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pork question

Chef Boyaree
Chef Boyaree Posts: 150
edited November -0001 in EggHead Forum
I bought what I thought were 2 bone in pork shoulders at the supermarket yesterday. When I opened them one was just as I thought and perfect... the other, which was a bit smaller, was a cut I;ve not seen before. It had a bone but from what I could see was a much rounder bone like a shank. The meat on it is much tougher and firmer (at least when raw and to this point on the egg... a few hours), and it had a thick layer of skin on it. I used a sharp knife to remove the skin while still leaving a small layer of fat. My question is about the cut. Since it is more firm than the other but smaller, should I cook it the same length of time so as to try and make it tender? The second cut seems to be more of a joint... never seen the skin on before either...
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Comments

  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    Just a guess. You bought a whole shoulder, both the butt and the picnic. Picnics I've seen are usually sold with most of the skin on. There is a big round bone in it, and the ones I've cooked get done faster than a butt. Keep checking the internal temp, I guess, to know when to pull.
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  • thirdeye
    thirdeye Posts: 7,428
    DSC05107H.jpg


    You got the picnic, it's the lower part of the shoulder. You can barbecue it tender and it will pull fine. Some of the meat will be a little darker and stronger, but when it's mixed in with the other it will be fine.

    Picnics are usually around $1 a pound, just curious what did you pay per pound since they mixed two cuts in the same package. Here is a picture of one that I skinned and below is a whole shoulder (butt end and picnic) with the skin on.

    8d0da001.jpg

    shoulder2.jpg
    Happy Trails
    ~thirdeye~

    Barbecue is not rocket surgery
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  • Chef Boyaree
    Chef Boyaree Posts: 150
    you are 100% right... definitely the picnic.

    It was cheap as hell.... maybe 6-7 lbs and probably around 7 bucks...
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  • thirdeye
    thirdeye Posts: 7,428
    Since you are familiar with butts, try this.... as you're pulling the picnic, take a little sample of each muscle and also the darker meat near the bone, especially as you approach the shank end. You'll understand the old expression "The nearer the bone, the sweeter the meat".
    Happy Trails
    ~thirdeye~

    Barbecue is not rocket surgery
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  • Chef Boyaree
    Chef Boyaree Posts: 150
    thanks for the advice. I will try and report back. Oddly, they are taking the same amount of time... mirroring each other in temp... and the picnic is smaller w/ a much bigger bone...
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  • Chef Boyaree
    Chef Boyaree Posts: 150
    They both turned out fantastic!! I love the picnic cut... didn;t enjoy the butchering but the different textures were wonderful!
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