Boneless Pork Shoulder

West River BBQ

West River BBQ

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Hi all. I was at my local butcher and asked for two Boston Butts in the ten pound range. I was surprised when the owner brought back boneless butts. Except for the argument about whether having bone-in meat makes for better flavor (not interested in that discussion), is there any down side to this? My intention will be to use them for competition (these are practice items) and so I'm wondering about trimming. They're in cryo-packs now, so pictures aren't very helpful. Am I overthinking this?
 
West River BBQ said:
Hi all. I was at my local butcher and asked for two Boston Butts in the ten pound range. I was surprised when the owner brought back boneless butts. Except for the argument about whether having bone-in meat makes for better flavor (not interested in that discussion), is there any down side to this? My intention will be to use them for competition (these are practice items) and so I'm wondering about trimming. They're in cryo-packs now, so pictures aren't very helpful. Am I overthinking this?
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You will probably get a wide range of opinions on this..

Personally unless I’m making sausage, I don’t want a boneless butt.

I do believe the bone helps to cook from the inside out and makes for a better product.
 
Bone is better for competition. That's what the judges expect.
I sometimes smoke Boneless Butts at home...
I also sometimes smoke em a little hotter at home. That's how we like em.
In the Winter I like to finish while it's daylight... Hotter equals faster.
 
I also prefer Bone-in Pork Butts. I do use boneless butts when I make Buckboard Bacon, but have been forced to use them for pulled pork when that is the only product available.

There are a couple of ways to know when boneless pork is done:
The first being the poke test; When you stick it with a thermometer, skewer, fork or whatever, and it goes in without little to no resistance like warm butter, it is done.

The second being the tug test; When you have a boneless pork butt, grab a piece of meat with your thumb and index finger and you are able to pull a piece of meat off with minor resistance, it is done.
 
My pup prefers "bone-in"....myself? Pulled pork rocks. I've never noticed much difference, just remember low & slow to 200
 
This summer Shake N Bake posted a video on YouTube showing that he debones his pork butts. He has won a few comps...in case you haven't heard, it's a tenderness competition not flavor. By the time you're done cooking meat for a comp, the small amount of flavor you may get from the bone is unnoticeable.
 
Tuffy Stone (Cool Smoke BBQ) debones his pork butts so I think it's really just preference. Only issue I have is when I buy boneless pork butts they are often pretty savagely butchered, so it makes them pretty useless for competition. If you've got a good butcher then there is nothing to worry about and you should be just fine.
 
Thanks to everyone for the replies. Since my intention is to have a source for larger butts to be used at competitions, I'll be very interested in whether I can trim a money muscle and tubes. I agree that while pork has an excellent flavor, it is somewhat mild and easily hidden by sauces and rubs. I would love to go with a basic seasoning profile at comps, but I think that is too risky. Give them what they want, right?

I've never heard of comps being referred to as a tenderness/texture competition, but it makes sense.

Happy cooking everyone.
 
Check over in the comp forum, there's a similar thread just started there. And alot of smart guys that will have good info. I de bone mine, I have gotten boneless before tho. Its all about trimming to get your desired muscles for turn in, so that they cook to the desired tenderness.
 
Check out the YouTube videos by the National BBQ League. Lot of great info on pork trimming and boxing, plus the other meats as well.
 
Costco by me have boneless, 2/cryopack, so thats what I use, they come out just fine. One good thing about boneless, you cut them in half ( they are already mostly there) you get more bark, and the cook time is greatly reduced. When I can grab a hunk and pull it off, theyre done.
 
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