Boston Butt vs Shoulder vs Picnic?

[JPAP]

When grinding for brats, breakfast sausage, or bulk sausage. I keep reading using Boston butts is the way to go some say shoulder is good also then sometimes I read picnic roast. Does it matter on these don’t they all come from relatively the same cut of meat or area. The front “shoulder and leg” area of the hog?

[Tex_77]

JPAP not a sausage maker, but yes they are all for the most part the same cut of meat.

[Derek_D]

JPAP The Boston Butt is also called a Fresh Shoulder. The Picnic connects to the Boston Butt on the shoulder of the hog before they are separated. The Boston Butt would be better in my opinion because it will have more fat content.

[tarp]

I seem to get more product out of picnic than Boston
Butt, lot cheaper around local also. If just putting in oven to eat I’d use the BB

[Jonathon]

The picnic has a little more of the hock attached as well. Butts are more readily available and less expensive.

[Tex_77]

Jonathon Dillons has them right now for 99 cents/# Got 75# for my first venture into sausage making with a friend.

[tarp]

Wowf for 75ct thats good.picnic r about 99ct but Boston r about 1.30$ here in S.E. TX at least lately

[Tex_77]

tarp I bought 75 pounds of butts at 99 cents. That’s the lowest it has been around here for a while.

[craigrice]

Tex_77 I come across them local here on sale for .99-.89 and I always buy some just to have.

[Tex_77]

craigrice that’s a good plan. I got a couple extra for pulled pork.

[craigrice]

Tex_77 the ones that were .89 were very fatty so I just trimmed them off and froze it for when I need the extra pork fat

[Deepwoodsbutcher]

Most likely when making sausage you’d want to add fat to your block when using a shoulder picnic. Pork butt on the other hand is a bit fatter and usually already about 70/30 (untrimmed). For comparison, a pork butt is equivalent to a chuck roast on beef (a nice fatty cut) and the picnic is the same cut as an English roast on beef (about 85/15). Most meat cuts can be good for sausage making as long as you add the right ratio of good fats. If you have a hard time finding a source for straight fat trim, using the butt (or other fatty cuts like belly or jowels) is the easiest solution.

[lamurscrappy]

Butts /shoulder roast is always my go to. One thing you need to remember price wise is the picnic usually has skin on and a larger bone to pull out then the butts do. So they might equal out closer in price then you think. Even though butts dont need anymore fat added

[lamurscrappy]

If you have access to pork far you can usually pick up cryovak pork sirloin for cheap then add 30% pork fat. Makes very good sausage!

[Jonathon]

craigrice Just want to make sure you are aware that often when pork butts are super cheap they are not trimmed as well and what you froze may have been skin and not fat. Look to see if there are any dimples across the fat that could be hair follicles. I did a social media post on this…I think it was a meat fact Friday somewhere…here it is https://www.facebook.com/149691662246992/posts/2305408499554717

[craigrice]

Jonathon I know the difference between skin and trimmed after working in the busness

[JPAP]

All the butts I have ever seen at dillions have never had any skin on them. I usually get from there while they are on sale. It’s just been a long time it seems like.

I do plan on stocking up I’m the freezer when they do go on sale. Wouldn’t hurt to have 3-4 butts in there.

[Jonathon]

craigrice Sounds good, wasn’t questioning your bona fides, just making sure. I know I made batch a looooong time ago that had skin, not fat in it. I distinctly remember the “fat” grinding weird on it but like an idiot just pushed ahead with it. I still ate them but they did have strange consistency!

[Joe Hell]

Jonathon I’ve experimented with ground skin in several recipes and it adds a great silkiness and melts away but it must be boiled first.