On Fri, 25 Mar 2016 10:11:22 -0500, Gary > wrote:

>Not for pulled pork and bbq. This would be for a baked ham to eat as
>slices for a couple of meals. Leftovers used as ham sandwiches and ham
>hash.
>
>My store has 2 kinds on sale (? .97/lb). Either butt or shank. Which
>would you choose for my plans or does it even make a difference?
>
>When baking a ham, I like to use cloves, then a can of crushed
>pineapple with brown sugar added. When served, I also have a raisin
>sauce on the plate.
>
>Any opinions today are welcome. I'll be at the store tomorrow early am
>and decide if I want one at all.

I always buy the butt half, usually costs about 25¢/lb more but
contains more usable meat and much less waste, that's why it costs
more. I've never had a problem carving the butt half and most these
days don't contain the aitch bone, and even if it does it's very easy
to remove. If you ask the butcher will remove all the bone, only
takes 30 seconds... then you can stuff, roll, and tie the ham making
it very easy to serve. However this time of year the markets have
fresh ham, the king of all roasts... get a butt half, you'll love
it... and if you can't finish it all, unlike cured ham fresh ham
freezes very well. You can have the butcher bone fresh ham too, it's
wonderful stuffed and rolled. Fresh ham bones are great for making
Chinese pork stock with ginger, garlic, white pepper, celery, onions,
and cabbage. Fresh ham makes for the best chicerones, much better
than pork shoulder, and with the meat there's no comparison. Fresh
ham is superb for hot sandwiches and even better for cold sandwiches.
If you've never eaten roast fresh ham you've missed out on one of the
wonders of the world.