Boston butt substitutes

Some country-style ribs are cut from the upper shoulder (Boston butt) rather than from the loin blade end. Both share the same heavy marbling and long-cook tolerance.

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.

Same anatomical primal — Boston butt and bondiola both come from the upper shoulder area of the pig. Boston butt is the US slow-smoke/pulled-pork tradition; bondiola is the Argentine parrilla / Italian-charcuterie tradition. Same cut, different traditions.

Loosely analogous in cooking treatment — both are heavily-worked shoulder-area cuts that need long, slow cooking to break down. Anatomically distinct: cupim is the zebu-specific hump muscle, Boston butt is the upper shoulder.

Boston butt is the classic carnitas cut — the fat content is what lets it confit in lard without drying.

Both are well-marbled shoulder-area cuts suited to slow cooking, but pork neck is even more marbled and more forgiving when grilled as steaks than the Boston butt.