This roasted honey garlic pork recipe is sure to become one of your new favorite meals. It is simple to put together and each bite has a slightly sweet, sticky finish with just a bit of heat.
If you are looking to jazz up your dinner routine, you are in the right place! These pork bites are roasted until they get just a bit crunch on the corners that give way to succulent and juicy centers.
They are a lot like burnt ends in that way. They have the perfect mix of textures and concentrated flavor.
The meat cooks right in the honey garlic sauce, letting all of that good stuff soak in. It hangs out in the oven for a while to reach perfection, and is worth the wait!
I will be honest with you, this recipe takes a little bit of time. It is the low and slow method that helps the pork shoulder meat get nice and tender and delicious.
So, it won’t work on those nights where you need to get dinner on the table in thirty minutes. However, it is perfect for a day where you are getting things done around the house.
Or let it cook while you enjoy a movie, you deserve to relax sometimes too!
And while the wait might be antagonizing, there is very little effort to putting this dish together. So, it is worth every second it takes!
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Carlee’s Tips and Tricks
I like to start with a boneless pork shoulder roast. That way you start with a reasonable amount of eat and the prep is easy, just cut it into chunks.
Now, I know I have been telling you that you don’t have to cook your pork to well done. Cuts like the loin, tenderloin, and pork chops are delicious cooked to145℉.
However, because of the connective tissue inside the pork shoulder, low and slow cooking methods are preferred. And you want to cook the meat to around 190℉ to get maximum tenderness.
That is one of the main reasons we cook it for a longer time and a lower temperature for this recipe. The other benefit of the long cook is it gives the honey garlic sauce plenty of time to thicken and caramelize.
It is like magic is happening in your oven, and it is worth the wait. Don’t try to turn up the heat and rush it, the results won’t be the same.
We like to serve our pork bites with white rice. The flavors lean towards Asian cuisine, so it just feels right.
Just add a vegetable and dinner is ready. I can’t wait for you to give this recipe a try!
Roasted Honey Garlic Pork
Ingredients
- 4 pounds pork shoulder roast
- 1 onion
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 6 cloves garlic
- 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 cup honey
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Cut 4 pounds pork shoulder roast into bite sized cubes, about 1-inch. And rough chop 1 onion.
- Put pork and onions in a braiser, large oven safe skillet with a lid, or roasting pan. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper. Cover and bake for 1 hour.
- Do not drain any liquid from the pan.
- Finely dice 6 cloves garlic. Stir together with 1 cup honey, 3 Tablespoons soy sauce, and ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes. Pour sauce over pork. Stir to coat.
- Roast uncovered for 1½ hours, stirring every 20- 30 minutes. The edges will get dark and the cooking liquids will thicken.
- Rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with 1 teaspoon sesame seeds if desired.
Notes
- You can adjust the heat in the final dish by adding more or less red pepper flakes.
- We love serving roasted honey garlic pork bites over rice.
- According to the USDA, you can store cooked pork leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
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Could I use thick sliced pork chops cut into cubes? Maybe skip the first hour cook time?
You would definitely want to bring down the cook time. The shoulder roast needs a long cook to break down the connective tissue and make it tender. The chops could do with a lot less. I think it has potential to still be really delicious, but you will need to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t dry out.
Made it with thick pork chops. Skipped the first cook and just put everything in together. Cooked at 350 for about 75min, stirring every 15. Our chops were pretty fatty so I ended up skimming some oil off the top but it is good!
Yay! I am glad it worked out for you!
This was so dry and hard as a rock. I’m so sad I wasted so much time and money. I followed the instructions completely. I didn’t even trim the fat cap so it would stay moist. I also kept the liquid in the pan after the first hour. I’m so confused. It also doesn’t have much flavor .
I’m sorry about that. I know it is disappointing when a recipe doesn’t turn out. Something definitely went wrong. It is hard to say what, but the meat should have stayed nice and tender and the liquid should have reduced to a glaze that coated it.
In the description of the everything you say to cook it low and slow on 190 but then in the recipe you say to cook it at 350. That’s seems high. Which temp should I cook it at?
You cook it at 350F until it reaches an internal temperature of 190F. 350F might not seem super low, but for roasting it is much lower than most.
Make sure to remove the fat cap from your roast (or at least some of it). Otherwise it ends up greasy! I didn’t do it (as the recipe didn’t say to) and regretted it.
If you are going to trim it, be careful not to trim too much. You don’t want the meat to dry out during the cook time.