Boston Butt

Unknown

Help! I have a hard time finding something called a "boston butt" at our local meat counters. Can anyone tell me what it might be called? we have tried a pork shoulder with the bone in and it wasn't very tender even when cooked long & low. We tryed something else once and it was great, but not sure what it was called here. (Michigan)THANKS!!!

Nature Boy

Brenda,
A Boston Butt IS part of the shoulder. Sometimes it is called a "Pork Shoulder Blade Roast". The shoulder should always come out tender, as long as you cook it to 185-205 internal temp. To what internal temp did you cook your non-tender shoulder?[p]HTH. Cheers!
Chris[p]

kim

Brenda,
I also live in Michigan. Yesterday the local Meijers store had a good supply of boston butts. They have a blade shaped bone in them and may be called blade pork roast. Good Luck!!

Unknown

Nature BOy,Thanks, Cooked it to at leas 180. The first one without the bone was great, very tender, and pulled apart easily. the second with the bone tasted great, but wasn't as tender. Any guideline as to how long it should take per pound?
PS I am not the one who does the cooking, just the shopping

Unknown

kim,
Thanks! I am headed to Meijer. Is it called a Boston Butt? I have found something called Pork shoulder picnic roast.

Nature Boy

Brenda,
I usually cook butts to 200 internal. In the 180s, it is more of a sliceable product. 200 will give you a tender pullable product with more of the fat rendered out. [p]Normally it takes somewhere around 2 hours per pound. [p]As far as the shopping goes, it sometimes pays to talk to the meat cutter in the back. He'll fix you up with what you need, and probably give you something fresher than what is on display.[p]good luck!
Chris

Tim M

Brenda,[p]There are two parts to a shoulder and many names for the two parts. One is the butt and the other the picnic. Both can have bones but the picnic usually has a long rond leg bone and may have a patch of skin on it. The butt has the should blade bone. Cooking to 180-185 is what you do to get a slicable roast. Cook it to 200° and it will fall apart for you. You must cook it at a dome temp higher than 200° - I would suggest 250° and maybe 275-300° for the last hour or so to get it up to the 200° mark.[p]Enjoy[p]Tim

Tim M

Brenda,[p]If it say picnic - it's the leg part of the shoulder. It will work and it's good but I prefer the butt. Look for the words butt or shoulder blade in the names.[p]Tim

Wise One

Brenda, I found this some time ago:
JUST SO YOU KNOW
Boston butt = Boston roast = pork butt roast = pork shoulder Boston butt = Boston-style shoulder = Boston shoulder = Boston-style butt = fresh pork butt = pork shoulder blade roast
Notes: This economical, rectangular roast is the cut of choice for pulled pork barbecue, since it's marbled with enough fat to keep the meat moist while cooking. You can buy it bone-in or boneless. Substitutes: pork picnic roast (also works for pulled pork) OR pork center cut loin roast (This is lower in fat, so roast it at a lower temperature and avoid overcooking it.) 2 hours per pound at 225 degrees is a good rule of thumb. Remember this is for the individual piece of meat not the total weight. Two 5 pound butts (10 pounds total) should cook in about 10 hours as long as there is some separation on the grill.

Fairalbion

Brenda,
Try and find a meat market in your area if the grocery stores don't have what you need.

QBabe

Wise One,[p]On the substitutions...isn't the pork center cut loin roast a completely different "animal"? I thought pork loin roasts were cooked at a much higher temp (350°) and for a much shorter time (couple hours as opposed to 12-20)? I cooked one for 5 hours once and it was like shoe leather...[p]QBabe
:~)[p]

BBQfan1

Nature Boy,
Dagnabit, NB!! You had a perfect opportunity to direct them to the Dizzy Pig recipe page where it shows perfectly the whole shoulder being cut into picnic and butt sections! How could you have passed up such a glorious opportunity like that? LOL
For anyone who is still unsure what they are looking at or for in a butt and/or picnic, check it out on our site; I think we done okay demonstrating the cuts and pulled pork cook...
Qfan

[ul][li]Go to 'Recipes'[/ul]

Wise One

QBabe, I agree with you. If I were to try to use a pork loin fo rthis, I would unroll it (slice it) and stuff and cover with lots of bacon. The biggest problem I have is that a pork loin is a LOT more expensive than a Boston butt.
I'm sorry but I'm really cheap when it comes to my pulled pork.

Tim M

BBQfan1,[p]What the heck was the boy thinking this morning??[p]
Tim

BBQfan1

Tim M,
Musta been smokin' them herbs instead of blending 'em like he's supposed to! LOL
Qfan

sdbelt

Brenda,[p]Around here (Phoenix, AZ) they have Pork Picnics and Pork Butts at the local markets. A Picnic is actually more common to find, but less desirable to cook. [p]I usually have to talk to the person behind the counter to request a Pork Butt. When requesting a Pork Butt, I say I want one that is at least 6 lbs. That usually ensures it is bone in. The behind the counter person then seems to rummage around back for a while, and usually brings a couple of choices out for me to inspect.[p]On occassion, they don't know what I'm talking about, and then I just have to try again at another time, or try a different market. Going during the day, when the head butcher is there, obviously works the best.[p]Last, around here, when I ask for a Boston Butt, I've unanimously received blank stares as a response.[p]For best results, cook with a 225-250 dome temp, until the meat is 200+.[p]--sdb

kim

Brenda,
meijers has both. I think U want the one called boston butt. They also have the picnic shoulders. But yes it will say "Boston Butt"

Bordello

sdbelt,
I'm in Gold Canyon and the local Bashas has them, they are labeled "Pork Butt roast,bone in" You might try them if you have one close. I picked one up yesterday, about 4.5lb.
New Bob

Nature Boy

BBQfan1,
I prefer to inject my herbs...thank you.
Hee
Chris

Unknown

BBQfan1,
I read the recipe section at the Dizzy Pig site about Brisket, and had one question. Do you remove the brisket, cut part of it off, i assume the thinner part, and then put the other part back on? If so, to what degree of doneness, meaning temp of meat or fork test should i leave this second part on? I am going to pick up my first brisket at sams this afternoon, so any response would be appreciated. [p]Seth

Nature Boy

Seth Howard,
Some folks do put the point back on the cooker, and make "burnt ends" with it. Personally I just seperate the two, after cooking and resting, and chop up the point. Hopefully Qfan will catch wind of your post, and fill you in on what he does.[p]Great weekend to you!
Chris

BBQfan1

Seth Howard,
NB pretty much answered the question the way I would have... for the 'demo cook' on our website I did separate the flat from the point to demonstrate what could be done if desired in the way of 'burnt ends' (there is a spongy layer of fat between the two that will help guide you if you do indeed want to separate flat from point). The point when cooked fork-tender is actually my favourite part of the whole brisket; more fat marbling which makes it seem juicier. I'd say try it to fork-tenderness along with the flat and see how you like it; if it's not so much to your liking that way, you can always put it on a bit longer, getting those crumbly burnt ends/shreddable meat and adding them to things like chili and baked beans to use it up.
Qfan

Unknown

Nature Boy,
Thanks guys. Have a great weekend.
Seth