# Is a Pork Shoulder Blade Roast the same as a Butt?



## reeko (Jan 6, 2010)

Have never seen a Butt per se here at the supermarket. But, Safeway has Pork Blade Shoulder Roasts on sale this we at $1.69 /lb I think.

Is this the same as a Butt?
(I want to try Buckboard Bacon and wasn't sure what to use).

Thanks
Rick


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## placebo (Jan 6, 2010)

Yup same thing. For BBB I like to use the boneless ones myself.


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## mballi3011 (Jan 6, 2010)

Yepper thats a butt. If you were making Buckboard Bacon out of it I would use it cause it will be cheaperthen a boneless piece of meat.


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## reeko (Jan 6, 2010)

Isn't the Butt the right cut for BBB?

Also, do people split the roast to get longer thinner pieces of bacon?
Do people slice the BBB in a particular way to get typical bacon like slices?


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## placebo (Jan 6, 2010)

Yes the butt is the right cut, it is a mystery as to why they call the shoulder a butt, go figure. As mballi pointed out the butt with the bone in is considerably less expensive than a boneless butt so if cost is an issue then the bone in is the way to go. I've never tried to get it to slice like store bought bacon, I'm more after the flavor! That said it tends to taste more like Canadian bacon than store bought bacon to me but that may just be me.


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## freshmeat (Jan 6, 2010)

Many more here much more qualified than myself; however I just knocked one out and have some pics.

The first pic is intact roast out of wrapper.  I did split roast in half lengthwise (split top from bottom) after trimming and removing the bone...it just appeared meat had natural fall line to cut in half.  The split shot below was before cure applied.  Go for it, you will be making your second batch shortly after your first (unless you are spatterson and crank out 45 pounds at a time
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






)


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## reeko (Jan 6, 2010)

Perfect,
Thanks for the pics.

Do you agree that it tastes about the same as CB? If so I will wait since I have 14# of CB curing right now to smoke this weekend.


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## freshmeat (Jan 6, 2010)

Again, many on here with much more experience than myself that will chime in I'm sure.  

My BBB did not taste like the CB I have made.  Both are awesome and neither last long...eggs benedict made with this CB will blow your lid.  I smoked all of my CB to internal temps of 160* so no further cooking is needed.  I have not tried pulling CB at 140* internal temp, and then frying before eating.  To me BBB does have a different taste profile depending on how thick you slice it before frying; it seems (to me) that a thicker slice has a more ham like flavor.  Go for both!


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## pineywoods (Jan 6, 2010)

The loin is much leaner than the butt and you should notice quite a bit of difference in taste


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## pops6927 (Jan 7, 2010)

Two entirely different muscle groups used in different ways by the animal.  That's what determines flavors in the meat (along with what hormones release in each muscle group, etc.) plus how much verigated fat (marbling), how much the muscle is used, what feed it's had, any fattening agents, sex, was it confined for fattening, and so on - tons of different factors.

From Wikipedia:

History of the name and cut








American cuts of pork


It is said that in pre-revolutionary New England and into the Revolutionary War, some pork cuts (not those highly valued, or "high on the hog," like loin and ham) were packed into casks or barrels (also known as "butts") for storage and shipment.[2] The way the hog shoulder was cut in the Boston area became known in other regions as "Boston butt".


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## the dude abides (Jan 7, 2010)

Off topic I know.  But I love this picture from JDT's signatre.  thought of it when I saw pops diagram


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## morkdach (Jan 7, 2010)

yes & alot of good answers here thanks for the 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 i learned from this myself!!!


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