# Picnics



## Greg Rempe (Mar 16, 2005)

Aside from the look of the boston butt and the picnic...is there anything taste wise that seperates them...I see that skin on the picnic and I am a little squimish about it.  

Can I have the input of anyone who has had a picnic before?!! :?


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## Greg Rempe (Mar 16, 2005)

Susan Z said:
			
		

> Never done one (except in La Caja China, actually) but smokewise, I think I read that they have more weird things to pick out of 'em (veins and whatnot---shudder).



Suz...thanks for the help???? :?:  8)


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## Nick Prochilo (Mar 17, 2005)

All I get here must be picnics because they all have that piece of the skin. I just clean it in water, rub it down and smoke it! I leave the skin on (it's just on one edge) and peel it off with the last of the fat thats under it when it's done. There isn't any veins to be pulled out of them, and I never had a complaint yet from anybody eating them.


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## Finney (Mar 17, 2005)

They are usually a little leaner, and more ham like...
Maybe that's because... that's where hams come from?  :-D


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## LarryWolfe (Mar 17, 2005)

Greg,
        I buy picnics alot and there is no difference whatsoever IMO.  Some people say they  have a hammy taste.   :roll:  I would challenge anyone to tell me the difference between the two if they didn't know the difference.  Picnics are normally around $.99lb which is normally about half the cost of butts.  Just get a sharp knife and remove the skin and cook as you would a butt!  Good luck!


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## LarryWolfe (Mar 17, 2005)

Chris Finney said:
			
		

> They are usually a little leaner, and more ham like...
> Maybe that's because... that's where hams come from?  :-D



Chris, 
       Hams come from the rear legs of the pig! :roll:


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## LarryWolfe (Mar 17, 2005)

Nick Prochilo said:
			
		

> All I get here must be picnics because they all have that piece of the skin. I just clean it in water, rub it down and smoke it! I leave the skin on (it's just on one edge) and peel it off with the last of the fat thats under it when it's done. There isn't any veins to be pulled out of them, and I never had a complaint yet from anybody eating them.



Nick if it's just on one side it's probably a butt, the butts I've gotten lately have had a small piece of skin on them.  I always remove it to give more area for rub and bark.


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## Finney (Mar 17, 2005)

You are right my VA friend... What was I thinking about?

O'l yeah... Guinness later today! :drinkers:


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## Finney (Mar 17, 2005)

Cappie would love you for it also.  _that's all I can say... wrong forum_


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## LarryWolfe (Mar 17, 2005)

Bob T said:
			
		

> Myself, I have never done a B-Butt. I have done many picnics, and have an 11 pounder calling my name for a Friday-Saturday smoke. I have done both skin on/off. If you like the extra bark, cut most of it off before you smoke it. If smoking on the lower rack, you may be better off leaving the skin on ifin you use sand in the pan.
> There is a very large vein in the picnic. I'm trying to think if you would only see it after you remove the skin during your pre-smoke rituals, or if it's on the non skin side.
> I love picnics. I also inject them with various "potions" I have created. Most of them start with apple juice, and then who know what else lol.
> Most of the time, I can find them on sale for .99 a #, but did get the past 2 for .89/pound. I use hickory, squite, or cherry.
> And I have never had a "hammy" tasting picnic either.



Amen Bob!  BTW, what in the hell is "Squite"??


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## Finney (Mar 17, 2005)

Susan Z said:
			
		

> Big ol' hams come from the rear (I love telling folks a butt is a shoulder, but a ham is a butt), but there are picnic hams made from the shoulder.  So...yer right!



You are right my VA friend... What was I thinking about?

O'l yeah... Guinness later today!   :drinkers:


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## LarryWolfe (Mar 17, 2005)

Chris Finney said:
			
		

> [quote="Susan Z":2ewxtj33]Big ol' hams come from the rear (I love telling folks a butt is a shoulder, but a ham is a butt), but there are picnic hams made from the shoulder.  So...yer right!



You are right my VA friend... What was I thinking about?

O'l yeah... Guinness later today!   :drinkers:[/quote:2ewxtj33]

Chris, you just told me I was right!!!!!!!!!  :roll:  Ass Kisser!


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## Finney (Mar 17, 2005)

Susan Z said:
			
		

> I bet you say that to all your VA friends....   :smt053



You are right my VA friend... What was I thinking about?

O'l yeah... Guinness later today!  :drinkers:


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## Woodman1 (Mar 17, 2005)

A picnic is the other half of the "pork-shoulder". the butt being the upper half, the picnic being the lower. They _do_ make hams from them. They are called "Picnic Ham" interestingly enough! The picnic skin is actually my favorite feature. I score it criss-cross style and rub it generously. Then, I smoke it skin side down on the hot spot of the smoker. This gives you the wonderful taste of crispy smoked pig cracklins while everybody stands around waiting for dinner! Kinda like a pig roast when they throw all the skin out for "sampling" I guess you could achieve the same thing if you took your water pan out for the last hour or so. By all means try a picnic! I do think they taste more "hammy" in some regards. They are cheaper, but there is more waste. Heck, for $7.00 , what do you have to lose? I'm getting some whole shoulders as soon as I get my pit! Woodman


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## Greg Rempe (Mar 17, 2005)

Thanks for the help guys/gal!  As soon as I get the WSM out of the attic I will try one.


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## Finney (Mar 17, 2005)

Raine said:
			
		

> We think the pinic is a touch sweeter and a little hammy tasting.  We don't cook them, because there is more waste as well, than the butt.



You are right my VA... I mean NC friend... What was I thinking about?

O'l yeah... Guinness later today!  :drinkers: 

 :badgrin:  :badgrin:  :badgrin:


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## LarryWolfe (Mar 17, 2005)

Raine said:
			
		

> We think the pinic is a touch sweeter and a little hammy tasting.  We don't cook them, because there is more waste as well, than the butt.



Well I look at it from a cost perspective.  If I can get a picnic for .89-.99 lb vs. a butt anywhere from 1.89-2.39lb the choice is simple.  Yes there is a bit more waste, but you can buy an extra picnic to cover the waste and still come out ahead!  Just my way of thinking!  Not right or wrong, I'm just cheap!


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## Captain Morgan (Mar 17, 2005)

It's fairly common see butts pulled and picnics sliced, although you can do it either way.  I also detect a little hammy taste, but I've done whole pork shoulders that would fool most folks after pulling and saucin'.


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## LarryWolfe (Mar 17, 2005)

Well I dunno, I've never noticed the hammy taste or much different in texture.  Maybe at SS we'll have to do a blind taste test to see if this is a psycological thing or what!  Either a butt or a picnic makes good Q if you ask me!  :-D


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## Finney (Mar 17, 2005)

Yada, yada, yada...

O'l yeah... Guinness later today! :drinkers:


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## Shawn White (Mar 17, 2005)

I did a couple of picnics.

The meat seemed dry in places and the picnics didn't seem to yield as much though the bones made awesome split pea soup. I trimmed them down so they were a bit more work as well. But they were 1/2 the price of butts.

They weren't BAD, I just prefer butts so far, but I will probably try picnics again. Maybe it was an off cook.


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## Nick Prochilo (Mar 17, 2005)

After all of this I'll think I will just cook what my local grocery puts out!


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## ScottyDaQ (Mar 18, 2005)

I prefer the butts. If my store doesn't have any, I'll go somewhere else to look before I'll buy a picnic. I think they have a better flavor maybe because of the superior internal fat. It also has the handy bone test feature.  ;-)


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## Woodman1 (Mar 18, 2005)

Man Raine, you've been doing this awhile aye?


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