Looking for insight on specialty pork butts.

Why not post the pics for all to see?

what do you mean "cut from the second rib" ?

big..

maybe a pic is a bit deceiving but it looks a bit lean compared to the avg butt at RD.

The thing you have to be careful for is how legal the kcbs would consider that cut.

I do not typically compete, but, I do prefer heritage hogs for cooking and eating. My comments:

Berkshire Black (Kurobuta)-meat has a pure white fat, it renders well and the product will end up meaty but with noticeable fatty mouthfeel. The meat is a little more red, and a little stronger in flavor than commodity pork. There is more fat, but, I do not believe it changed cooking times appreciably. This is a great flavor and fat pork. The shoulders make a great pulled or chopped product. Typically the butts are smaller than commodity pork.

Duroc-another fine pork, with a fine white fat and a lighter pink color, similar in appearance to commodity pork. This pork has typically taken less time to render and cook for me. The flavor is outstanding and the cut is a little longer and narrower than Berkshire Black. I really like the bellies, as they are narrow and lean, makes for a delicate cut. Again, smaller than your typical commodity hog cut.

Halukka-exclusive hybrid breed for Beeler's pork in Indiana, an amazing and flavorful butt, with good white fat, these have run larger than heritage hogs cuts, and darker pink than commodity pork. I really like this pork and will buy them when I can. They cook slower but, are much more flavorful and produce a product with less of a fatty mouthfeel. I do not like these pulled into strings, they seem to dry out a bit as they cool.

Niman Ranch, will not disclose breed, but, they are from largely Indiana and Iowa farmers, and the pork is outstanding. These are typically grown for chops, thus the shoulders I have found have been larger than most, with noticeable marbling and great texture. I really like these pulled into larger chunks for eating. Like the Halluka, not a great stringed up pork product.

Landrace, I am not sure which one, I believe the farmer I was buying them from was using Dutch Landrace, but, I have forgotten. These were large butts, with lean meat between veins of very white fat. These cooked up amazingly well, sadly, I have not seen it on the market of late. The young woman who was farming these may have gotten out of the business. These were great butts to work with, and made the best pulled pork product I have had.

Hope that helped. I would gladly compete with any of these. I have used the Snake River farms chops, but, not the butts. I believe it is a straigth Kurobuta (Berkshire Black hog) with selective processing.

Leatherheadiowa said:

Yeah, we don't need to revisit that issue. Item #10 in the KCBS rules looks to be followed, and appears that this cut is no different than SRF or EF, or any other high dollar Kurobuta pork.

Click to expand...

That's a nice looking roast, but it's not a IMPS 406 Boston Butt (according to IMPS). In the US the carcass has to be broken no further than the first rostal rib, or the neck shall be removed by a straight cut approximately parallel to the loin side, immediately anterior to the half moon muscle (M. pectorales profundus - the money muscle).


An awayyyyyy we go............op2:

Slamdunkpro said:

That's a nice looking roast, but it's not a IMPS 406 Boston Butt (according to IMPS). In the US the carcass has to be broken no further than the first rostal rib, or the neck shall be removed by a straight cut approximately parallel to the loin side, immediately anterior to the half moon muscle (M. pectorales profundus - the money muscle).


An awayyyyyy we go............op2:

Click to expand...

Wow, that's quite the technical rebuttal!
Is there a rep in the land who might inspect that chunk-o-meat and declare it illegal?
Ed

I have cooked kurobuta butts and plan on doing so again this year, they are phenomenal. The fat is much creamier and renders quite well.

We used kurobuta at Havasu with great results. I don't think upon inspection one would think other than "Man that's a big butt".

Landarc that a great breakdown.

ModelMaker said:

Wow, that's quite the technical rebuttal!
Is there a rep in the land who might inspect that chunk-o-meat and declare it illegal?
Ed

Click to expand...

That's the whole issue with the pork rule as written, unless you're a butcher, are willing to stick a needle probe in the butt to measure the depth of the money muscle relative to the blade bone, or are looking at a 406 butt and a long cut butt side by side there's no way to tell.

To each his own......butt (pun intended)........I myself couldn't make that walk after getting a call for something that might be remotely stretching the rules. I'll stick to adding trophies to the shelf with my IBP's.:icon_shy

I am sure that it is some really good pork but in the case of money muscles, size doesn't always matter....its how you cook it. :thumb:

Rich Parker said:

I am sure that it is some really good pork but in the case of money muscles, size doesn't always matter....its how you cook it. :thumb:

Click to expand...

That's what she said!!!!
Ed

INmitch said:

To each his own......butt (pun intended)........I myself couldn't make that walk after getting a call for something that might be remotely stretching the rules. I'll stick to adding trophies to the shelf with my IBP's.:icon_shy

Click to expand...

I'd much rather BBQr's be more like pro golfers and police ourselves, than NASCAR teams that break and push the rules. I couldn't live with myself if I knowingly break the rules to gain an advantage. If I want to win, it won't be by me cheating.

Scottie said:

I'd much rather BBQr's be more like pro golfers and police ourselves, than NASCAR teams that break and push the rules. I couldn't live with myself if I knowingly break the rules to gain an advantage. If I want to win, it won't be by me cheating.

Click to expand...

Badges, what badges? We don't need no stinking badges!!!!!

Leatherheadiowa said:

From what I understand from this packer/ producer this is a typical way of cutting for them. The explanation is the fact they they leave less for grinding and waste.

Click to expand...

I'm not trying to start a fight or a pissing match but this contradicts what you said in your first post.

Leatherheadiowa said:

*I explained what I would like and the head of purchasing and packing said he would be happy to butcher to those exact specs.
Today I received two, 11 pound avg. pork butts, cut from the second rib with 1/4" fat left on. *

Click to expand...

(bold added)
Cut from the second rib is not an IMPS cut. Did you spec cut from the 2nd rib? if so you spec'd an illegal butt. From the 2nd or 3rd rib is a European or Japanese break, it's not typically done here.