Bone in picnic shoulder 7/4/14

[Porkchop]

so, i used to be a fan of the boston butt, as i am a cheapskate, and thought it best to throw away as little as possible.  so, i avoided the picnic shoulder for a long time.  the bone does something to the meat that is just better imho than a semi-boneless cut like a butt.  the thing that used to bother me was that you can't eat the bone or the skin flap on top.  now, i think of both those items in the same way as i think of flavor wood or lump charcoal; i don't eat either of those items, but use them to make my pork tasty.  same deal.  for them that use foil, that skin flap accomplishes the same thing; it keeps that top moist and delishus.  and the bone thru the center of the roast adds a flavor that you just can't get with a butt, and it cooks better and faster.

anyhow, here's some pics on the prep.  basically, i cut the skin flap away from the roast most of the way, apply copious amounts of rub, and then put the flap back over it.  woooo.  big secret.

 

[tony b]

This is exactly why we've missed you, Porkchop. Welcome back to the Forum!

[dstr8]

Porkchop:  I've never, yet, cooked a picnic shoulder but do plenty of bone-in butts and agree the bone-in variant, even within the butt category, makes a positive flavor difference (like chops and any other cut too).  

 

Is the cooked meat texture, of a picnic shoulder, similar to a butt cut?  

[Syzygies]

Yes, Butt + Picnic = Whole Shoulder. At least half a dozen different muscles each, and I like the picnic every bit as much as the butt.
 
Rather that doing two butts (or picnics) I'll request a whole shoulder, which makes for a nicely monumental presentation. It's pre-order at my usual haunts. If you get someone new, they'll likely go lowest common denominator, and assume you want a butt. So I usually review Dem Bones with them to make sure they know what I mean.
 
At Berkeley Bowl once, they tried to hand me a Cryovac'd pair of butts as a whole shoulder. I caught it in the store, there was an odd symmetry. Picnic doesn't look that much like butt.

[tony b]

"Dem Bones" - too demmed funny!!

[Porkchop]

right on, syz!  sometimes them meat men ain't really meat men.  gotta know your cuts!  the meat texture is the same as a butt as far as i can see destr8, but the flavor is a bit different (i like it better)...  i don't wanna use "umami" as i don't think i have a full grasp of this mysterious term, but i think more "unctious" is probably what i wanna say.  more bone gives more bone flavor, i guess.  can't beat meat on a bone

[tony b]

So tempted to make an off-color joke about that last statement, Porkchop, but I'll refrain in the name of Forum Decorum!

[Loquitur]

C'mon Tony - don't quit now! Love your humor!!! 

 

                                                                                        Susan

[Loquitur]

I'm going to do my first whole shoulder for a party this coming weekend for my nephew's graduation. I called the order in to the butcher department of my nice farmer's market not expecting to have any trouble with the order. I told him a I wanted a whole pork shoulder, about 20 lbs, with the butt and picnic still attached. He shouts out to the room "Lady wants a 20 lb picnic". YIKES!! I might have really pushed my luck asking him to trim the skin from the butt and leave it on the picnic. I think I got it straightened out but we'll see what I get.

[tony b]

Good Luck, Susan. I know how lucky I am to have a great butcher at my Farmers' Market. I just tell him what I need and he gets it. Sure, I'm paying more than at the local supermarket, but it's better quality and I get exactly what I want. So worth it!

[Porkchop]

here's a couple pics of bone-in picnic shoulders.  these came out just great; did them together in a roasting pan, and the juices basically confitted (?) the pork.  best pulled pork i've done yet.  also did them skin down to see what would happen, and the skin basically dissolved, except for a few pieces that stuck to the bottom of the pan.  drippings were reserved and separated using a gravy separator.  fat was kept for frying up some potatoes, and the drippings were added back to the pull.  this is my favorite way to do it.  probably not considered bbq by some, but i can't argue with the results...

[dstr8]

^ will try!

[mk1]

I will try that too.....mmmmmm

[Loquitur]

Appreciate the pictures Porkchop. I was thinking about doing my shoulder this weekend in a pan since I saw someone on youtube do it for the juices to use them the way you do. I'm not a big sauce person and mixing in the juices back in is appealing to me.  Do you mind me asking roughly what size they were, what temp you cooked at and how long it took?

