butt vs sholder for pulled pork

[Grumpy's Q]

I've always used boston butts for pulled pork. Albertsons has pork sholders for .99 cents a pound. I've seen both used in posts. Is there any difference for pulled pork between the two? Advise comments suggestions. I need to cook one for my brother in law this weekend.

As always thanks!

 

[Arlin_MacRae]

Mike, I've used both and not seen any difference, to tell the truth. I'm not a purist like some, though.

 

[Kevin]

Arlin, purist, shurmist. (Just messing with ya bro, I read the pooper thread a few minutes ago and understand the segue). The butt is great. Whole shoulder is great. Cook em' up and eat. The shoulder has a lower price per pound because it has a big azz leg bone that you are paying for. The whole shoulder also has some darker colored muscle that has a slightly stronger pork flavor that I happen to like. Cook, eat, enjoy. It's all good.

 

[bittertruth]

Arlin, purist, shurmist. (Just messing with ya bro, I read the pooper thread a few minutes ago and understand the segue). The butt is great. Whole shoulder is great. Cook em' up and eat. The shoulder has a lower price per pound because it has a big azz leg bone that you are paying for. The whole shoulder also has some darker colored muscle that has a slightly stronger pork flavor that I happen to like. Cook, eat, enjoy. It's all good.

I concur! Pork is just swine by me.

 

[spicewine]

I've used both with no problems. The price sounds right to me!!

 

[Sawdustguy]

If you are buying a whole shoulder you are getting both the Boston Butt and the Picnic cuts. Either cut, the picnic or the butt are equally good for pulled pork. A pork shoulder is a very big cut of meat. I use mostly cook Butts for contests but a contest like Memphis in May requires a whole Shoulder to be cooked. The King of Pork Shoulder Cooks is Chris Lilly who has won Memphis in May a number of times cooking Pork Shoulder.

 

[Bigmista]

Go for it! The shoulder is closer to ham in texture but still really good eats.

 

[nmayeux]

The biggest difference to me is the bones. The shoulder blade in the butt comes out a little easier, but the meat is pretty much all the same. For that price, I'm game!

 

[The_Kapn]

Mike,

"Ditto" to all the great advice above.
They pull just fine with some interesting texture and taste differences throughout the shoulder. YUMMY :lol:

I have not cooked a whole bunch of shoulders, but they do seem to take longer than butts. Meat appears to be a little more "dense".
You might want to add 10 to 20% to your "butt" cook time.
If they are done early--the dry cooler is still your friend :lol:
Sure beats being late.

TIM

 

[HoDeDo]

you may be getting a butt.... Our grocery store never sells whole shoulder... usually when they advertise shoulder, it usually ends up being boston butt. But either is fine for pulled pork in my experience. I think as I mentioned in another recent thread on butts before... I like using BRTs!

 

[G$]

you may be getting a butt.... Our grocery store never sells whole shoulder... usually when they advertise shoulder, it usually ends up being boston butt.

Amen to this, in my opinion. There are regional differneces and fine lines involved.

 

[BBQ_MAFIA]

I've used both and they pull great.

In the summer our local Shop Rite store put the picnic shoulder on sale for 49 cents a pound. Thats when the freezer gets loaded up.

 

[Bill-Chicago]

Pork shoulder picnic is NOT the same as shoulder butt.

I, and others, have written about this many a time. Something labeled pork shoulder could be a butt, or a butt/picnic.

I spent plenty of time on the phone with Pooh and he said (with a shoulder picnic), do you feel that slightly harder muscle that refuses to pull?

Yep it was there every time. Chop that, don't try to pull it.

Other than that, butt vs shoulder vs picnic is semantics

 

[G$]

Pork shoulder picnic is NOT the same as shoulder butt.

I, and others, have written about this many a time. Something labeled pork shoulder could be a butt, or a butt/picnic.

I spent plenty of time on the phone with Pooh and he said (with a shoulder picnic), do you feel that slightly harder muscle that refuses to pull?

Yep it was there every time. Chop that, don't try to pull it.

Other than that, butt vs shoulder vs picnic is semantics

I think we agree. Point is, something here labeled, and I quote, "Pork Shoulder Blade Roast" can really be the butt cut. It does not include a picninc portion.

 

[Sawdustguy]

Pork shoulder picnic is NOT the same as shoulder butt.

I, and others, have written about this many a time. Something labeled pork shoulder could be a butt, or a butt/picnic.

I spent plenty of time on the phone with Pooh and he said (with a shoulder picnic), do you feel that slightly harder muscle that refuses to pull?

Yep it was there every time. Chop that, don't try to pull it.

Other than that, butt vs shoulder vs picnic is semantics

I agree Bill. From what I understand a "whole shoulder" is half Picnic and half Boston Butt. When the whole sholder is separated it is cut into a Boston Butt and a Picnic. The food stores tend to incorrectly call them both shoulder.

Check out http://www.eaglequest.com/~bbq/faq/10.html section 10.1.2

 

[G$]

I agree Bill. From what I understand a "whole shoulder" is half Picnic and half Boston Butt. When the whole sholder is separated it is cut into a Boston Butt and a Picnic. The food stores tend to incorrectly call them both shoulder.

Check out http://www.eaglequest.com/~bbq/faq/10.html section 10.1.2

I think we agree. Point is, something here labeled, and I quote, "Pork Shoulder Blade Roast" can really be just the butt cut. It does not include a picninc portion. Just sayin' .....

 

[Bill-Chicago]

Sorry Sawdust, I think I missed your post #6 here.

Part of my post was redundant.

My point, was watch out for that "hammy" type hunk of meat that needs to be chopped, then added to what you have pulled.

Either way, theres nothing "bad" about pulled pork. One of my favorites.