Ok So I've only done well now 4 (I guess if it still counts) Pork butt cooks. I'm in Texas Brisket is King here. I only started trying to do Pork Butt after seeing everyone here cook one. So it takes twice as long as I expected (why did i expect anything else?) When it did finally hit 203 after a 90 min sit in the Cooler. I go to pull out the bone out pops this little thing???? I keep pulling the pork when I see a metal ball no wait its a BONE a Gigantic bone ...Its a ball joint bone??? When it was all said and done there were 3 (2 really small and one large) bones. I go back and watch the intro where I have the hunk still in its plastic wrap. It says Picnic roast pork shoulder!! All those bones together weighed 15.2 oz's almost 1 pound!! I'll pay more attention in the future. (Costco was sold out so I went to the high end store think I'll stick to Costco from now on.) To bad I don't have a dog he could gnaw on that thing for days!
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Last edited by GadjetGriller; April 24, 2017, 01:29 AM. -
How the the pork taste? I've not done a picnic shoulder yet.-
If you want to up the seasoning flavor in your pulled pork, cut the roast into smaller chunks. This gives you more surface area to add rub and develop bark. I usually cut all my butts in half, dry brine overnight, then add rub and smoke the next day. -
Dr ROK I had planned on cutting the Butt in 2 but was doing it on a PBC and with some other stuff (Ribs) so ended up leaving intact. Now If I had tried to it would have tipped me off to that big bone early
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I've only done Boston butts smaller bone LOL.Comment
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Not the stores fault. They had it labeled correctly, and you got what the label said you were getting. a picnic roast, not a pork butt.
Now you know the difference. Live & learn. Hope it was tasty!
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Very True HorseDoctor I'll admit I didn't realize there were 2 types I know there is a City ham and a picnic ham just didn't put the 2 together Now I know! (And knowing is half the battle CBS cares)
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Picked up a pork butt from Costco yesterday. First time from Costco. Had to freeze it because I'm too busy to make it now. If it's like all the other meat from Costco it should be great. I've gotten other pork shoulder from local markets and they hid the fat/skin underneath. I don't mind paying more as long as I get what I'm paying for.Comment
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Just think of the bones as pig gadgets.
They make it easier for the pigs to walk. 
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You cooked a shoulder picnic which has that large bone in it. Next time cook a shoulder butt (Boston Butt) which has a much smaller bone and will be more moist. The picnic usually sells dirt cheap on sale In Texas - less than a dollar a pound. The butt is more like $1.50 on sale. They both will cook similar to a brisket in cook time.
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Thanks LA Pork Butt was wondering about the difference. It is a little dry but as stated earlier that's what BBQ sauce is for!!
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I've smoked one shoulder picnic in my life and declared that there will NEVER be another anywhere near my house.
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I do smithfield pork shoulder butt roasts all the time and they and have not had a bad one yet. I dry brine for a couple days which helps. I have never used the picnic and from the sound of it I won't. If you watch for sales you can get it at 99 cents/lb.Comment
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I've used picnic roasts more than once, and they turn out just fine. The entire front leg of the pig is called the pork shoulder. If you find one of those, they'll frequently weigh between 15 and 20 pounds. When they are split, the upper portion is the Boston Butt, and the lower portion is the Picnic roast. The picnic has more connective tissue and more musculature, as it's more of the part that the pig uses to walk.
In general, the picnics are larger than the butts, are cheaper, and have more bone. Done right, they are just as tasty, but they do take longer to cook. Since they are cheaper per pound and there's less net weight (due to larger amount of bone) as a percentage of gross weight, I think the overall cost for dinner is actually a little less. But, I have learned that at ~225° I need about 2 hours per pound to get them finished. The butts usually weigh between 5 and 9 pounds, the picnics range 8 to 15. So, if the number of mouths to feed calculates to a picnic, use the picnic. Even more, use the entire shoulder, or two Boston Butts.
Country style ribs usually come from the picnic roast.
Best regards,
Jim
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The only down side to doing picnics is the prep, getting that skin off can be tough. They make great pulled pork!Comment
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The one thing I'm noticing is that the joint is a "ball and socket" joint, which is only in the hip, but it's way too short to be a ham bone unless it came from a potbelly pig....lol. Not anywhere near the front shoulder. I could be wrong.Comment
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If you are referring to the pix posted by GadjetGriller, that "ball" is the top of the humerus (arm bone) and forms a ball & socket type joint with the scapula (shoulder joint). Definitely front leg!
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