CUT OF THE MONTH

PICNIC SHOULDER

Don’t confuse this cut with its sexier cousin Boston Butt (which isn’t anywhere near the behind of the pig, which is actually the ham. Ugh. Now my head hurts).

The picnic (and butt) come from the pigs shoulder. The Picnic subprimal is a muscle that is worked a lot (except if you have lazy pigs like we do). Like any muscle that’s worked a lot, there is some connective tissue and strong muscle fibers you need to navigate. But don’t fear, cooked right and this 5-10lb hunk of meat will be the juiciest, most flavorful pork you’ve put in your mouth.

Cook low and slow. No need to get in a rush. Especially at its full size, cooking will take all day. We like this cut on a smoker best as the extra fat and additional flavor of the meat lend well to a long smoke. No mushy pork here, what comes out after all that work is some serious meaty texture.

Depending on our butcher, we really like to keep the skin on the picnic. Get a good sear on the skin and that crunchy “cracklin” will be in your dreams for weeks. If you’re not a fan of skin, no worries, we have that too.

And when you make carnitas, stews, grind it for meatballs, put it on top of a pizza, smoke it, or make BBQ pulled pork, we’ll expect an invite to the dinner table.

It’s sometimes hard to find this cut in a regular grocery store because it’s Boston Butt cousin sells so well. But you know where you can get it: Pilaroc Meats. Reserve yours for the 4th of July.