Best way to portion a Boston Butt?

[SaltPorkResearch]

So, meat prices remain high... I keep coming back to Boston butts. I just can't beat the price.

How do you guys cut up a pork butt for portions? Any good tricks?

I have been trying different ways to make cuts out of them which might improve their usefulness as a primary "we eat this all the time" thing. This applies mostly to curing and then cold smoking.

Curing and smoking gives me a reason to pursue this in some volume. I just can't beat cold smoked pork for ease and convince.

Currently, best practice has been rolling out the "copa" off the blade, deboning, and making a little slab of mock bacon. The rest is used to make little pieces of experimental cure recipes or super spicy "Tasso" like creations.

One picture of my current method. I am open to suggestions.

 

[zwiller]

Still playing here but totally agree you should break down and play around. Mine is mostly coppa then chaos LOL. Nice job. Lately doing half for roasts and the other half sausage. OH MAN super spicy tasso sounds good! Just saw a video and I might try. 45deg cut RIGHT at blade bone and get 3-4 pork steaks and trim. Chunk with bone you smoke/pull. Probably some room in there for sausage too.

 

[SaltPorkResearch]

Still playing here but totally agree you should break down and play around. Mine is mostly coppa then chaos LOL. Nice job. Lately doing half for roasts and the other half sausage. OH MAN super spicy tasso sounds good! Just saw a video and I might try. 45deg cut RIGHT at blade bone and get 3-4 pork steaks and trim. Chunk with bone you smoke/pull. Probably some room in there for sausage too.

Yah, no great way to do it, but always trying to improve.

45 deg. cut you say....might give that a try.

I stopped messing with every little piece for a while when I was curing and smoking, but then I realized those were my favorite pieces to enjoy. I didn't feel like I was disturbing the real prize, just nibbling on the little pieces. Quite convenient when they are all hung up nice and there for the taking!

Thanks for the input!

 

[Elf@shore]

Yah, no great way to do it, but always trying to improve.

45 deg. cut you say....might give that a try.

I stopped messing with every little piece for a while when I was curing and smoking, but then I realized those were my favorite pieces to enjoy. I didn't feel like I was disturbing the real prize, just nibbling on the little pieces. Quite convenient when they are all hung up nice and there for the taking!

Thanks for the input!

I have done Pork Butts for pulled pork.
If you leave the bone when cooking it adds flavor !
EX: Pork chops with the bone in, provide a better flavor ! Also insulate the meats from drying out.
Not sure if this applies to Yur smoke ?
Thats my 2C !

 

[LoydB]

I smoke the whole thing, pull it, then portion it 8 oz into vac sealed bags and freeze. On nights when I feel like minimal cooking, I can reheat in a sous vide bath and bake a couple of potatoes for it, or just grab tortillas for tacos. It is pretty much the last really affordable cut that white people haven't ruined by discovering it :) - see oxtail, skirt steak, etc.

 

[chef k-dude]

I take it off the bone as carefully as possible (if I read this right, you were not asking about cutting or pulling after cooking, right?) then use the most intact meat to first cut real nice "country ribs" lengths, then cut some of the other "primish" meat in to chunks for skewers (think souvlaki). Everything else runs through the grinder for ground pork...I use that for making Chorizo and other "sausage", etc..

This reminds me..."brat burgers" need to go on my "to-do" list. Making my own with ground pork would be the way to go instead of de-casing store-bought.

 

[zwiller]

This reminds me..."brat burgers" need to go on my "to-do" list. Making my own with ground pork would be the way to go instead of de-casing store-bought.

DO IT. These are big here. Local markets here sell it loose. I've tried a few but prefer Thuringer (garlic caraway). AC Leggs brat mixes are excellent as well and on Amazon. Used these a ton before getting into making my own. I found Leggs to be better than most posted formulas.

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t...h-coarse-grain-mustard-on-pretzel-bun.311151/