Ham vs Butt

[markdtn]

I like the Butt better.

Every year our company gives us a big ham (~20 lb) for Christmas. I am not much of a ham guy so I sometimes give it away to a family at Church, but one of the guys here smoked his the next day and brought it in to share. It was really good, so this weekend I thought I would try mine. I got it cooked in about 9 hours to 145 internal. I used hickory and charcoal. It was good, but not as good as his. I must learn what he did.

[Lake Dogs]

I cook (BBQ) hams, picnics, butts, and whole shoulders. My preference in eating is the whole shoulder. I do really like the ham (as said above). Where I'll generally cook the shoulder into the low 200's, I like/prefer the hams more in the mid 190's; still plenty pullable but not overcooked and dry. That's a big piece of it, keeping the ham moist. I do inject, and I do use foil. Frankly, I've been back and forth a few times over the years as to preference. I think I get burnt out on one and have gone to the other. Matter of fact, think I'll do a hog (but in pieces) cook this summer. I like the idea; 2 whole 22# shoulders, 2 whole 22# fresh hams, perhaps a case of babybacks...

[K80Shooter]

Originally Posted by Lake Dogs

I cook (BBQ) hams, picnics, butts, and whole shoulders. My preference in eating is the whole shoulder. I do really like the ham (as said above). Where I'll generally cook the shoulder into the low 200's, I like/prefer the hams more in the mid 190's; still plenty pullable but not overcooked and dry. That's a big piece of it, keeping the ham moist. I do inject, and I do use foil. Frankly, I've been back and forth a few times over the years as to preference. I think I get burnt out on one and have gone to the other. Matter of fact, think I'll do a hog (but in pieces) cook this summer. I like the idea; 2 whole 22# shoulders, 2 whole 22# fresh hams, perhaps a case of babybacks...

I agree that a ham is pullable in the 190's, I have done a few like this. The main reason I was asking is that around here where I live all the BBQ joints seem to serve chopped/pulled ham. While it is good I just prefer the butt/shoulder. The flavor to me is just so much better.

Thanks everyone for all the input.

[K80Shooter]

Originally Posted by martyleach

Allright so I am certainly not the expert here but I sure am interested. The shoulder has a really nice(high) fat content and hams (picnics?) don't. I have never cooked a ham, but it would seem to me that it needs to be cooked quite differently than a shoulder. Advice??

I'm not an expert by no means but cooking a fresh ham is not much different than a butt or shoulder. They can be cooked either with the skin on or the skin removed. The last one I cooked I left the skin on and cooked inderect at about 225*. All the exposed meat was rubbed before going on the smoker. It took about 16 hours to cook a 20lb ham but it was well worth the wait. Was done at about 195* internal. Pulled and chopped almost like a butt.

[Gnaws on Pigs]

Originally Posted by K80Shooter

I'm not an expert by no means but cooking a fresh ham is not much different than a butt or shoulder. They can be cooked either with the skin on or the skin removed. The last one I cooked I left the skin on and cooked inderect at about 225*. All the exposed meat was rubbed before going on the smoker. It took about 16 hours to cook a 20lb ham but it was well worth the wait. Was done at about 195* internal. Pulled and chopped almost like a butt.

Yep. I usually cook at more like 250-275*, though.

[Lake Dogs]

> hams (picnics?)

Nope. A whole shoulder is the combination of a boston butt (the top piece of the shoulder, usually to include a little piece of neck muscle known to many as the "money muscle") and a picnic (sometimes called a shoulder, or picnic shoulder) at the bottom end, the whole thing being from the front leg of the pig.

The ham is actually from the back leg portion of the pig.

[JohnHB]

[QUOTE=Carolina gamecock;2327180]I like big butts and I can not lie...


I prefer tight butts but maybe I am misunderstanding the comment!!!!

[jestridge]

butts for me, but ham does ok, fresh hams are hard to find plus more $$$