 

While I was looking at the youtube videos I came across one where the fellow was commenting on how great his grill was smoking. It was a POSK with smoke pouring out everywhere - top, sides, lower part - I even thought I saw smoke coming out of the legs!!  Couldn't believe my eyes!!

 

                                                                                             Susan

[Porkchop]

they were both pretty big, like 8# plus, and i did them at around 225 for about, like 12 hours (?)...  i REALLY don't pay as close attention to the time; i just keep checking when i get close and wiggle that bone.  if it feels right, i take it off.  all things being equal, the picnic will run faster than a boston butt.  i think it's because the bone runs thru more of the roast than on a boston.  as far as the POSK; guy's gotta be a trooper.  ultimately, it comes down to the pitmaster.  but it sure is nice that KK takes the rocks outta your pockets when it comes to bbq.

[Smokydave]

Last few times I did butt (no comments please), I got a cryo pak from Costco and they were about 8# a piece.  I cook at 250 until the stall, then put them in the pan with two bottles of dark beer.  Foil and take to 195-205.  Like Porkchop, I strain the liquid and add back.  It gives a super nice flavor--the dark beer compliments the pork perfectly.

[Loquitur]

I went to pick up my 20 lb  whole shoulder this afternoon and was told that the person at the farm who took the orders was on vacation and my order didn't come in so sorry about that. He also said he called me this AM to let me know but I checked all my phone lines and had no messages from them - so yeah, right. Anyway,rolling with the punches as best I could, I picked up 2 picnic roasts, skin on one side, one 9.8 lbs and the other 9.7 lbs.  My problem is that I wanted a whole shoulder to get the KK going Friday AM between 10:00 and 11:00 figuring the whole shoulder would take 20 to 24 hours and be done Sat by mid morning, kept in a cooler and then pulled at approx 3:00 Sat. The latest I can deal with setting up and lighting the  KK on Friday is about 2:30 PM which is too early for these roasts though I will have a few minutes later in the day to simply put something on the grill or take something off. So I'm thinking I have 2 3lb whole chicken breasts that I could put on the KK before the picnic roasts and then I could put the picnic roasts on a bout 7:00 PM. I will prep them tonight so all I will have to do at 7:00 tomorrow evening is remove the chicken breasts and put the roasts on the grill. I'm thinking of setting my Stoker at 215 which should result in a 225 to 235 Tel Tru. I can always bump up the Stoker temp from inside my house if the Stoker temp and Tru Tel equalize. I know there are no sure predictions on how long the picnic roasts might take but I am fine with bumping up the temps Sat morning or wrapping them in foil if I need to get them done. I'm not sure how long I might need to give those chicken breasts assuming I put them on at 3:00 PM Friday but 4 hours sounds like a LOT and if it isn't enough, I can finish them in the oven later. So whaddayathink???  

[Loquitur]

   The picnic shoulder cook went very well. I was able to juggle things around to light the KK at 7:30 and add the roasts at 8:00, Stoker 235 Tru Tel 240 with 1 apricot chunk and 2 peach chunks from Fruita. The first one was done at 11:00 and the second one at noon. I can't post pictures on this forum but Tony graciously and generously is going to try to post them for me.

 

    When both roasts were in the pan the juices were almost overflowing. It looked to me like it was almost all fat and was kind of offputting so I was surprised to find that actually it was only 1/4 fat. The defatted juices were excellent for mixing back in after pulling and even if someone didn't care to mix them back in, they would make a wonderful stock. I saved the fat as well. Sunday morning I was making sausage gravy for a British Open breakfast and I tossed a spoonful of the fat in a hot pan to saute some onions. It started to sizzle immediately and the aroma was heavenly!! Its hard to believe I've been throwing all that out - never again!!

 

      I did one roast skin side up and one skin side down. I preferred the skin side up one because the bark on the skin side down one was tough and dry in spots and I don't know if this is the texture bark should be or not.  Next time I'll follow Pork chops instructions better and cut the flap of skin back so I can put the rub on the meat and then cover it with the fat and have the delicious rub flavor on the soft and juicy interior meat. I do think these roasts had a slightly less smoky flavor than other ones I've done on the grate which may have to do with cooking them in the pan.

 

     Thanks for all your help. It was a big hit at the party!!

 

                                                                                                                                Susan

 

 

[Porkchop]

NICE!