Butte vs. Picnic

wesley3flex

What is the difference between these two. I have cooked several buttes, but the store is having a sale on the picnics. Do they have to be cooked different? Which has a better taste?

Bacchus

They cook the same. Picnic is lower portion of shoulder, butt is upper. Butt is slightly better IMO, but picnic is great too.

Hoss

They both come from the front leg of a hog.The Butt is the top portion, the Picnic is the lower part.Cook them both the same way,lo n slo.

2Fategghead

wesley3flex, I smoked a picnic one time and did it the same as I would do a butt. I would do it again because I thought it was great. Tim :P

AZRP

I don't know why but for some reason most picnics are sold with skin on them. I always remove it because I like bark. When comparing price per pound remember that the skin is pretty heavy. -RP

Avocados

This diagram also shows the amount of skin and fat on the shoulder compared to fat and trimmings of the Boston butt:

Edit (can't link to the .pdf directly...)

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/meatcharts.html

Check out the "Hog Carcass breakdown" on lower right:

2Fategghead

I don't know if it's you or me but I can't get the link to work. Just saying. Tim

fishlessman

i like the picnics, and i see them costing at 1/3 the price of butts at times. big thing to watch out for and avoid is solution added with the picnics as i see them sold that way alot. to me theres more flavor but the pull is not as clean looking as a butt

Avocados

Sorry... I just edited the first post.

2Fategghead

fishlessman, I purchased a "Hormel" picnic and it had some liquid added to it. Next time i will get a plain ol picnic and see how that goes! Tim

Rolling Egg

I agree. My reasons to buy a butt everytime.

fishlessman

hormel dintymoores beef stew and spam is the only hormel foods i would buy, hormel ribs/picnics avoid at all costs, especially the ribs :laugh:

Bacchus

Atlanta area Kroger stores have picnic(not Hormel or Smithfield) for $.89/lb. I would pick up one or two if I didnt have 2 butts in the freezer already.

Grandpas Grub

 
Here is a very good discussion of the two as well as the taste difference.

Well worth the read.
http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/2002/02/pork-pork-shoulder-butt-picnic.html

GG

fatherofthreeblondegirls

thirdeye has great info. Thanks for the link. I still say the skin is the best part of the picnic. Thanks to whoever gave the idea of broiling the picnic after it is finished cooking in order to crisp the skin.

2Fategghead

Ron, Thanks. That's good to know. I'm going out of town to Bowling Green, Ky. (that's about 40 miles one way for me but I live in a small town) tomorrow and I will check the prices there. Tim

Avocados

Restaurant Depot in Atlanta sells the bone-in Boston Butts for about the same price.

Bacchus

$.99/lb at RD?

Hoss

A tastee treat indeed!

GoKooL

Butte:


Picnic:


Couldn't resist.

2Fategghead

On Two and A half Men when Jon Cryer goes ha ha ha!