Boston Butt or Picnic??

[irish_smoker]

Local grocery store here had an ad for this week with Picnic cuts being dirt cheap.  This sparked a conversation with a friend of mine because I have only ever used the shoulder/boston butt cut before for pulled pork.  Anyone know of any real disadvantages to using the Picnic?

Thanks.

[TestRocket]

Sorry irish_smoker,  I've only ever done the butts. But I recall reading a thread a while back on this subject and just found it. See if this will help?

[irish_smoker]

Thanks TR, sort of backs up my belief on sticking with the butts.

[TestRocket]

But hey! If there dirt cheap you might give one a try. You might surprise yourself?  ???

[squirtthecat]

Yeah, how 'cheap' are they?    It'll still be tasty - you just might have to rough-chop it a bit..

[SouthernSmoked]

I prefer the butt, however if you decide to try the picnic make sure to inject it with apple juice solution or something before smoking.

The butt is considered a better cut than picnic because it is more tender and meaty. Remember this, once you subtract the skin, the fat, and large bone in picnic and the price difference between picnic and butt isn't as great as it seems at first glance.

I know a lot of people who uses the picnic because it's cheaper and they say you can't tell the difference but I believe that they "are not" interchangeable, but they both work well for pulled pork.

I think I'd go for the butt.

[FLBentRider]

You _can_ pull a picnic, but in my world:

picnic = sliced pork

butt = pulled pork

[SnellySmokesEm]

Good post, I have been wondering the same thing myself...

[ArnieM]

Well, here's an idea for the picnic.  I've done it before and posted the recipe before.

Pernil is a traditional Puerto Rican pork dish.  The following recipe is easily adapted to a smoker.  Lower temp and longer time with a finish in the oven.

Adjust the spices to your taste and use your favorite wood.  A mix of apple and hickory sounds good.  Believe me, it's good stuff.

This recipe is courtesy of the NY Times.

January 2, 2008
Recipe: Pernil
Time: At least 3 hours
1 pork shoulder, 4 to 7 pounds (or use fresh ham)
4 or more cloves garlic, peeled
1 large onion, quartered
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves or 1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ancho or other mild chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil as needed
1 tablespoon wine or cider vinegar
Lime wedges for serving.

1. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Score meat's skin with a sharp knife, making a cross-hatch pattern. Pulse garlic, onion, oregano, cumin, chili, salt and pepper together in a food processor, adding oil in a drizzle and scraping down sides as necessary, until mixture is pasty. (Alternatively, mash ingredients in a mortar and pestle.) Blend in the vinegar.

2. Rub this mixture well into pork, getting it into every nook and cranny. Put pork in a roasting pan and film bottom with water. Roast pork for several hours (a 4-pound shoulder may be done in 3 hours), turning every hour or so and adding more water as necessary, until meat is very tender. Finish roasting with the skin side up until crisp, raising heat at end of cooking if necessary.

3. Let meat rest for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting it up; meat should be so tender that cutting it into uniform slices is almost impossible; rather, whack it up into chunks. Serve with lime.

Yield: At least 6 servings.

[irish_smoker]

The picnic was $0.98/lb, I had never really paid attention to the price of the butts...I just bought them when I need to make pulled pork.  I did do some checking and Sam's Club has the butts for regularly $1.29/lb and if you buy them by the case (which is 8 of them) then they drop to $1.02/lb.  A friend of mine who just started smoking was the one saying that they were interchangable and wouldn't listen to my objections.  Oh well.  I'd rather pay the extra $1.20 for a butt since that's what I've been using for years without complaint!  I think the fella was trying to prove his worth or something.

Got a couple butts in the fridge now with a brisket, ready for a smoking tomorrow morning.  I work from home so it's nice to be able to fire it whenever and not take off from work!

[Max]

Boston Butts are hard to find in my area, so I always go with a picnic or half-picnic cut. Always taste great and they pull no problem, in fact they nearly fall apart by themselves.

[Ka Honu]

... This recipe is courtesy of the NY Times...

Well, of course it is, and...

Since you already have pulled pork, why not try roasting it Puerto Rican style?  Not outdoor cooking, but a great taste.  Good & easy recipe here or Google "recipe pernil."

Thanks for the suggestion and the link KH.  I think I'll give that a shot on Sunday.

... you're welcome.

[Smokeville]

Last week a local store had picnics on for .58c/lb so I bought 4 and smoked them. The end result was that even at 195F they didn't want to pull easily and I had to use a knife. The "chunks" of meat are bigger so the strands are longer when they pull.

Other than that, the taste was pretty good.

Rich

[Indy Smoker]

My Daddy always said - "you get what you pay for"

I've always used butts and have never had a problem, the Picnic is more dense thus the more difficult to pull.

[KevinG]

I've always used butts and have never had a problem, the Picnic is more dense thus the more difficult to pull.

Dense is such a objectional term, around here we say meat challenged  ;D ;D