If you’ve been looking for a crispy pork shoulder recipe that delivers both juicy meat and perfect crackling, this Bone-In Pork Shoulder Picnic Roast (often found at Walmart) is one of the most reliable cuts you can use. This affordable pork shoulder picnic is ideal for anyone wanting crispy pork skin without complicated prep or special culinary techniques.

Unlike methods that require scoring the skin, pouring boiling water, or drying overnight, this approach is designed to be simple, beginner-friendly, and foolproof. The technique is based on four key steps:
Dry the skin → Season → Slow roast → Blast with high heat
Following this method creates even, bubbly crackling while keeping the inside beautifully tender.

This pork shoulder picnic roast is perfect for family dinners, holiday meals, meal prep, or any occasion where crispy crackling is the star. It consistently produces excellent texture and flavor — which is why it’s one of the most searched-for pork shoulder recipes online.

While other cuts such as pork butt, Boston butt, or rolled pork shoulder can be roasted using this method, they don’t always create the same level of crispness. Because these cuts are more cylindrical, the skin on the top crisps nicely, but the sides often remain softer.

Now, if you want that even, all-over crunch, boneless pork shoulder with a smooth, flat skin gives the best results. It helps the heat hit the skin evenly, which means better crackling. You can check the recipe here

Cuts like Pork Loin and Pork Tenderloin are not recommended for this crackling technique. They are much leaner, which causes them to dry out before the skin crisps properly. Bone-in or rolled shoulder roasts still work, but they don’t match the crackling quality you get from a boneless pork shoulder with an even skin surface.

One of the biggest challenges for home cooks in the U.S. is finding pork shoulder with the skin still attached. Many grocery stores remove the skin entirely. Walmart occasionally carries bone-in pork shoulder picnics with the skin on, but availability can vary depending on location. For the best skin-on cuts, a local butcher shop or trusted online source is usually the most reliable option.

One of my favorite sources is  ButcherBox, especially when I need high-quality meats delivered straight to my home. They offer premium pork, grass-fed beef, and free-range chicken, and their MEAT YOUR MATCH at  butcher’s best is a great way to explore new cuts or stock up on your favorites. It’s a convenient, dependable option for home cooks who want consistent quality without a grocery store hunt.

Now, Let’s Cook!

Cook Time: 3 hours
Rest Time: 20–30 minutes
Total: ~4 hours
Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

8 Lb Bon in Pork Shoulder picnic

2 Tsp Fennel seeds 

3 Tsp Kosher salt (Recommended)

2  Tsp Black pepper or more 

2 Tbsp Olive oil

1 Large Onion + 1 medium for the gravy (optional)

10 Garlic Cloves

2 Large Carrots, chopped

2 Cups Stock/Broth (Veggie or Beef)/Dry White Wine)

Optional (See Note):

Gravy mix

½ Tbsp Beef Better Than Bouillon

2 cups boiled water

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C.
2. Dry skin. Pat the skin dry with paper towels – This is the key, Pat the skin extra well until it’s super dry (seriously like dead dry :-))
3. Salt the skin and season well. Sprinkle the pork with kosher salt or cooking salt, black pepper and fennel seeds, rub all over the meat then add the olive oil.
4. Vegetable bed: Place the onion, garlic and carrot in roasting pan then place the pork shoulder with the skin side up on top of the vegetables. (This elevates the pork slightly which helps with even cooking and the juices add more flavor to make delicious gravy).
5. Add in the liquid to the bottom of the pan to keep the meat moist. You can use dry white wine, vegetable or beef stock/broth.
6. Low and Slow. Lower the oven Immediately to 320°F/160°C and cook the pork for 1.5 hours UNCOVERED (If you cover the meat , it creates a steamy environment which makes soggy crackling)
7. Leveling the Pork Skin. After 1.5 hour of roasting, take out the pork then using scrunched up ball of aluminum foil, adjust the meat and make sure the skin surface is as level as possible (this achieves even heat distribution, for better crackling). Then return to the oven and cook for another 45 minutes – 1 hour, add water to the bottom pan if needed for moist and tender meat .
8. Crispy Crackling. How to make the skin crispy? Turn up the oven up to 480°F – 500°F/250°C, and cook for another 30 minutes, until skin is crisp and bubbly all over. Rotate the pan as needed to encourage an even crackling (I usually wrap the meat while keeping the skin uncovered, but for this roast I skipped the wrapping. The meat underneath the skin stayed moist because it was surrounded by the liquid and meat juices, preventing it from drying out. I made sure the liquid stayed below the skin so the crackling remained perfectly dry.
9. Rest The meat. After it is done cooking, rest the pork loosely covered with aluminum foil for about 20-30 minutes. 

NOTE:

Look, you can definitely use the roasting liquid and meat juices as your gravy base or even skip gravy altogether and enjoy the roast pork as-is, but why stop at “good” when you can have outrageously delicious? If you’re ready to take your roast dinner from “mmm” to “OH MY GOODNESS!”

Hear me now, my husband is English, and for him, a roast dinner without gravy is basically a crime. And not that thin, sad gravy that looks like it needs therapy :-). Oh no, we’re talking thick, glossy, flavor-packed gravy that makes you want to pour it over everything. Even things that shouldn’t have gravy. No judgment.

And then there’s the Yorkshire pudding — the national treasure of Sunday roasts. Yorkshire pudding isn’t just a side dish… it’s a gravy vessel. A crispy, fluffy, golden gravy boat. Because let’s be real: a proper roast dinner feels naked without one, it’s like Fish without chips. so it would be rude not to.

If you’ve never poured gravy over your roast (and your Yorkshire pudding!), let me warn you now: once you try it, there’s no going back. And you might even start saying “cuppa” unironically.

You can prepare this gravy while the roast pork finishes cooking in the oven.

Alright, let me show you how to make the gravy:

HOW TO MAKE TASTY HOMEMADE GRAVY

Ingredients:

Roast Vegetables from the Roast Pork (Onion, Garlic and Carrot)

½ Tbsp Beef Better Than Bouillion organic or Premium/Broth Base

1 Packet Brown Gravy Mix

¼ Tsp Black Pepper (To Taste)

METHOD:

1. Skim off the fat from the roasting pan.
2. Place a strainer over saucepan, transfer the roast vegetables then press out juices, discard the waste afterward.
3. Heat the saucepan over medium heat then add the gravy mix or you can just add plain flour and cook for about 1 minute until the powder is dissolved.
4. Meanwhile, prepare pyrex measuring jug – add ½ tablespoon of Beef Better Than Bouillon. Add 2 cups of boiling water and stir until dissolved.
5. Then add in the water and bouillon mix to the saucepan.
6. Stir and simmer on low/medium heat until thickened.

FOR YORKSHIRE PUDDING RECIPE CLICK HERE.

WATCH THE VIDEO and SELAMAT MAKAN!