Probably a silly question, but why is pork shoulder called Boston Butt?
I doubt they eat more in Boston than other parts of the country, and it's
comes from no where close to the butt of the pig.

LT

I heard that the boston cut of pork shoulder was shipped in barrels
called butts. Hence Boston Butt.

"eelhc" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>I heard that the boston cut of pork shoulder was shipped in barrels
> called butts. Hence Boston Butt.

I have often wondered the same thing and have tried to research it, to no
avail.

I get the "Butt" part.

I would bet that particular term is more a description of the pig's leg....
the trotters and picnic being the pointy end and the "Butt" being the
massive, meaty, butt end.

But whence the "Boston" reference?

On Sun, 17 Jul 2005 21:28:43 GMT, "JakBQuik" >
wrote:

>
>"eelhc" > wrote in message
roups.com...
>>I heard that the boston cut of pork shoulder was shipped in barrels
>> called butts. Hence Boston Butt.
>
>I have often wondered the same thing and have tried to research it, to no
>avail.
>
>I get the "Butt" part.
>
>I would bet that particular term is more a description of the pig's leg....
>the trotters and picnic being the pointy end and the "Butt" being the
>massive, meaty, butt end.
>
>But whence the "Boston" reference?
>

Maybe that is the first place the term 'Butt' was banned. <Groan?

LT wrote:
> Probably a silly question, but why is pork shoulder called Boston
> Butt?
> I doubt they eat more in Boston than other parts of the country, and
> it's
> comes from no where close to the butt of the pig.
>
> LT

http://www.ochef.com/877.htm


--
Raw Meat Should NOT Have An Ingredients List

LT wrote:

>
> Probably a silly question, but why is pork shoulder called Boston
> Butt? I doubt they eat more in Boston than other parts of the
> country, and it's comes from no where close to the butt of the pig.


My own guess years ago (they don't label them that way here anymore)
was that it was some sort of joke saying that people in Boston didn't
know one end of the pig from the other. I've seen lots of other
explanations though, so that doesn't seem to be correct.




Brian

> My own guess years ago (they don't label them that way here anymore)
> was that it was some sort of joke saying that people in Boston didn't
> know one end of the pig from the other. I've seen lots of other
> explanations though, so that doesn't seem to be correct.
>
>
>
>
> Brian

The link BOB posted seems logical. My wife thought it was the geographic
depiction of where the cut comes from on the pig.
Looking at the situate of the pig, it somewhat resembling the outline of the
US, and that cut comes from about where Boston is. I thought see was nuts.

LT