Pork Shoulder
Pork shoulder is a well-marbled cut from the front shoulder of a pig, commonly slow-roasted, braised, or pulled.

About Pork Shoulder
Pork shoulder is a cut from the front shoulder region of a pig, generally containing substantial muscle structure, connective tissue, and variable fat. Butchery may divide it into the upper shoulder or blade portion and the lower picnic portion, so the name does not always indicate one identical cut. It is commonly sold bone-in or boneless.
Raw pork shoulder is firm, coarse-textured, and well marbled relative to leaner cuts, with a flavour that is porky and shaped by its variable fat and connective tissue. Slow roasting, braising, smoking, and stewing are typical uses, including shredding after prolonged cooking.
It may be sold whole, as a roast, in cubes, or as minced pork. Prolonged moist or slow cooking softens the connective tissue and can make the meat tender enough to pull into strands; trimming, bone-in presentation, and the precise shoulder portion change the finished result.
- Ingredient type
- whole food
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See local namesWhere pork shoulder appears
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Main dishes
Ingredient connections awaiting review · Coverage is still growing, including packaged snacks.
Name examples awaiting language review. Confirm the specific food or product.
Local names for pork shoulder
Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.
pork shoulder
épaule de porc
paleta de cerdo
paleta de porco
Schweineschulter
spalla di maiale
varkensschouder
espatlla de porc
spată de porc
łopatka wieprzowa
vepřová plec
bravčové pliecko
sertéslapocka
domuz omzu
χοιρινή σπάλα
choirini spála
свиная лопатка
svinaya lopatka
свиняча лопатка
svyniacha lopatka
猪肩肉
zhū jiānròu
豚肩肉
buta kataniku
돼지 목살
dwaeji moksal
सूअर का कंधा
sūar kā kandhā
หัวไหล่หมู
hǔa lài mǔu
vai heo
bahu babi
bahu babi
كتف الخنزير
katif al-khinzīr
choirini spála
Romanised form
buta kataniku
Romanised form
boston butt
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Épaule de porc, cuite, choix, découennée dégraissée
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Épaule de porc, cuite, standard, découennée dégraissée
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Epaule séchée de porc
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Pork, fresh, shoulder, (Boston butt), blade (steaks), separable lean and fat, cooked, braised
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Pork, fresh, shoulder, (Boston butt), blade (steaks), separable lean and fat, raw
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Pork, fresh, shoulder, (Boston butt), blade (steaks), separable lean and fat, with added solution, cooked, braised
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Pork, fresh, shoulder, (Boston butt), blade (steaks), separable lean and fat,with added solution, raw
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Pork, fresh, shoulder, (Boston butt), blade (steaks), separable lean only, cooked, braised
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Pork, fresh, shoulder, (Boston butt), blade (steaks), separable lean only, raw
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Pork, fresh, shoulder, (Boston butt), blade (steaks), separable lean only, with added solution cooked, braised
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Pork, fresh, shoulder, (Boston butt), blade (steaks), separable lean only, with added solution, raw
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Pork, fresh, shoulder, arm picnic, separable lean and fat, cooked, braised
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Pork, fresh, shoulder, arm picnic, separable lean and fat, cooked, roasted
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Pork, fresh, shoulder, arm picnic, separable lean and fat, raw
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Pork, fresh, shoulder, arm picnic, separable lean only, cooked, braised
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Pork, fresh, shoulder, arm picnic, separable lean only, cooked, roasted
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Pork, fresh, shoulder, arm picnic, separable lean only, raw
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Pork, fresh, shoulder, blade, boston (roasts), separable lean and fat, cooked, roasted
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Pork, fresh, shoulder, blade, boston (roasts), separable lean only, cooked, roasted
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Pork, fresh, shoulder, blade, boston (steaks), separable lean and fat, cooked, broiled
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Pork, fresh, shoulder, blade, boston (steaks), separable lean only, cooked, broiled
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Pork, hand, shoulder joint, raw, lean
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Pork, hand, shoulder joint, raw, lean and fat
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Pork, hand, shoulder joint, roasted, lean
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Pork, hand, shoulder joint, roasted, lean and fat
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Pork, Shoulder breast, boneless, separable lean and fat, cooked, broiled
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Pork, Shoulder breast, boneless, separable lean and fat, raw
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Pork, Shoulder petite tender, boneless, separable lean and fat, raw
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Pork, shoulder, petite tender, boneless, separable lean and fat, cooked, broiled
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
katif al-khinzīr
Romanised form
svyniacha lopatka
Romanised form
dwaeji moksal
Romanised form
zhū jiānròu
Romanised form
sūar kā kandhā
Romanised form
svinaya lopatka
Romanised form
hǔa lài mǔu
Romanised form
Available names only. Languages may be spoken in other countries; a name alone does not identify every ingredient in a dish.
