Looking for pork in all the wrong places


 
J

Jeff Davidson

TVWBB Super Fan
It seems impossible to find pork butts in northern westchester, ny. BJs and Sams don`t carry it. Local supermakets occassionally have a piece or two at high prices.

So I`ve pretty much turned to whole picnic hams at 99 cents per pound. It`s a long cook and the yield can be a bit spotty but I dont have a lot of choice.

I do see a lot of pork loin. Does it have enough fat content to low and slow into pulled pork?

Both Sams and BJs carry brisket but it`s hard to find for less than $2.99/lb. sigh...
 
Have you looked for pork butts at your local Sam's Club on saturday morning? The Sam's Club in my area never seems to have butts during the week but usually has them on the weekends.
 
In many markets, especially in the bbq deprived areas, you have to ask for butts at Sam's. They have them in the back. Here in Niagara Falls, I always have to go through the list of names before they know what I'm talking about...
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Jeff,

If your Sam's is selling "Country Style Ribs" they have pork butts. You will have to ask one of the people back in the meat area, tell them you looking for Boston Butt roast, Pork butts, pork shoulder blade roast...all the same, depends what they call them.

At my Sam's Club here, the day is Tuesday and by now they know what I want when they see me coming.
 
Jeff - where in Westchester are you looking? I shop in Westchester all the time.

Picnics will always be the cheapest around here. But any Stop and Shop can cut you a bone-in butt. Their's aren't enhanced either.

Also, it took me a while, but get chummy with the folks at Costco and they'll sell you a 2-pack of boneless butts for $1.59/pound.

If you want full briskets, best bet is Crisfield's Meat Market in Rye.
 
Not a thing wrong with cooking 99 cent picnics! I prefer butts, sure, but I'd have no qualms about cooking up cheaper picnics.

Joey Mac
 
Adam, I live up on croton-on-hudson so Rye is a hike though in the summer we get to Playland a couple of times. I think I've seen your posts on chowhounds on Crisfields and I'll definitely give it a try next summer.

We do get to Stews (it also a hike) about once a month as its the best we can do for meat, fish and produce. I'll try costco next time...sounds like a great deal.

And I'll ask at Sams though the one near us doesn't seem very nice. Perhaps I'll ask at BJs too...
 
yeah, stews has bone-in butts, but they aren't super cheap. I'll bet Sam's is the same deal as Costco. Took me three times to finally talk to someone who knew what they were talking about. They kept insisting they didn't have boston butts or pork butt or pork shoulder... I finally had to say:

Me: look, you sell country style ribs, right?
Costco: Yes.
Me: ok, those are cut from the pork shoulder.
Costoc: really?
Me: yes. Can you give one to me before you cut it up?
Costco: I think so
Me: Yes, you get them delivered to you in cryovac, two to a piece
Costco: yeah, I know.
Me: Right, so, can you please just sell me one of those. A whole cryovac package.
Costco: OK, sure...

If you are hitting resistance at Sam's, I'd try the same thing. The guys putting the meat out in the case often don't really know anything about it.

If you do this at Costco, it's good to go when there is a manager on hand. Sometimes they tell me only a manager can authorize selling me a whole package. Bizarre, but oh well.

Closer to home, I bet if you go to your local grocery store, they'd sell you a bone-in butt. I've found that I have to go in on a weekday morning, because that is when you actually get a butcher who knows what he/she is talking about.

Good luck!
 
thanks for the help. Actually, not that far away we have a big A&P with one of those cases for "prime" meat manned by a butcher. Worth a try.

Hey, sorry to go off topic, but I'm mulling the idea of buying a palet of Kamodo extruded coconut. Want to split it?
 
very, very tempting. I probably couldn't take a whole 1/2 pallet, though. How much is in a half pallet? Do you know the costs?

Anyone else in NY Metro up for splitting some?
 
Jeff,

Do you have any Super Walmarts in your area? I can't get butts at Sam's, but they seem to be in every Walmart Supercenter I've looked at.

Jim
 
Jim, thanks for the suggestion. Believe it or not we don't have any walmart super centers. We live in the smallest town in the county and the town is very careful about preserving its nature. On the whole, we see this as a good thing but its deadly for my pork butt hunt.
 
Jeff,
Everytime I ask about something they don't have at a Grocery store or butcher shop they will usually offer to order it for me if I can take it in whatever the minimum qty they have to order from their wholesaler. If you are able to plan ahead a few days and have a freezer that may be an option for you. Bone in pork butts usually come two to a cryovac pack from the distributor.
 
I know I've said this before on previous posts, but I think about it every time I see a post like this: I sure am thankful for my local butcher. In these days of huge superstores that have little or no inclination to correctly train (and pay their people accordingly), butchers are a dying breed.

Jeff, I hope you find yourself some good pork. Good Luck and Good Hunting.
 
A pork loin is not a pork butt and it won't make pulled pork like the butt will. The loin has very little connective tissue and won't pull apart with lengthy cooking like a pork butt will.

Those picnic shoulders are almost as good as a butt, though.

The markets should have SOMETHING, though. Maybe they call it a shoulder instead of a pork butt.
 
Jeff, you should start a thread in the off topic about the komando. I went in on a group buy that scott shcaffer started last spring. I am not sure how many people got in but I think it was 10. You might want to put your city state in your profile so people can see it in your posts.

Sams here had butts out single and double cryovac out all the time the first 9 months I owned my smoker. Now you can't purchase single and you have to ask to get the double. Sometimes they are out. I asked why they don't put them out anymore and the reply I got is they are selling a boat load of country style ribs and don't care if they sell whole. Sams also only sells brisket flats here. I tried to get them to order some whole brisket but would only do so if I bought the case. Its funny sometimes they get whole ones but csr says that only because they are out of flats at the distribution center. I notice the whole ones don't lay around long.

I haven't made too many picnic's. Walmart is the only place I have seen them and they are enhanced so I stay away. Also butts are cheaper than picnics here. I did buy a couple of picnics a couple of weeks ago. Wally world had them on sale for $.98 LBS I couldn't resist. I think I preffer the picnics over the butts, taste wise. punn unintended.
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I get some great whole briskets at walmart. The only thing I have found in the meat case that isn't enhanced at walmart is the whole brisket at a great price. I have it timed. I can go in there on any given thursday and probobly come out of there with a brisket for 30% off normal cost. I talked to the butcher once and he said he marks them down the day before the sell by date in order to move them in leiu of trashing them. I have been there once when the sell by date wasn't on a friday.
 
well, all of a sudden, I started finding pork butts all over the place. I had checked our local A&P about 5 times. Two weeks ago they had a $1/lb sale and put out about 20 in cryovac casing. Stocked up the freezer and then today at BJs they had one for the same price. I'd be pretty happy if thats a permanent occurence at BJs.

thanks for all the help!
 
Bringing this back to the top..

Is this the BJs in Yorktown? I've seen Picnics there but when I asked about Pork Butt they said no (though that was the person stocking the meat and I don't know if he really understood what I was asking for). FWIW, someone else there asked for Brisket and he brought some out. I bought one of the smaller trimmed ones (6lbs?) and it came out pretty decent.
 
joec,

yes, the one in yorktown. If you talk to the butcher, they may set you up. I was able to buy some at a really good price.

I've had good luck with the brisket there as well as the beef shoulder.

regards,
jd
 
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