Pulled Pork


 
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Dom R

TVWBB Super Fan
Purchased two pork shoulders @ $0.79/ lb.... I thougth it was a great deal. Now I have read that for pulled pork, the butt (bone in) is the best part of the shoulder to use. I have two shoulders but I have no idea if they are picnics or the butts (or maybe one of each) because the label just says "Pork Shoulder". Being a total newb of PP.... I had no idea that there were two parts to the shoulder and never asked the meat manager what cut they were.
Anyway, they are 8 lbs each and both have bones and skin on one side. Can anyone tell me how to identify what cut I may have? I would take pictures but they are now frozen rock solid in the deep freezer. Regardless if they are picnics or butts, I am looking forward to finally making PP.....as soon as the rain and wet snow stops. Thanks
 
Dom,

The weight you describe leads me to believe you have butts, but the skin on indicates 'picnics'; the lower portion of the leg. In my area, butts are sold no skin and usually bone in. Either way, you should be able to smoke what you have successfully. The picnic has a bit more connective tissue and fat. The picnic is smaller than the butt, but you have nothing to compare this to...

Note the differences in general shape here.

And here's another pic of each.

Great score by the way; .79/lb
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Paul
 
If it's anything like what I got at the local food basics (SE Scarborough), it is most likely the shoulders. As mentioned, don't worry as they both make good finished product. I resisted the urge to buy at 89c/lb as the thought of my wife exploding over the full freezer was enough to sway me from the course. When I went back at the end of the week and there were a bunch of 10#ers with $4 off coupons I couldn't say no... Yup, I got 20lb of shoulder for about $8.75....
 
Thanks for the info everyone. The picture of the picnic in your second attachment Paul leans me over to a picnic but I'm not 100 percent sure. In the package there are two pieces, so I'm hoping there is a butt and a picnic.

Tony, I purchased them from Sobey's who I believe owns also Food Basics so it most likely is the same as you have.
Did yours have two pieces wrapped together?

I understand that both are fine for PP but I also heard that the picnic is more fatty and more "stringy". Not sure I like that. Oh well, they'll get BBQ'd so we'll see.
 
Skin looks like skin, not fatcap. If they are skin on they are more likely to be picnics than butts.

Picnics are the upper forelegs - and pretty much look just like that. Butts are fairly squared. Though one occasionally finds butts with skin on theis is not common. It is for picnics.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dom R:
Thanks for the info everyone. The picture of the picnic in your second attachment Paul leans me over to a picnic but I'm not 100 percent sure. In the package there are two pieces, so I'm hoping there is a butt and a picnic.

Tony, I purchased them from Sobey's who I believe owns also Food Basics so it most likely is the same as you have.
Did yours have two pieces wrapped together?

I understand that both are fine for PP but I also heard that the picnic is more fatty and more "stringy". Not sure I like that. Oh well, they'll get BBQ'd so we'll see. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I got one too. I believe they were both picnics (they called them "picnic shoulders" if I'm not mistaken) which is the top of the leg--round bone at the bottom looks like a "peg leg" with the really thick skin around the round hunks of meat and which is cut off from the part we would normally refer to as shoulder butt (or boston butt).

I don't believe you got the true "butt". It'll still work though (that's why I got mine--at sobey's too).

I got mine to grind for sausage. About 40% waste after the bone and skin are cut loose.
 
Both of mine were a single shoulder in a cryovac from what I could tell. Won't know for sure until I thaw them out for a cook though! Probably going to grind one for sausage and do pp with the other.

Let us know how your cook worked out.
 
Regardless of what you got, either will make great PP, .79 or .89 is great price - I'm happy here when they're 1.29.
BTW - Ever go to St. Lawrence Market for meat? I haven't been to Toronto in 15 years - used to go a lot - 1st wife had family there. 1st time I ever went I was ready to go rent a refrigerated trailer, back it in, and say "Load it up!" Thought I'd died and gone to meat heaven.
 
Larry, I'm about a ten minute walk from The St. Lawrence Market and go there twice a week. Their selection of meat, cheese, produce and everything else is incredible. I mainly go for my fresh coffee beans but I have purchased meat, fish and cheese also.
If anyone here ever comes to Toronto, you must visit the St. Lawrence Market.

And those shoulders....yes they are definitely picnics. They have skin and look like a pigs upper forelegs or peg leg as Kevin and Len described.
Thanks everyone, I'll try tp post some pics once I get a chance to smoke these "peg legs".
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The St. Lawrence Market is a wonderful place, Dom. I've shopped at Whitehouse meats for years, and knew Eugen the original owner well. We always get our turkeys there, and when i next make pastrami I'm going to get it from them.

Have a good smoke.
 
That's about half the minimum price I pay for pork shoulder here in Colorado at Restaurant Depot ($1.65/lb US) these days. A couple years back I could find 'em on sale for $0.99/lb but alas, no longer.

That said, I've smoked picnic with great success. If you're shredding for pulled pork, don't worry about stringiness etc, it's really no big difference.
 
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