PicNik Roasts?

[ron forst]

Walmart has picnik roasts on sale for $1:58 a pound. Would these be too fatty to smoke for pulled pork?

 

[solaryellow]

No, they work well for pulled pork. I believe the picnic is actually less fatty than the boston butt.

 

[adiochiro3]

That is an ideal cut for PP -- as are Boston Butts!

 

[roller]

Yep I use them all the time..

 

[rbranstner]

They work great. I'd be stocking up for that price. I can't ever find them for that price around here it seems.

 

[ob 1]

Wow - I agree that's a good price.  Picnic's are great.  Now please have your Wal Mart tell mine to use the same pricing scheme!!!I just picked up two picni's at $1.89lb.

 

[sprky]

Yep no problem using them.  I buy which ever is the cheapest butts or picnics. Some say there is a difference in flavor between the two cuts. However I can't tell there is any, but I have never done a side by side compression ether so there may be some, just not alot.

 

[graystratcat]

I live in pork country and trust me... that is a great price if it's decent meat...

Like the others said, butts or picnics both make great smoked PP....the picnic is going to typically have more bone mass so you won't get the yield of finished product as you would with a butt.  You might want to factor that into your plans.

Don't forget to post some q-view after your smoke!

-Salt

Edited to add, you may also want to check if at that price it has all the skin/rind on it.  If it does, you're getting that great price because you're paying for skin/rind....be careful about the trick of only trimming enough skin off that shows from the top of the package.  I've seen this before.  Great price but when you take it out, the bottom is still in full skin/rind.  Not that it's a bad thing... just less meat you can actually eat....you may also want to check to see if it's been 'enhanced'.. i.e., pumped with saline or other water based products... it inflates the total sale weight....

 

[bucketobones]

I've never been really happy with the bone in picnic roast (more of a boston butt fan), but then again, they all make a pretty good pan of PP in the end.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Picnics are great just less yield that Butts, about 50% weight loss after cooking and waste removed...JJ

 

[pops6927]

There is a little more intense flavor in the picnic as the muscles provide locomotion to the front hooves of the pig, making it leaner and harder working.

You can process the additional gifts that the picnic provides.  Trim off the fat cover and skin.  Separate the fat from the skin by skinning the fat off in strips.  Grind the fat once through the grinder, then put in pans and into a 300° oven or in your smoker to render the fat down (remove moisture from it) then pour into containers to freeze; you now have the VERY BEST lard for making pies and doughs!  See my Leg to Ham link in my sig line, shows how I did the same process with a hind leg to a ham.

Then, cut up the skin into pieces and deepfry, either in the lard you just made or oil and make cracklin's - deep fried pork skins!  Be sure to season them with your favorite rub before frying and add some more afterwards to season, and don't be too picky on getting all the fat off, a little stuck to it adds some more goodness!

Even after smoking, there is still lots of goodness left in the remaining bones; don't throw them out, boil them along with any pork bones from butts you have frozen (I save all mine) for soup or stew stock!  Let the stock cool, then freeze in ziploc freezer bags.  Pull out and let thaw in hot water quickly and make a soup!

Oh yes, enjoy the pulled pork, too!

 

[thin blue smoke]

I've never been really happy with the bone in picnic roast (more of a boston butt fan), but then again, they all make a pretty good pan of PP in the end.

     X2

 

[smokinhusker]

That's the everyday price for them at our Walmart and now I know they make good PP. Thanks

 

[bruno994]

Picnics (pork shoulders) are all I have ever use for pulled pork.  Mainly due to a local chain around here (Market Basket) puts them on sale about once a month for .89 or .99 cents per pound.  I usually pick up 2 or 3 everytime they are on sale.  I have never weighed the end product to get my yield, sounds like a good project for my next smoke!  Yield of pork butt, versus pork shoulder (picnic).   

 

[ron forst]

I just prepped them and am cold smoking them for about ten hours and then will finish in the oven. They did have a thick layer of lard that I mostly trimmed from the bottom before putting the smoke to them, I figure without weighing it probably 2 pounds max off three roats, so I didnt lose much, depending how big the bone is but they look like a really nice hunk of meat all the same

 

[rbranstner]

Your going to want to make sure the temps don't go above 40 degrees in the meat otherwise you will be in the danger zone way to long and could run into issues. Unless you cured it then you don't have to worry.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Are these Picnics Cured in any way or do you Always Cold Smoke Uncured Meat????... You are in MN so what will you generate Smoke with and what will the Smoker temp be the whole time..For Safety sake...JJ

 

[ron forst]

I have a 4x4x6 foot smoke house, and I use an Amazen smoker for smoke generation, its 35 degrees outside as i type this, I'm sure there is no danger of temp getting too high, but I will keep an eye on it

 

[chef jimmyj]

Outstanding....That should do a great job and will be safe...Thanks...JJ

 

[rbranstner]

I have a 4x4x6 foot smoke house, and I use an Amazen smoker for smoke generation, its 35 degrees outside as i type this, I'm sure there is no danger of temp getting too high, but I will keep an eye on it

Isn't that the beauty of living up North here you can actually cold smoke meat in the winter and you don't have to worry about the temps getting too high. Actually we usually have the opposite issue where the meat wants to freeze and you need to get a little heat into the smoker. All and all it's been a wonderful winter so far compared to other years.