Pork Shoulder “Boston Butt” PPP (Pick Prepping Portion)

The Meat Hook

I’ve fed a parking lot full of country music fans off a couple of humble pork shoulders and a prayer. Pork butt (that top of the shoulder, not the backside/ham end) is the working man’s cut that forgives your schedule and still shows up juicy. The win starts today: pick a shoulder with the right marbling, trim it so flavor gets in, salt it in the sweet lane, and—if you need it—give it a quick injection so the thick zones don’t lag. We’re not lighting a pit. We’re staging tomorrow’s applause. Honest temps, natural fats, good drinks & good times.

What You’ll Take With You Today

• Pick right at the case: Boston butt vs picnic, bone-in vs boneless, fat-cap quality, and meat-to-fat cues you can trust.
• Prep like a pro: trim map (cap, money muscle, horn, silver), dry brine by weight, when a wet brine or injection helps, binder & rub that actually stick.
• Portion with confidence: real-world yield and per-person math so you buy exactly what you need (sandwiches, plates, parties).

 

Rookie: Picking Pork Shoulder (No Guesswork)

• Cut names: You want Boston butt (top of the shoulder). Picnic shoulder is the lower portion (skin/shank attached) and cooks great, but has more skin and sinew.
• Bone-in vs boneless:
  
• Bone-in (scapula): Classic flavor, natural “done” read when the blade slides out tomorrow; shape holds.
• Boneless (netted): Even seasoning access; easier to portion; can have irregular seams—tie or net helps.
  
• Weight lane: 7–9 lb bone-in (sweet spot); 6–8 lb boneless. Even thickness = even rendering.
• Marbling & cap: Look for fine, even marbling in the muscle and a creamy white fat cap (not thick, yellow, or waxy). You’ll trim the cap.
• Through-the-wrap cues: Tight grain, minimal purge, clean smell after 5–10 minutes of air. Skip packages with gray edges or torn surfaces.

Pitmaster’s Tip

If labels are muddy, say this at the counter:

“Bone-in Boston butt, 7–9 lb, even thickness, good marbling, cap I can trim (not thick and waxy). If you’ve got boneless but well-tied/netted, I’ll look at those too.”

 

Backyard Pro: Prep (Trim • Dry/Wet Brine • Injection • Binder & Rub)

Still no cooking—this is tomorrow’s insurance.

Trim Map (work cold, sharp boning knife)

• Cap fat: Reduce to ⅛–¼″ across the top. Shave hard/waxy deposits; keep soft, creamy fat as a veil for protection and flavor.
• Money muscle (MM): On the outside corner (opposite the bone “horn”)—a round, beautifully marbled log. Expose it lightly: clean silver skin so rub can grab, but don’t sculpt it thin.
• Horn/false cap edges: Square ragged flaps so the butt cooks evenly.
• Silver skin: Remove shiny silver where you can; rub won’t stick to armor.

Dry Brine

• Salt rate: 0.8–1.0% of meat weight (shortcut: ~½ tsp Diamond Crystal or ⅓ tsp Morton kosher per lb).
• Timing: 12–24 h on a wire rack, uncovered in the fridge (surface dries, seasoning penetrates).
• Highly marbled heritage or Berkshire/Kurobuta: go lighter (0.6–0.8%)—marbling amplifies perceived salt.

 

Wet Brine (optional cushion)

• Helpful for very lean/trimmed butts or boneless rolled that dried out on you before.
• Mix: 5–6% salt by weight (50–60 g/L), optional 1–2% sugar + bay/peppercorns.
• Time (cold): 8–12 h. Then pat very dry and hold uncovered 12 h to re-dry surface before seasoning.

 

Injection (optional, smartly)

• Use when the roast is very thick, boneless and tightly rolled, or you want added insurance in the center.
• Low-sodium injection (per 1 butt / ~8 lb): 1 c low-sodium apple juice or stock + 1 tsp Worcestershire + 1 tsp sugar + pinch white/black pepper; optional ¼–½ tsp food-grade phosphate (whisk until clear).
• Where: Small shots 1–1½″ apart in the thickest muscles, especially around the center seams. If you dry-brined at 1.0%, keep injection low-salt.

 

Binder & Rub

• Binder: whisper of mustard, oil, or mayo—just enough to tack (no puddles).
• Rub lanes:
  
• Classic pork: salt (adjust if brined), coarse pepper, paprika, garlic/onion; sugar kept modest (save heavy sweet for tomorrow’s glaze).
• Herb-chile balance: kosher + pepper + smoked paprika + cumin + thyme.
  
