Butts vs Picnics


 
R

Ron Hunter

TVWBB Member
Yesterday a butcher at Wal-Mart (in Bryant) told me they were going to stop carrying the pork butts. The picnics will still be carried. He didn’t know why – they’re just given the info. Whether they will start carrying them again at a later date wasn’t disclosed to him.

I’ve only had a few sessions on my WSM but they’ve all been with the pork butts. I had decided not to use the picnics because of the greater fat content.

If I decide to not go to another place to get my butts – how much bbqing difference is there between the butt and the picnic? Does the picnic also have a fat cap?

Your thoughts please.

Thanks
 
Ron,
I pretty much just do the Boston Butts too. I have done one bone in picnic, but I didn't care for it. There was probably nothin wrong with it, it just wasn't the same as a butt.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Ron Hunter:

I had decided not to use the picnics because of the greater fat content.



Thanks </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

i think you have been misinformed, the butt has way more internal fat than a picnic. picnics tend to dry out because of this and benifit from an injection and/or frequent mopping. i have always left the skin on a picnic just to help it stay moist. i may trim it a little if it comes around to the bare side just so i can get a good bark. other than that i just rub and smoke like a butt, just mop it often after the rub has set.
 
Some people claim there is no difference or that they prefer the picnics. Not saying this is always true, but in my experience with that type of person - they have quality issues with their BBQ/pulled pork.

I have always said that if I cater or open a BBQ restaurant that I will not do shoulders, but boston butts for my pulled pork.

I think the picnic just has too much waste. If it was "exactly" the same as most people advocate, then butchers wouldn't want to sell it under a different name at a cheaper price.
 
Ron,

I'm down I-30 from you in North Little Rock. Kroger's has frequent sales on Boston Butt, ranging from $.99/lb to $1.29/lb. Their sales are frequent enough that I can't recall having to pay full price whenever I want/need to smoke a butt.

The butt is actually the higher, meaty portion of the shoulder (the blade), anatomically speaking, and the picnic is the leg portion. Personally, I definitely prefer the butt over the picnic anyday. I don't think that the picnic actually has a higher fat content, but there is definitely more waste with the picnic due to a larger leg bone/s and skin.

Hope this helps you.
Scott
 
My unscientific guess is that a Picnic doesn't end up being much cheaper. My guess is that if you were to weigh the final cooked meat, a butt would end up being about the same or maybe less than a picnic, since the picnic has more waste. I think a butt has better flavor, and takes less time to process, so for me, it is an easy decision which I prefer.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">picnics tend to dry out because of this and benifit from an injection and/or frequent mopping. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I started using picnics the first few times I did the pulled pork thing. Injecting it with some apple juice and frequent mopping like Tony mentioned should have the end result turn out just fine.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jason Wayne:
Some people claim there is no difference or that they prefer the picnics. Not saying this is always true, but in my experience with that type of person - they have quality issues with their BBQ/pulled pork.

I have always said that if I cater or open a BBQ restaurant that I will not do shoulders, but boston butts for my pulled pork.

I think the picnic just has too much waste. If it was "exactly" the same as most people advocate, then butchers wouldn't want to sell it under a different name at a cheaper price. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I agree 100% with everthing you said. Thanks for saving me all the typing.
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There is no comparrison IMO, Butts are far better than picnics in taste, texture and far less waste. The only way I would buy a picnic is if I couldn't find any Butts to cook and I was really jonesing for pulled pork.
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I will agree with Clark on this. I too have tried one picnic, but just didn't care for it. Wasn't the same as the Boston Butt.
If the store I shop at quits carrying butts, I would find another store.
 
My taste buds are not as sophisticated as the others who have posted. I have cooked butts and picnics together and could not tell the difference. The only difference to me is the slightly lower yield of the picnics. I cook butts and picnics at a dome temperature of 260 to 270 degrees and have not noticed the picnics being drier than the butts. I like them both.
 
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