Boston Butt or Picnic Shoulder??

[PulledPork]

I'm going to do my first pulled pork for our Super Bowl party.  The wife went to the local butcher, usually pretty dependable, and said she wanted a pork butt for pulled pork.  The cut of meat she brought home is roughly rectangular shaped, held together with butchers twine, no fat cap, no skin.  How do I tell if this is a Boston Butt or Picnic Shoulder??  I'm suspicious because there's no fat cap at all.

Thanks!

[nickld]

Howdy PulledPork! Welcome. Sounds like a Boston Butt to me. If it is tied then it may be boneless. It would be my preference for pulled pork....  Enjoy!

~Nick

[PulledPork]

Thanks Nick.  Makes me feel better about this cut of meat, but what about no fat cap?  I've seen a lot of references to the fat cap being important to keep things from drying out and adding flavor.

[PulledPork]

OK, I've done a bit more research, and I'm pretty convinced I've got a Boston Butt here after reading FLBentRider's "Butt Time" post, http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=8942.0.  My wife said the butcher did a bit of trimming, which is probably why there is not much fat cap left, but there is a little left.  That's my fault, as I should have given better instructions regarding leaving the fat in place.  Thanks for the help!

[nickld]

Well I've always been a big fan of the boston butt!   :o  Used to make a lot of carnitas with it long before I started smoking. Great piece of meat in my opinion. Even without the fat cap there is a lot of good pork fat within the butt cut.  ;D  Sorry Oprah.... :-[