When is a Butt not a Butt?

[Darrell Hill]

A couple of weeks ago I decided to try my hand on a "Pork Butt--The Renound Mr. Brown". I went to Wally World to buy a Boston Butt, but low and behold I couldn't find a "Boston Butt". I asked the Butcher (?) where they were located and he took me to the rack containing what he called "Boston Butt". The label from Smithfield meats said "Pork Shoulder Blade Roast, while the Walmart label said Pork Shoulder Blade (Boston) Rst. Since they were only 73 cents a pound I bought 2 seven pounders.

Followed the directions listed on this site to a tee and produced some of the best barbequed meat I have ever done. Last week, while talking to a friend who prides himself in his meat smoking ability, I was bragging about how good the meat was and how surprized I was at the small amount of fat I had to discard. He said I hadn't really cooked a Boston Butt, I had cooked a Pork Roast and that there is a big difference in the two as far as flavor is concered.

Either way it was very good, but if I didn't cook a "Pork Butt" just how do identify a Boston Butt? My fiend said the difference was that the roast and the butt were from the same piece of meat, but the roast was the top, less fatty portion. Since talking to him, I have visited several grocery stores and still haven't located anything identified as Boston Butt. Help!!!

 

[RandyJ]

A Pork Shoulder Blade Boston Roast is another name for the Boston Butt. If it looked anything like the pictures in the attached links you had the right cut.
Pork Shoulder Cuts
Pork Shoulder Blade Boston Roast

When cooked low and slow almost all the fat will render out.

The pork front shoulder is usually cut into two pieces the top half is the boston butt and the lower half is the pork picnic roast. Both are good for pulled pork. Most people prefer the butt because of the better yield.

rj

 

[Jim Minion]

hl
As Randy said your friend is incorrect, that was a Boston Butt. You done goood.
Jim