Bst Butts vs Picnic Question

[classicrockgriller]

I cooked two butts last week at 22o and pulled at 186. I FTC for 2 hrs and they fell apart.
Yesterday I smoked 1 picnic same temp, pulled at it of 190 and had to chop it up. very hard to "pull".
I had taken several temp reading before FTC.

The question, Is there a different cook temp for picnic vs butts or what did I do wrong.
After chopping I put in foil and oven at 200 for 3 hrs.

[ArnieM]

I'm not an expert, so take this with 1/2 cup of Kosher salt.  I think the picnic is the lower part of the front leg and may be a bit tougher with less fat than the butt (upper (shoulder)) part of the front leg.  It might be somewhat drier and take longer to cook than the butt.  But, then, I could never figure out why the shoulder was called the butt in the first place.

I'm getting my butt into the smoker (so to speak) around 8 PM tonight.  I figured on about 16 hours (8.15 pounds) but the forecast is for temps as low as 39 tonight.  Somehow I think I blinked and missed summer.

[FLBentRider]

I've never done a picnic, but others here have and mentioned the same things.

I think that there is less connective tissue to break down and make it tender... ??

Most end up slicing it instead of pulling.

[classicrockgriller]

Thanks FLBR, the picnic really don't have the taste the butts do either. It taste good, just not as good as the butts I did.
By the time you lose the fat from the cap and the bigger bone, and the taste difference, I think the butt is a better buy
even at .20 a pound more.

[Tenpoint5]

With the picnic I would try and cure it then smoke and make bone in ham with it. Here's a couple of fresh hams that I did
Christmas Ham
or
[url=http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=8442.0] Home Cured Ham

[Habanero Smoker]

Fresh picnics are good, and I agree they have a different flavor and texture, almost like fresh ham. I take them to 165°F - 175°F, break them into chunks and slice. As FLB states they are leaner, and have less connective tissue. So if you take them too high, they will be stringy and dry because less connective tissue means less gelatin will be formed. It is the gelatin coating on the protein fibers that give the meat that moist like texture.

But there is one member who will only use picnics for his pulled pork, and he has great success with that. I just can't recall who.

[classicrockgriller]

Thanks 10 and Hab, I guess I assumed you do it the same as butts without looking at a posting on picnics.
After I cut/chopped them up I put them in a pan and apple juice stuck them back in oven at 200 and it was
pretty good.

I will give them another try. Thanks

[Habanero Smoker]

I knew there were people out there that had good luck using shoulders for pulled pork, I just don't have any luck doing so.

Here is a link that may be useful:
Smoking Pork Picnics

[classicrockgriller]

Thanks again Habs

[Caneyscud]

For me, the picnic (lower shoulder/arm) ends up with more pork flavor than a butt.  The shoulder contains some well used muscles. - kinda like a lamb shank has more flavor than a lamb chop.  The "problem" with a picnic is the yield (because of the bones and skin) and the skin can be a detriment to smoke flavor - so, many times I remove it before smoking it.  Additionally, they are getting very hard to find around here - only wallyworld has them occassionallly.  At one time they were what all the bbq joints around here used. 

[classicrockgriller]

I have two more and gonna try it again