Maple Glazed Pork Shoulder with Chipotle Chili
A Heavenly Hunk Of Meat
Maple Glazed Pork Shoulder with Chipotle Chili is a deliciously tender and juicy pork roast with a savory, caramelized crust made from maple syrup, brown sugar, and a smokey chipotle chili powder. This meat is perfect to eat on its own, as a sandwich, or for tacos.
I am a long time food columnist in our small town that is in the Northernmost part of Wisconsin. Every April I am asked to participate in our town’s Maple Syrup Festival.
I host a cooking demo where I use Wisconsin Maple Syrup to make wonderfully delicious recipes. Maple Glazed Pork Shoulder with Chipotle Chili was this year’s cooking demo.
I served this as a taco topped with a delicious cabbage slaw. I also made Maple Margaritas with a Maple and Brown Sugar Simple Syrup.
All of the recipes were a huge hit.
Recipe Card Plus Useful Information
There is a full, printable recipe card at the end of this post. You can also pin this recipe to save it and there is a print button as well.
I have included a few paragraphs below that clarify some of the ingredients and steps in the recipe that some may like further information on. I can promise you it is worth reading and not some long winded story you don’t need!
The Pork Shoulder
The cut of meat I used is called a Pork Shoulder Blade Roast and we got it from our local Chicago grocery store called Jewel-Osco. I have seen this cut of meat at almost every grocery store I have ever been to.
Make sure you use the roast that has the bone in it, as the meat comes out much juicier with the bone-in cuts of meat. When the roast is done, the meat will be so tender that you can pull the bone right out.
You may also see this same cut of meat called simply a “pork shoulder” and it is also sometimes called a “picnic roast.”
I have NO idea why it is called a picnic roast. If you happen to find out, let me know.
This cut of meat has a lot of fat which is why you need to cook this low and slow. The fat renders down and makes delicious juices for the roast to steam/braise in.
You can save the juices after, add them to a bowl, refrigerate for a few hours or overnight, and take off the fat that solidified at the top. Use the remaining juice for a gravy when serving.
Make Ahead and Reheat
This pork roast is a perfect meal to make ahead and reheat. This makes it a perfect party food.
When the meat is done cooking you can pull the bone out, break up the meat, and refrigerate it. I save the juices as well and remove the fat that will solidify at the top.
To reheat you can add the meat and the juices to a slow cooker and warm on low and then keep on low for serving. You can also add the meat to a roasting pan with the juices, cover, and put in a cold oven.
Set the temperature to 350° and let the meat warm up with the oven.
The Covered Roaster
I use my covered roaster for this pork roast. In fact, I think all pork roasts should be made in this covered roaster.
There is something about the metal that cooks the pork evenly and tender but also caramelizes the meaty bits. This is the roaster that my Mom uses for her recipe for Mom’s Pork Roast that is also up on this site.
I think you will love that recipe as well.
I inherited my Grandmotherés collection of roasters in all sizes. If you need one, they sell them at many stores including Walmart and Hardware Stores.
There is also one on Amazon that I like.
*The link I shared for the roaster is an Amazon Affiliate Link which means if you make a purchase, Amazon pays me a small commission. This is at no extra cost to you.*
The Glaze Is What Makes It
The glaze that I make for this pork is what elevates the flavor of an already delicious roast. The glaze is made with REAL Wisconsin Maple Syrup, brown sugar, and a fantastic McCormick Chipotle Chili Powder. Pictured below is the one I used, though you can also find similar spices in most every store.
The glaze caramelizes the fatty crust on this roast and when the the meat is shredded you will have delicious bites throughout the pork.
Serve It Up
When it is time to serve up this pork you can shred this easily with a fork. This makes great sandwiches, tacos, and also can be eaten on its own with some great potatoes.
I think that my Wasabi Mashed Potatoes would be a great side dish for this pork roast.
Maple Glazed Pork Shoulder with Chipotle Chili Reciope
Maple Glazed Pork Shoulder with Chipotle Chili is a slow cooking masterpiece. The end result is a flavorful crust with caramelized meaty bits and juicy pork.
Ingredients
- 7 lb. Pork Shoulder Roast (bone in)
- 1 cup of real Maple Syrup
- 1/4 cup of Brown Sugar
- 2 teaspoons of Black Pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon of Chipotle Chili Powder
- 4 Cinnamon Sticks
- 3 tablespoons of Cooking Oil of your choice
- 1/2 tablespoon of Coarse Salt
- 1 tablespoon of Soy Sauce
- *all ingredients are pictured and shared in the post before this recipe card
Instructions
- Remove roast from package and pat dry all over with paper towels. Put this in a covered roasting pan with the fatty side up. Sprinkle the roast all over generously with the coarse salt. I use my black speckled roaster for this. *explanation in post above recipe card.
- In a bowl, mix your maple syrup, brown sugar, cooking oil, soy sauce, black pepper, and chipotle cinnamon. Whisk well to combine.
- Pour the maple mixture all over the top of the roast making sure to get it all over the fatty cap. Add the cinnamon sticks to the bottom.
- Place the cover on your roaster. If you are not using a covered roaster, use a single piece of foil.
- Bake at 350 for two hours, then reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake for two more hours. Check your roast at this time and make sure it is making its own liquid. There should be an inch or so of liquid in the roaster. If not, add a cup or two of water to the pan and then finish cooking. Four hours total cook time. Turn the heat off and let the roast rest in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
- In my speckled roaster, the top of this roast gets caramelized and crispy. If yours did not, you can uncover and broil the top of the roast for a few minutes to get it more caramelized.
- All ovens are different. Your roast may take longer or shorter so keep an eye on cooking this the first time you make it. If using a meat thermometer, turn the oven off when the center of the roast is 145° and then let rest. *for more information on the done temperature of roasts, see the post above.
- I save the juices in the bottom of the pan. Refrigerate these juices and then the excess fat will solidify on top and you can remove it and discard it and use the juices for a gravy.
- You can make this roast ahead of time and reheat. Reheating instructions in the post above.
- To serve, you can easily pull the bone out of the roast and the meat will shred easily with a fork.