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Picnic shoulder

Pork · Shoulder
RoastBraiseSmoke
Also called
🇬🇧Hand of pork🇲🇽🇦🇷Brazuelo de cerdo🇫🇷Palette de porc🇪🇸Brazuelo🇮🇹Spalla di maiale🇩🇪Vorderschinken🇲🇽Carnitas
Raw Picnic shoulder — Pork Shoulder cut

Mark Miller, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons — Boston butt , boneless, tied.jpg

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 braises and slow roasting. It has a stronger pork flavor and is often used for carnitas, slow-roasted pulled pork, and making stocks. Often sold skin-on.

Names by country

CountryNameNotes
🇺🇸United StatesPicnic shoulderprimary
🇬🇧United KingdomHand of porkAlso called pork hand or shoulder hock in the UK
🇲🇽MexicoBrazuelo de cerdoUsed for carnitas in Mexico
🇦🇷ArgentinaBrazuelo de cerdo
🇫🇷FrancePalette de porc
🇪🇸SpainBrazuelo
🇮🇹ItalySpalla di maiale
🇩🇪GermanyVorderschinken
What to ask for
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Similar cuts

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Classic recipe

Cuban Lechón Asado (Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder)6 hr

Lechón asado is Cuba's defining pork preparation — marinated in mojo (citrus and garlic) and slow-roasted until the skin…

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Low-and-slow barbecue where stable heat matters more than speed.

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More Shoulder cuts

Boston butt

Boston butt

Pork neck

Pork neck

Country-style ribs

Country-style ribs

Bondiola

Bondiola

All Shoulder cuts →

Sources