Name not available yet.
A name in English has not been added for pork shoulder. Choose another language to see its available names.
Pork Shoulder nutrition & diet
Pork Shoulder nutritional value
Pork, fresh, shoulder, whole, separable lean and fat, raw
Per 100 g of the edible portion in the recorded food form.
- Calories
- 236kcal
- Protein
- 17.2g
- Carbs
- 0.0g
- Fat
- 18.0g
Reference values for the specific food form shown. Other varieties, brands and preparations can differ.
Portions & preparation
Use the edible cooked meat portion, distinguishing trimmed, skin-on, bone-in, roasted, braised, or pulled preparations. Rendering and draining can change the portion composition, while sauces, rubs, and serving accompaniments may contribute additional ingredients not represented by the plain cut.
Compare the right form: Match references to cooked or raw pork shoulder, with bone, skin, trimming, and preparation method specified; pulled meat is not automatically equivalent.
Diet considerations
Pork shoulder is animal-derived and is not compatible with vegetarian or vegan diets. Compatibility also changes when prepared with dairy, stock, sweet sauces, cereal-containing rubs, or coated mixtures. Plain meat differs from seasoned or processed versions, and carbohydrate patterns depend mainly on accompanying ingredients and portion.
AI-authored reading notes · Awaiting editorial review. Measured values, where available, have a separate source above.
Dietary compatibility
- VeganTypically incompatible
- VegetarianTypically incompatible
- PescatarianTypically incompatible
- KetoMay be compatible
- PaleoMay be compatible
- Low-carbMay be compatible
- HalalTypically incompatible
- KosherTypically incompatible
What these diet assessments mean
- Vegan · Typically incompatible
- The ingredient profile identifies an animal-derived food or derivative.
- Vegetarian · Typically incompatible
- The profile identifies animal flesh, seafood or a derivative excluded by a vegetarian diet.
- Pescatarian · Typically incompatible
- The profile identifies land-animal meat or a derivative, which is excluded by this pescatarian definition.
- Keto · May be compatible
- The plain form may fit a carbohydrate-restricted diet. Check the portion, added sugar, coatings and sauces against the nutrition values above.
- Paleo · May be compatible
- May fit a paleo pattern, depending on the cut or form, processing and added ingredients.
- Low-carb · May be compatible
- The plain form may fit a carbohydrate-restricted diet. Check the portion, added sugar, coatings and sauces against the nutrition values above.
- Halal · Typically incompatible
- This profile identifies pork or a pork-derived ingredient.
- Kosher · Typically incompatible
- This profile identifies pork or a pork-derived ingredient.
For the plain ingredient · Awaiting review. Diet compatibility is not allergy suitability or halal/kosher certification. Keto and low-carb depend on the portion.
AI-generated illustration for visual context. It does not identify a particular product or establish allergen content.
Sources & review
Nutrition reference: USDA FoodData Central — Pork, fresh, shoulder, whole, separable lean and fat, raw ↗. Values are scaled from 100 g of the recorded edible form. Individual portions have no assumed fixed weight.
Expanded overview, name examples and nutrition notes are database drafts awaiting editorial review. Numeric nutrition values, where shown, have their own source and food-form reference.
The ingredient description and dish connections come from the draft catalogue and may change after review.
Last recorded verification: .