Hams on sale for Easter, which to buy?

[gabriel]

There are ham shanks and butt portion hams on sale for Easter. I'm looking to stock up as I dont' see them going on sale again til xmas. The shank portion is $.96c/lb and the Butt portion is $1.38/lb. Can anyone tell me a difference or any reason I should get the shank vs the butt?

From smoking boston butts, I can only assume the butt portion will have more fat, which will probably be a good thing. Either way, just looking for some tips. Thanks guys!

 

[rivet]

The butt portion is the top part of the primal cut, so it has more meat to bone ratio and is the meatiest of the two cuts. The "Boston Butt" also can have part of the shoulder blade.

The shank portion is the lower part of that cut you are referring to and has a larger part of the front leg bone, thus more bone to meat ratio.

You can find them also labeled "Blade Shoulder" and "Picnic Shoulder" depending on where you live.

It can get confusing. Check out this website that has images and great descriptions on each of the cuts and will clear up a lot of questions-

It's an online retail site, but just click on the animal you want to learn more about and you'll bet set.

http://www.askthemeatman.com

Hope this helps you!