Fresh vs Frozen Meat

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Hello All,

My local grocery store is having a pork sale this weekend on all of their cuts of "All Natural" meat. First question is what is the difference between a Picnic Roast and a Bone-in Pork Butt Roast, aren't they both shoulder cuts?

Second, I was planning on buying lots and filling the freezer for the next few months worth of BBQing. What are the differences people have seen with starting with previously forzen meat versus fresh meat? I know that Cooks Illustrated recommends brining all meat prior to freezing to preserve texture. Does anyone do this and do you notice a difference?

I guess cheap meat is only a deal if the end product is up to par. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

Chris, thanks for providing this site so that all of us Q newbies can learn from the best and brightest. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Tim
 
Hi Tim,
Yes, the Picnic and the Butt are both shoulder cuts. The Butt is the upper part of the shoulder, and the Picnic the lower. The Butt usually has less waste, while the Picnic tends to have more bone, and usually has skin attached. They both taste great. I most often cook Butts, but I sometimes do Picnics, which I find have a slightly different, more "hammy" flavor.
I usually buy a quantity of roasts when they're on sale, and they freeze very well. I've haven't seen a noticable decline in quality after freezing/thawing.
I've never brined a pork shoulder roast, so I can't help you there.
Hope this is of some help.
Jim
 
hey Tim,
I just Q'ed a brisket last weekend that I bought on sale & had frozen. I didn't notice any difference at all from other briskets that I Q'ed fresh (it was actually better than some others. Must be the new WSM!).
In fact I have a Boston Butt in the freezer right now for next weekend. I'll let you know how it goes.
And I agree with you about this site. I've learned so much allready.
Gary T.
 
Tim,
I also buy meat when on sale and freeze it. I do not brine any of it before freezing. The only meat I brine is pork loin and poultry and I do that after it's thawed from the freezer.
Here's a link that shows what part of the hog the butt and picnic come from.
Pork Cuts

rj
 
The best, and cheapest, way to "feed" your BBQ habit (pun intended) is to buy meats when they are on sale and freeze until you are ready to use. If cryovaced, leave them in their original cryovaced packaging. I currently have 3 butts and brisket in my freezer that I picked up when on sale. Sometimes you really have a craving to cook a butt, but can't find one when you want it. Buying ahead and freezing takes care of that problem.

Defrosting requires planning ahead. The best way to defrost is in the fridge. Meat thaws at about 2-3 lbs per day in the fridge. So an 8 lb butt will be ready in 3-4 days. Put it on the top shelf (remember cold air sinks, heat rises) and flip it occasionally.
 
Thanks guys,

I think I will go ahead and stock up. I will try and brine about half of it before freezing and see whether that makes a difference when it is cooked and will go ahead and post what I find.

Delivery of the new WSM is scheduled for Friday according to Amazon, can't wait to fire it up. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Tim
 
Tim I will watch for your results with interest. It would be really cool to try one fresh (never frozen) in the mix of your experiment. I find that frozen meat tends to come out drier for me and I percieve that is from the moisture loss I have when I thaw it. I'd love to hear some other opinions on this? I try not to freeze for more than 3 months as I too feel the urge to stock up when I find an exceptional deal.
 
I stopped in the Super Wal-Mart north of me today. According to the experts in the Meat department the pork butt comes from the leg. They did have a bone-in pork shoulder roast but the price was bad (over $2/lb). From looking at the cut of the meat it looked like a butt with a bone. What I am looking for is a much better price and boneless ? a proper butt(?).

I also found they had a 12 pound briskets: For $2.18 per pound. Last week (at the super Wal-Mart south of me) I paid $0.98 per pound. Also, no sale.
 
If the meat doesn't come cryovac'ed, I always reseal it with my Foodsaver after it is frozen (gets messy to seal it when it is fresh).
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> They did have a bone-in pork shoulder roast but the price was bad (over $2/lb). From looking at the cut of the meat it looked like a butt with a bone. What I am looking for is a much better price and boneless ? a proper butt(?). <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I prefer my Butt to be bone in. I'm not a bbq or even a meat expert, but I've always preferred meat, including a good steak, with the bone in. I think the bone adds flavor to the cut of meat, whatever it may be. The pork shoulder which is cut into the butt and the picnic has a bone in it. By making it boneless, the butcher just adds more to the price. Butts are marketed here in our local grocery stores as "pork shoulder blade roast."

"A butt by any other name, tastes just as sweet."
William Steakspeare
 
It upsets me greatly when I feel that I am being taken advantage of. At one super chain store north of me the "pork shoulder blade roast" was about $2.18/lb and the person running the butcher shop did not know what cut of meat it was. At the other chain store south of me the pork shoulder butt was $1.22/lb. They did know where the cut of meat came from and what it really was.

I also do not mind a bone-in cut of meat. It makes the dogs very happy and like you mentioned -adds flavor to the cut of meat. I do not want to pay boneless price for bone-in meat.
 
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