast Pork

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

Author: Nagi

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 2 hrs 15 mins

Total: 2 hrs 25 mins

4.85 from 26 votes

Servings6 - 8 people

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Recipe video above. Ultra tender pork with an insane caramelised crust and a buttery sweet-savoury sauce. The pairing of the sweet with the savoury is incredible in this 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:

1. Skinless, boneless pork shoulder / pork butt / Boston butt. I like cutting it into large chunks to maximise caramelised surface area. You could cut it in half horizontally or vertically to make 2 long strips. In which case, increase the covered cook time by 20 minutes.

This recipe also works brilliantly with pork scotch fillet (aka pork neck / collar butt), as pictured in post. Use one large piece then cut it in half (for higher surface to flesh caramelisation ratio, this is how it comes out) or cut into pieces per recipe. Either way, reduce cook time by 15 to 20 minutes - because this cut of pork is not as tough as shoulder so doesn't require as long for slow cooking. Scotch fillet is a brilliant cut for this recipe (photo here).

2. Slow Cooker directions (by popular demand!) - I haven't tried this but based on other slow cooker pork roast recipes I've done, here is how I would do it: Make Sauce per recipe and pour over Pork in slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours. Remove pork, then pour all liquid into a large skillet (there will be tons of liquid). Simmer rapidly on high and reduce to about 1 1/2 cups. Then pour over pork in a baking pan and roast for 20 - 30 minutes at 180C/350F until caramelised (baste / turn once or twice). The other option is to reduce liquid in the skillet then put the pork pieces in the skillet, turning to coat in the syrupy sauce.

3. Nutrition per serving, assuming 8 servings, assuming all the sauce is consumed. Worth every single calorie... ?

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 770cal (39%)

Keywords: Slow Roast Pork

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