Dealt with this questions with my Students all the time. " Why is the front leg a Shoulder, the shoulder a Butt and the butt a Ham? " The word HAM comes from Old English (circa 1630's) Hamm, which refered to the Hollow or Bend behind the Knee. The back leg is generically refered to as a Ham with distinction being made as to Fresh or Cured/Smoked. Further distictions are made between Brined/Injected and smoked City Hams and Dry Cured/Aged smoked Country Hams. As for the others, the lesser cuts those other than Loins and Hams, were packed in casks called Butts with salt (1700's). The style of removing the upper shoulder from the front leg was popularized in Boston. So put it together as was the common practice, over time Boston Butt became the recognized name every where in the states, except Boston. My MIL born in Boston called a BButt a Shoulder and the Shoulder a Picnic, Confused the heck out me when my wife said her Mom made a great Shoulder Roast and I brought home a lower front leg and got Dirty Looks and comments about not knowing what to buy. There is less info on calling the Lower Leg the Shoulder. Best I have found was during the initial processing of a Hog you cut it into Hams, Loins, Bellies, Shoulders and Head. The cuts are further broken down with the Shoulder having the more desirable BButt removed. The cuts were Generically called Shoulder by Butchers in different parts of the country. Under the National Association of Meat Purveyors the convention was nationally Codified . For instance NAMPS # 405 Shoulder, Picnic and 406 Shoulder, Boston Butt. Hope this clears things up..JJ
