which is better for pure pork sausage ?

[cal1956]

my goal is to make pure pork country smoked sausage but I'm not sure what meat to use , is a Boston butt or a pork shoulder the better choice ?

I'm new so I am still trying to figure things out and avoid as many mistakes as I can ahead of time

 

[rgautheir20420]

These 2 cuts are practically the same cut of meat in that they provide a nice meat/fat ratio. You're good using either. Just do a little trimming and your dicing it of some of the sinew and you're good.

 

[cal1956]

 had no idea that these were that same , I have several Boston butts in the freezer already 

thanks for the fast reply

 

[chef willie]

IMO picnics have more connective tissue, a bigger bone and major skin to deal with. They are great to smoke. For sausage making I always use butts even though a little more expensive. Costco has great pricing on boneless butts, perfect for sausage making, if there is one near you....Willie

 

[coffee_junkie]

Boston Butt is another name for pork shoulder.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Use a butt, just bout perfect meat to fat ratio

 

[bluewhisper]

I have a butt waiting for the grinder. I might do that today while the 6-year-old kid is here, might blow his mind.

 

[rgautheir20420]

 
I have a butt waiting for the grinder. I might do that today while the 6-year-old kid is here, might blow his mind.

My 2 and a half year old son was watching me last time as a ground up chicken for sausage. It was real cute. Yours might even be able to help!

 

[bluewhisper]

 
My 2 and a half year old son was watching me last time as a ground up chicken for sausage. It was real cute. Yours might even be able to help!

I could pull out the Chop-Rite #10 hand-crank that I tried to turn as a kid about that age. My father and grandfather would snitch ground beef and put it raw on rye bread with salt and shots of vodka, and laugh at me.

Dangit, I don't have rye bread.

 

[rgautheir20420]

Sounds like a good time to me. Can't wait till he's alittle older and able to fully participate.

 

[tigerregis]

Coffee Junkie, a shoulder is broken into Boston butt (top) and picnic (bottom with arm bone). Butt is not synonymous with shoulder.
This for the benefit of new smokers.

 

[cal1956]

I go to Sams club a lot and that's where I buy my Boston Butts ,  I'm glad i found this site . it hopefully will save me from wasting a lot of money

 by learning from folks like you that have been doing this for a while .. meat is just to expensive to experiment with without having a fair chance of success

 

[boykjo]

Coffee Junkie, a shoulder is broken into Boston butt (top) and picnic (bottom with arm bone). Butt is not synonymous with shoulder.
This for the benefit of new smokers.

 

[tjrr]

Around here (Illinois/Wisconsin) most places seem to have dropped the "Boston." It's either pork butt or sometimes shoulder butt or more rarely, shoulder roast. Then there's picnic or sometimes picnic shoulder for the other piece. You'll definitely get a better yield out of a butt. By selecting carefully for one cut with a fairly small bone, you could wind up with only about 10% waste (assuming you grind in most or all of the outside fat.) Picnic has a huge bone and sometimes some kinda nasty clumps of soft fat. Plus here it's usually sold with skin covering at least part of the shank. I'd estimate that paying 30-35% more per lb for butt will be a better deal in the end unless you have a use for the bone. Butt is also a lot easier to debone and cut into grinder-size pieces if you have a small grinder.

 

[comosmoker]

I have a question for you guys.  I have 3ft. link of sausage I just got yesterday from the local butcher.  I have never smoked sausage before.  Does anyone use seasoning or rub while smoking the sausage?  I wouldn't think so, but I was just curious.  Thanks!  

 

[Bearcarver]

Coffee Junkie, a shoulder is broken into Boston butt (top) and picnic (bottom with arm bone). Butt is not synonymous with shoulder.
This for the benefit of new smokers.

Yup----Boston Butt is the best part of the shoulder.

And around here the Boston Butt is about 20 to 40 cents a pound more than the picnic.

Bear

 

[crazymoon]

 
I have a question for you guys.  I have 3ft. link of sausage I just got yesterday from the local butcher.  I have never smoked sausage before.  Does anyone use seasoning or rub while smoking the sausage?  I wouldn't think so, but I was just curious.  Thanks!  

CSM, If there is no cure in the sausage then you CAN"T smoke it without fear of food poisoning. It is best to treat it as fresh sausage and cook it quickly on the grill or fry pan if you don't know what your ingredients are .

 

[Bearcarver]

 
CSM, If there is no cure in the sausage then you CAN"T smoke it without fear of food poisoning. It is best to treat it as fresh sausage and cook it quickly on the grill or fry pan if you don't know what your ingredients are .

As for Seasonings, You can use some, but it shouldn't be necessary, because the butcher should have used one of his seasoning mixes when he made the sausage.

Bear

 

[comosmoker]

Thank you Crazy and Bear for the suggestions And reply!