To trim or not to trim...

[Scott White]

Im smoking a 7.5# shoulder picnic this weekend and would like some advice, as I have only done Butts in the past.
After reviewing past post on the topic I still can not decide if I should leave the skin on (if I understand correctly, some feel that this helps the picnic from becoming too dry when pulled) or , trim the skin and fat and apply a good rub as you would do with a butt ( reasoning that if the skin is left on, the rub would not penetrate to the meat).
Curious as to what your experience has been?
Also, can I expect about the same amount of cooking time as compared to a Butt.
Thanks
Scott

 

[Doug D]

Picnics I've gotten recently have had the skin and fat trimmed off one side and left on the other-- turned down in the package, of course. I removed the skin, leaving 1/4 inch of the fat under it on the roast, and concentrated on getting a lot of rub on the parts where meat was exposed. The result cooked and turned out just like a butt.

 

[Paul G.]

I would think your rub would penetrate better and you would get more usable bark - the good stuff - if you removed the skin and some of the fat. With butts, I remove the fat cap.

Paul