CarneAtlas
Picnic shoulder

Picnic shoulder substitutes

What to use when you can't find Picnic shoulder at your butcher

Picnic shoulder is the traditional name in United States. Outside that tradition, butchers carry comparable pork cuts under different names — sometimes the same anatomical piece, sometimes a close cousin. The alternatives below are grouped by country so you can match what your local butcher actually carries.

What to ask for
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United States

Boston buttapproximate

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.

Mexico

Carnitasclose substitute

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

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