$$$ · brisket, ribs, pork shoulder, and long smoke cooks
Hold a steady 225°F for twelve hours
Low-and-slow barbecue where stable heat matters more than speed.
Weber Smokey Mountain 18-Inch Charcoal Smoker
Both are from the shoulder and suited to long, slow cooking, but the butt is fattier and more forgiving while the picnic includes the leg bone and has a stronger flavour.
Translation takeaway
These are related cuts, but not perfect swaps. Use the table below to judge how close your local option is before buying.
Keep Boston butt and Picnic shoulder together in your notebook.
Names by country
| Country | Boston butt | Picnic shoulder |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸United States | Boston butt | Picnic shoulder |
| 🇬🇧United Kingdom | Pork shoulder | Hand of pork |
| 🇫🇷France | Épaule de porc | Palette de porc |
| 🇪🇸Spain | Paleta de cerdo | Brazuelo |
| 🇦🇷Argentina | Paleta de cerdo | Brazuelo de cerdo |
| 🇲🇽Mexico | Paleta de cerdo | Brazuelo de cerdo |
| 🇵🇹Portugal | Pá de porco | — |
| 🇧🇷Brazil | Paleta suína | — |
| 🇮🇹Italy | Coppa di spalla | Spalla di maiale |
| 🇩🇪Germany | Schweinekamm | Vorderschinken |
Cook either one well
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