Pork loin vs pork butt


 

DavidD

TVWBB Super Fan
Went to Winn Dixie. They have Boston butt on sale for 1.69/lb but also, a more expensive cut, pork loin at 4.99$ on sale for the same 1.69$. I asked for a butcher to confirm they were the same but none were working. The guy in the meat area said they are the same but one has a bone and one doesn’t. I bought 3 packs, 18 lbs total to cook on the Smokey mountain to make pulled pork bbq. Wondering if I made a mistake and got something that won’t turn into good pulled pork like I’ve normally made. Does anyone know? If I can’t make good bbq with these loins, what can I make that would be good?
 
What do they look like?
They are not the same for making pulled pork.
Pork butt:

811-2T.jpg


Pork loin:

raw-pork-tenderloin-TOPIC.jpg
 
Not so sure I’d continue trading with an outfit that doesn’t understand the pork butt and loin are very, very different cuts of meat. The butt comes from the shoulder and the loin comes from the loin. Ck this out: http://virtualweberbullet.com/meatcharts_photos/porkcuts.pdf

What can you make? CANADIAN BACON: https://www.mortonsalt.com/article/meat-curing-canadian-bacon/

GERMAN-STYLE CURED PORK CHOPS: https://www.mortonsalt.com/article/meat-curing-german-style-cured-pork-chops-gepockelte/

PORK LOIN ROAST: http://virtualweberbullet.com/porkloin1.html

And more... like pork chops many different ways according to a quick search on Food Network.
 
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Darn, that’s what I was afraid of and why I posted. Blame myself to some extent, should have ‘ own better though I did have the presence of mind to ask.

Bob, yes, that second pic is what I have.
 
Bob, yes, that second pic is what I have.

If you have a vacuum sealer, freeze what you bought. That was a good price. Vacuumed packed, they’ll last a long time. Loin can be done as a roast or you can slice for pork chops. If the lions are big, slice them to size before freezing.

Then, go back and get the pork butts and do the pulled pork you planned on. $1.69 isn’t great, but it’s a pretty good deal.

Note, I have seen people put a loin into a crock pot and cook it until it falls apart and call it pulled pork. It wasn’t nasty, but it turns into basically a vehicle to hold the BBQ sauce, which you will surely need because of how dry the meat is. On the other hand, I’ve ate worse. It still fills the belly and I guess because they don’t know better, they think it’s good.

Personally, I don’t like the loin. I’d cut them into pork chops and smoke them but smoking a chop is nothing like smoking a butt. You’re just trying to impart the smoke flavor and cook until done whereas smoking a butt takes the meat to way past done in order to break down the connective tissue.
 
In Central Florida the price is as good as you're going to get for Pork Butt. As others have said the Loin is a delicious cut of meat and that price is great for this area.
 
Don't feel bad, I've made the exact same mistake!! Luckily for me, I really like pork chops. So, I just re-evaluated and planned to cut them into big, thick chops and cook them until they're medium. Season according to mood.
 
I usualy cut the loin into one roast (1/3) and the a bunch of chops (2/3). I've been spinning the roast on the roti the last couple of times and it's come out pretty good. I cold smoke the chops so that I grill them at a later date.





BD
 

 

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