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Prepare to be blown away by the incredible tenderness of this sous vide pork butt! This incredible flavor packed slow cooked pork effortlessly falls off the bone and melts in your mouth.
While the cooking process may require a bit more time, trust me when we say that the exceptional results make it all worthwhile!
This sous vide pork butt is FIRE guys. When creating the recipe, I chose flavors that slightly mimic a Filipino adobo.
The tangy vinegar, spicy pepper and touch of umami packed soy sauce give the pork an amazing flavor (similar to our favorite instant pot chicken adobo), while the sous vide water bath cooks it to melt-in-your-mouth perfection!
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Why this recipe works
- It's a set it and forget it kind of recipe - so while it takes a long time to cook, you can just leave it to do it's thang.
- The flavors meld perfectly with the richness of the pork, making for a droolworthy comfort food meal.
- Pork butt (shoulder) in a relatively inexpensive cut of meat so you can keep your costs down.
- It's great to make ahead and reheat when you're ready to serve for meal planning or entertaining.
- The pork comes out totally fork tender and so moist and juicy.
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Ingredients for sous vide pork butt
The full list of ingredients and amounts is included in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Pork butt, also called Boston butt or pork shoulder (try this sous vide pork shoulder recipe too), is a flavorful and well-marbled cut of meat from the upper part of the pig's shoulder, perfect for slow cooking and barbecue.
You can use boneless or bone-in for this recipe. Boneless can be more convenient, but bone in has a little extra meaty flavor from the bone.
One of my favorite ingredients in this dish is the palm vinegar. Palm vinegar is a type of vinegar made from the sap of palm trees, known for its mild, tangy, and slightly sweet flavor.
If you're worried about buying a whole bottle of this for this recipe, don't be. It's an amazing vinegar and you'll want to use it on everything. Plus you can us it to make this Instant Pot chicken adobo.
You'll also need bay leafs for their herbal, floral flavor (it really makes the dish sing) and smoked paprika for just a hint of smoke.
Step by step instructions
Step 1: Season the pork butt with the salt and pepper and let it sit in the fridge, uncovered, overnight.
Step 2: Combine the pork with the remaining ingredients (except avocado oil) in a vacuum seal bag or a Ziploc bag if using the water displacement method.
Step 3: Heat a sous vide water bath to 145°F (62.5°C) degrees. This gives you a ultra tender sliceable pork. Check out the temperature chart below for more cooking options.
| Doneness | Temperature | Time |
| Ultra Moist and sliceable | 145°F (62.5°C) Degrees | 36-48 Hours |
| Starting to fall apart | 155°F (68°C) Degrees | 24-36 Hours |
| Shredable (pulled pork) | 165°F (74°C) Degrees | 18-24 Hours |
Step 4: Cook for 48 hours (my preferable time). Remove from the water bath and reserve the liquid in a saucepan. Thoroughly pat the pork butt dry with paper towels.
Step 5: Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat until smoking, then add the avocado oil. Add the pork butt and brown on all sides, about 60 seconds per side.
Step 6: Heat the saucepan and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add additional broth if needed to make a sauce.
Step 7: Remove, slice and serve drizzled with the simmered bag sauce and/or one of the options below.
Serving Options
- We have been loving this served alongside this Instant Pot sushi rice - you can also serve it with coconut jasmine rice or instant pot jasmine rice.
- Serve it with these creamy cheese grits or with these sour cream mashed potatoes.
- Use it on sliders or pizza.
- LOVE this on sandwiches with some pickled vegetables, crisp lettuce and maybe even some sliced Swiss cheese!
Expert Tips to make sous vide pork butt
- Add additional pepper if you want it to have more of a punch like traditional adobo.
- Add additional broth to the bag sauce if needed to make more or dilute the flavor (unlikely).
- You can cook the roast straight from frozen also. However, you miss out on the overnight salting which helps the pork become ultra flavorful.
- If your pork has a bone it in, I recommend using the water displacement method to avoid the bone puncturing a hole in the bag.
- As the pork cooks for 24-28 hours, water may start to evaporate from the water bath. If this happens, just top up the bath with more water.
- If the pork shoulder starts to float in the water bath, use something heavy to weigh it down. I like to use a sous vide sinker weight.
- Instead of searing it, you can smoke it - just make sure the internal temperature of the roast doesn't rise above 145°F (62.5°C) and start to overcook.
