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Nutritional Value of Pork Shoulder

A longtime favorite in the southern U.S., the barbecue pulled-pork sandwich is making its way across the country and creating aficionados everywhere who debate the merits of Carolina vinegar-based sauces versus Kansas City tomato-based ones. No matter the sauce, the key ingredient is the pork shoulder, also known as the Boston butt roast. This cut of pork shoulder comes from the upper arm portion of the hog, near the shoulder. One fresh 7- to 8-pound pork shoulder roast yields enough pulled pork to build about a dozen 10-ounce BBQ pulled-pork sandwiches. Drenched in any favorite sauce, or not sauced at all, many people agree that a delectable morsel of high-fat, high-cholesterol, high-protein pork shoulder is a tasty treat.

  1. Calories

    • A 1-ounce serving of fresh pork shoulder, cooked and braised without removing any visible fat, has 75 calories, of which 45 calories come from fat. A typical 10-ounce pulled-pork sandwich, meat only, provides 750 calories, of which 450 calories come from fat.

    Fat

    • A 1-ounce serving of cooked and braised Boston butt has 5 grams fat, of which 2 grams are saturated. This accounts for 8 percent of recommended daily value for an adult following a typical 2,000 calorie daily diet. A typical 10-ounce pork shoulder sandwich will contain 50 grams of fat, or 80 percent of the recommended daily value (not including any additional fat that might come from sauces and sandwich spreads.) Removing as much of the visible fat before cooking pork shoulder can reduce the fat intake by about 1 gram per 1 ounce of meat, or 20 percent, and reduce the caloric intake by 10 calories per 1 ounce of meat.

    Cholesterol

    • That 1-ounce serving of pork shoulder has 27 milligrams of cholesterol, or 9 percent of the recommended daily allowance. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends the average adult limit consumption of cholesterol to 300 milligrams per day. A 10-ounce BBQ pork sandwich will contain 270 milligrams of cholesterol, nearly the entire recommended allowance.

    Protein

    • Though high in fat and cholesterol, pork shoulder is a good source of protein. One ounce provides 7 grams of protein. A 10-ounce sandwich provides 70 grams of protein, exceeding the recommended daily allowance of 50 grams based on a diet of 2,000 calories.

    Sodium

    • Fresh-cooked and braised pork shoulder is naturally low in sodium, at 16 milligrams per 1-ounce serving, or 1 percent of the daily value, and 160 milligrams per 10-ounce serving, or 10 percent of the recommended daily value.

    Vitamins/Minerals

    • A 1-ounce serving of pulled-pork shoulder provides 3 percent of the daily value of iron and 1 percent of the RDA of calcium. It also is a source for riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, zinc and selenium.

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