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CarnitasvsPicnic shoulder

pork · Close equivalent

These cuts are closely equivalent — the same or nearly identical cut across different butchery traditions.

Picnic shoulder is the other traditional carnitas cut, often used alongside or instead of the butt.

Translation takeaway

These are near equivalents in the way butchers and cooks use them. If you can source either one, you're very close to the same result.

Open CarnitasOpen Picnic shoulderSee substitutes
Keep this comparisonSave Carnitas and Picnic shoulder together for shopping, cooking notes, and future reference.
Carnitas
Pork · Leg

Carnitas is a Mexican preparation of pork in which large pieces of pork — typically shoulder and leg — are slowly braised or simmered in lard or their own fat until tender, then…

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Picnic shoulder
Pork · Shoulder

The picnic shoulder is the lower half of the pork shoulder, below the Boston butt. It includes the leg bone and more connective tissue than the butt, making it ideal for long…

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Names by country

CountryCarnitasPicnic shoulder
🇺🇸United StatesCarnitasPicnic shoulder
🇬🇧United KingdomHand of pork
🇫🇷FrancePalette de porc
🇪🇸SpainBrazuelo
🇦🇷ArgentinaBrazuelo de cerdo
🇲🇽MexicoCarnitasBrazuelo de cerdo
🇮🇹ItalyCarnitasSpalla di maiale
🇩🇪GermanyCarnitasVorderschinken

Cook either one well

$$ · braised beef, lamb neck, pot roasts, and stews

Turn a tough cut tender in one pot

Browning meat on the stovetop, then braising it slowly in the oven.

Lodge 6-Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven

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