You can eat leftovers as is, or use one of these ideas:
- Shred it up and make quesadillas, tacos or put it in burritos;
- Serve it on sandwiches
- Mix it with rice or pasta or even in grits
Frequently Asked Questions
Cooking a pork shoulder (butt) in a sous vide water bath at 145°F (62.5°C) yields the most perfect moist, sliceable results. You can also cook it at 155°F (68°C) if you want it to start falling apart, or 165°F (74°C) if you want it totally shred-able.
The pork is likely tough because it wasn't cooked long enough. Because the butt is a tougher cut, it must be cooked for a long time. When cooking at lower temperatures (like 145°F), it needs to be cooked longer to get it tender (48 hours). When cooking at higher temperatures (165°F), it doesn't need to be cooked as long to get tender (18-24 hours).
Yes, you can sous vide frozen pork butt. Since we’re already cooking low and slow for 48 hours, there’s no need to add additional cooking time. That said, I like to start with fresh or thawed pork shoulder as this works best for the dry brining process.
You can make this pork butt ahead and store it in the fridge for 5-7 days. Just reheat in a 145°F (62.5°C) water bath for about 60 minutes to warm through. Sear then serve per the recipe instructions.
It can also be frozen and served later. Reheat straight from frozen in a sous vide water bath at 145°F (62.5°C) for 1-2 hours, until heated through. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Favorite sous vide pork recipes
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Recipe
Sous Vide Pork Butt
Ingredients
- 3-5 pound pork butt shoulder butt roast
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 bay leafs
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ cup palm vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil for searing
Instructions
- Season the pork butt with the salt and pepper and let it sit in the fridge, uncovered, overnight.
- Heat a sous vide water bath to 145°F (62.5°C) degrees. *There are additional temperature cooking options above in the post for any preference you may have.
- Combine the pork with the remaining ingredients (except avocado oil) in a vacuum seal bag or a Ziploc bag if using the water displacement method.
- Cook for 48 hours.
- Remove from the water bath and reserve the liquid in a saucepan.
- Heat the saucepan and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
- Thoroughly pat the pork butt dry with paper towels.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat until smoking, then add the avocado oil.
- Add the pork butt and brown on all sides, about 60 seconds per side.
- Remove, slice and serve drizzled with the simmered bag sauce.
Expert Tips:
- Add additional pepper if you want it to have more of a punch like traditional adobo.
- Add additional broth to the bag sauce if needed to make more or dilute the flavor (unlikely).
- You can cook the roast straight from frozen also. However, you miss out on the overnight salting which helps the pork become ultra flavorful.
- If your pork has a bone it in, I recommend using the water displacement method to avoid the bone puncturing a hole in the bag.
- As the pork cooks for 24-28 hours, water may start to evaporate from the water bath. If this happens, just top up the bath with more water.
- If the pork shoulder starts to float in the water bath, use something heavy to weigh it down. I like to use a sous vide sinker weight.
- Instead of searing it, you can smoke it - just make sure the internal temperature of the roast doesn't rise above 145°F (62.5°C) and start to overcook.
Nutrition
Greg
I am going to cook one of these with my sous vide. I have cooked chuck roasts and corned beef brisket with it and they always turn out awesome. Can't wait to try this.
Danielle
I think you'll really love it! Let me know how it turns out 🙂
Greg
I cooked a 7 pound pork butt with my sous vide. It is very tender and juicy. Everything I cook with my sous vide turns out awesome.
Danielle
So happy to hear that 🙂
Greg
I just took a 7 pound pork butt out of the water bath. It is the most tender, juiciest piece of pork I have evetr eaten. Every piece of meat that I have cooked with my sous vide has turned out awesome.
Nita
Is the 48 hours really necessary?
I'm looking for a sliceable roast that has Italian flavors. Sadly most of the pork shoulder recipes are shredded pork.
Danielle
To keep it moist and sliceable, cooking it for 36-48 hours does give you the best results. You can cook for less time if you cook it on higher heat, but you run the risk of it becoming more like shredded pork. You might still get pretty decent results with 24 hours, but it might be a little tougher than the 36-48 hour cook. I'd love to hear how it turns out for you!
helen
This was absolute perfection! The flavors were almost like adobo and it was so tender and juicy.
Danielle
So glad you liked it!