Picnic Pork Shoulder vs. Pork Butt


 
ChristopherC

ChristopherC

TVWBB Super Fan
Local grocery chain has a sale on "Pork Shoulder Picnic Roast (bone-in)". I have read that Pork Butts are ideal for making pulled pork.

Is this similar? What should I expect from this cut?

New to WSM...would this be an easy 1st or 2nd cook?

Tips?
 
Hi Christopher , the pork picnic shoulder does not have the same marbling qualities and texture as the pork butt , if you want to make pulled pork I would definitely buy the pork butt . The picnic makes a decent roast but has a fair bit of waste due to the bone and skin . Most Asian markets in the GTA sell these cuts a lot cheaper than the conventional grocery stores .
 
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So should I not bother with this? Or is a good practice cut for a new WSM? I don’t have high expectations, but figure I can see what happens...
 
Hi Chris, I am meat cutter ( butcher) by trade but but not a charcoal guy, as long as you cook the picnic between low and 350 F and spice it up to your tastes it will be fine, hopefully someone on the board can give you some tips with this cut on the WSM. There is also plenty of recipes on this site .
 
Chris,
To agree with what Bill is saying I would look for a Boston Butt for pulled pork over the picnic shoulder/roast. Most times Boston Butts are not that pricey per pound even not on sale. My thoughts are that if you are going to put that time and effort into it with a long cook on the WSM I would say go for a Boston Butt. So what are the difference between the two cuts, while I will only add the below photo to speak to the differences from a butcher stand point as I will not even try to complete with Bill and his expertise. However, cook and taste, the picnic has a much more hammy flavor to it, and it is has more fat and waste to meat ratio compared to a Boston Butt that gives me that traditional pulled pork flavor and the Boston or Shoulder Butt really does give you these great hunks of pork meat that you can separate out and then pull to perfection. I have done one picnic shoulder and I will try to always get the Boston/Shoulder Butt from now on. However, there is no reason you can not get a picnic shoulder the cook times, process, and goals will be the same on a WSM. Both of these cuts are really forgiving cuts of meat so they both would make a great first long cook on the WSM as they can handle spikes in temps and dips in temps, and can be cooked a wide range of temps and still come out great.
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I've substituted in a pinch and it works fine. It won't be as good, but it'll be good. If you have one, cook it up! I took the skin off mine to expose more meat to seasoning and bark. You might try an injection as the meat will have less fat than a butt.
 
I buy them when they're super cheap, there's a lot of heavy bone in a picnic, but it will cook up just fine, might not pull as easy but chunks taste good too, I'd remove most of the skin, then you'll have more rub and bark on the meat itself.
Because it's not as fatty, you may want to wrap later to hold in some juices.
 
ChristopherC said:
So should I not bother with this? Or is a good practice cut for a new WSM? I don’t have high expectations, but figure I can see what happens...
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The picnic shoulder is good meat. It doesn’t shred as easily as pork butt , BUT , it’s tasty when smoked to about 200* IT . Just figure on slicing it or chopping it to make sandwiches or serve with sides. For real pulled pork I’d always use a boneless butt. Just my 2c
 
So for the pork butts always get boneless? I have seen a lot of videos of pork butts with the large bone being pulled out.

Frank H said:
The picnic shoulder is good meat. It doesn’t shred as easily as pork butt , BUT , it’s tasty when smoked to about 200* IT . Just figure on slicing it or chopping it to make sandwiches or serve with sides. For real pulled pork I’d always use a boneless butt. Just my 2c
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The picnic is the preferred cut for a Caribbean style "pernil" - pork roasted with garlic / citrus type marinade. It is fantastic when done right. Typicalyl Puerto Rican / Cuban recipes are the best. It is a higher heat cook, targeting 350 / 4 hours. I've done with Publix brand mojo (marinate for 1-2 days) and it is quite good.
 
They were all out of the shoulders...so ended up with Pork Belly instead.

So I am debating what to do with the belly....leaning towards burnt ends with half and not sure with the other half....

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Pork Belly Acquired - Suggestions?

So, my WSM 18 arrived today...and the wife acquired a full brisket and a pork belly at Costco. Will be saving the brisket for a bit (assume it is fine at the bottom of the fridge for a while...I think it said BB Sep 4/20). Anyways, I am specifically looking for advice regarding the pork belly...
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Put these pork butts in the 18 wsm at 7:30cst and just wrapped them at 165 degrees internal temp with plans to pull them at 200 degrees internal temp. Used Chris Lilly’s rub and injection recipes. The wsm has been holding steady at 240 degrees.6FA79CA9-D753-4F8E-9D32-599776D782AC.jpeg
 

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You could try some fresh bacon since you already have the fresh pork belly on hand , just slice off about 1 lb. or 8 - 10 slices a little thicker than or double the thickness of thick cut smoked bacon in the stores leave the rind on and add a little salt and pepper ,you will need a good sharp knife to slice through the skin part of the belly. Cook the slices in a frying pan on medium heat until the skin gets real crisp and you can almost take a slice of the fresh bacon and snap in 2 like a twig of wood. The fresh bacon goes well with bread & butter pickles , and if you want a real maritime meal add a bottle of Moosehead beer ..
 
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Lol love the part about the beer.

The Costco pork bellies have no skin. It is removed. Just a fat cap. Not sure if that makes any difference.
 
Thanks Bill!

Well, I will definitely be cutting it in half.

Gonna start with Pork Belly Burnt Ends tomorrow. The rest will stay in the fridge til I decide what to do...maybe I will love the burnt ends so much the wife will demand the other half be the same...but I want to experiment...so probably something different.

Tomorrow is the day the WSM gets unleashed!

Gonna do a hot burn for a couple hours than settle it into temp and add a couple chunks of cherry wood and do the pork belly burnt ends.

Then chicken wings on Sunday!

Bill F in Ontario said:
No you really need the the skin on the fresh belly to give it that crunch when you cook fresh bacon using the frying pan method.
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