butt or picnic

Sorry, On my last post I meant can't find a butt lager than 3 or4,lb.

Personally, I like the butt....just seems to work out better, plus it doesn't have that fat that doesn't render like you find on the shoulder.

I'd definitely experiment with both. Try using same rub and cooking technique on one of each at the same time, and see what you prefer. The picnic seems to have a wider variety of flavors to me, although some feel it is fattier.

Ray, the difference between the two is best described by looking at this chart. The foreleg of the hog is divided into two usable pieces. The Boston Butt and the Picnic. The butt is the upper portion closest to the shoulder and is sometimes referred to as a pork shoulder butt. The picnic is the lower portion and is closest to the foot.

Ray - the flavor is a but different between the two..the picnic is more hammy tasting IMO. Either will cook up fine, but I usually cook the butts OR I will cook both of them and then mix the meat together when I pull it - a lot of the chains (BJ's, Costoc, Sams, etc) sell the boneless butts..I like the bone in better as I am a believer in bone in = moisture and flavor..good luck to ya..
Shaun

I like picnics. Other than anatomy, the differences I see are picnic has skin and bone throughout.

I cut large cross-hatch marks through the skin and into the fat, then work the rub into the slits. I cook them good and long and they turn out great.

I like butts too, and buy the biggest ones I can find at Super Wal-Mart. Butts are easy since there's no skin and a single bone that pulls out easily. Plus, if you're cooking for crowds or multiple meats together, the butts fit nicely in the Cookshack.

Any store that is selling 1/2 butts[3-4 lbs] is cutting that way for the single meal consumer roast.

If they promote country style ribs,pork steaks,boneless ribs,etc. they have whole butts.

If they sell to Chinese buffets,that is what they make their ribs and pork dishes from.

Butts come in 12-18 lb two pacs in cryovac,packed about 65 lbs to the case.

Just ask the meat manager,and that saves him having to cut,trim,package,etc.

As mentioned above picnics are the part of the shoulder down by the trotter and the butt has the shoulder blade bone.

Some folks that cook a whole shoulder,will add a butt in, for the mix of the meat.

The picnic has more connective tissue,tendons,bone,etc and less interspersed fat.


They are hammier in taste,and often tend to cook better to a lower internal temp.

Lots of folks will cook picnics to about 185º internal and slice them like ham

Supermarkets will promote picnics cheaply,often.

Butts you have to watch for a sale and freeze a bunch..they freeze well.

I cooked 4 picnics last week, Great flavor, but a lot of weight loss.the 4 weighed about 34 lbs(8 1/2 lb each) and I wound up with 12 lbs pulled meat. but the price was good $.75 per lb.. I've found that Butts yei9ld more, but are also more expensive. I buy what's on sale @ the moment and go with that.

RT

Good info everyone, thanks I'm gonna try both as soon as I can get my hands on a butt and an umbrella. TaktEZ linked me too a good chart on pork cuts.On it shows picknic and shoulder roast. Is shoulder roast another term for butt?Sorry about all these rookie questions. Ray

Ray, First off, don't apologize for asking questions. We all had to start somewhere and the the only dumb question is the one that was never asked.

On the chart look for the part right above the picnic that's marked, "Boston Shoulder." That's the butt. Also known as Boston butt, pork shoulder butt, pork butt, and on and on. On the chart, it is also referred to as "Shoulder Roast." Never heard that one before but I learn something new every day.

One thing you'll learn when dealing with cuts of meat is that the names can be regional. Case in point: "Country Style Ribs" means different things in different parts of the country. Same thing with the term, "Pork Steak." The terminology is kind of like shooting at moving target but you'll get used to it. Just hang in there and keep asking questions. Somebody will come to your rescue.