You need a thermometer. Not a guess-o-meter. Not a “poke it with your finger” method. A digital instant-read thermometer is your best friend.
Fancy wireless ones are cool, but a $15 model from the grocery store works wonders. Just don’t use the one that’s been in your drawer since 1998. It lies.
Insert it into the thickest part of the roast, away from bone and fat. Bones conduct heat and will give you a false reading. Don’t be fooled, champ.
Time and Oven Temp: The Partner Dance
Low and slow vs. hot and fast? Both work, but they give different results. For a tender roast, go low and slow: 325°F for a few hours.
Pork Internal Temp: What's the Internal Temperature for Pork?
For a crispy-edged, faster roast: crank it to 400°F. You’ll get a crust that makes you weep with joy. Just watch the internal temp like a hawk.
General rule: 20-25 minutes per pound at 325°F. But don’t trust time. Trust the thermometer. Time is a liar. The thermometer is truth.