• After seasoning, rest 20–30 min until tacky, then back to the fridge uncovered so the surface stays dry.

Meat-Science Sidebar

Dry brine reorganizes myofibrillar proteins so they hold more water. A dry surface accelerates browning tomorrow. Injections help center zones catch up but only if they’re low-sodium when you’ve already brined.

 

Pit Legend: Advanced Setup

• Seam cleanup (boneless): If a seam has hard fat, gently butterfly, shave, and tie back with butcher’s twine; seasoning gets in without creating voids.
• MM protection plan: If your cooker runs hot on one side, you can plan a thin foil collar tomorrow late in the cook—today, just don’t over-trim that corner.
• Wood plan (tomorrow): Shoulder loves hickory + apple/cherry for color; oak is clean and steady.

 

Specialty & Grocery Variants

 (What to Buy, How to Tweak)

Grocery Lane:

 

• Commodity bone-in butts (7–9 lb) or boneless netted (6–8 lb). → Dry brine 0.8–1.0%; trim cap to ⅛–¼″.
• “Enhanced”/solution-added: Reduce brine to 0.4–0.6% or skip wet brine; watch rub salt.

Specialty Lane:

 

• Berkshire/Kurobuta: richer porkiness, softer fat, gorgeous MM.
  
• Prep tweak: Dry brine 0.6–0.8%; keep sugar modest; portion a tad smaller (rich).
  
• Duroc: meaty and balanced; great everyday upgrade.
  
• Prep tweak: Standard 0.8–1.0% brine.
  
• Pastured/Heritage (Tamworth, Red Wattle, etc.): often leaner, deeper flavor.
  
• Prep tweak: Consider wet brine 5–6% (8–12 h) or a light injection; keep cap closer to ¼″.
  
• Butcher script:
  “Bone-in Boston butt around 8 lb with good marbling and a trim-able fat cap. Berkshire or Duroc if you’ve got it. Boneless netted as a backup.”

Budget note: Berkshire/Kurobuta = $$; Duroc = $$-; commodity = $.

 

Portioning: How Much to Buy (Real-World Yield)

• Cooked yield:
  
• Bone-in butt: ~60–65% after bone/trim/render.
• Boneless butt: ~65–70% (no bone loss).
  
• Per-person plan:
  
• Sandwiches/mixed plates: ¼ lb cooked per adult → buy ~0.4 lb raw per adult (bone-in) or ~0.35 lb raw (boneless).
• Pork-forward plates: ⅓–½ lb cooked per adult → buy ~0.55–0.8 lb raw per adult (bone-in).
  
• Quick table (copy/paste):
  
• 10 adults (sandwiches): ~4–5 lb raw bone-in (one 7–9 lb butt covers with leftovers).
• 10 adults (pork-forward plates): ~7–8 lb raw bone-in (one 8–9 lb butt).
• 20 adults (mixed plates): ~8–10 lb raw bone-in (two smaller butts give you timing flexibility).
  

Pitmaster’s Tip

For big crowds, run two medium butts instead of one giant—easier timing, better bark-to-meat ratio, calmer service.

 

Step-by-Step: Prep-Day Timeline (No Cook)

1. Shop smart: Boston butt, bone-in 7–9 lb or boneless 6–8 lb; even thickness; fine marbling; trim-able cap.
2. Trim: Cap to ⅛–¼″; expose MM lightly; remove silver; square edges.
3. Brine: Dry brine 0.8–1.0% (Berkshire 0.6–0.8%) 12–24 h, uncovered.
4. (Optional) Wet brine: 5–6% for 8–12 h → pat dry → uncovered 12 h to re-dry.
5. (Optional) Inject: Low-sodium small shots across thick zones.
6. Season: Whisper binder; rub; rest 20–30 min till tacky; back to the fridge uncovered.
7. Portion plan: Decide sandwiches vs plates; label trays with weight + brine lane + date.

 

Fireline Fix

• Too salty last time. Drop dry brine to 0.6–0.7% or reduce rub salt if you brine at 1.0%.
• Rub pasted/slid. Surface was wet or binder heavy—pat drier; go lighter; wait for tack.
• Dry shreds history. You bought a lean picnic or over-trimmed cap; next time choose butt with marbling and leave ⅛–¼″ cap.
• Money Muscle dried out (past run). You likely over-exposed or thinned it—lightly clean, don’t sculpt. Plan a foil collar/shield later in the cook.

 

Tools & Supplies

Boning/utility knife • Paper towels • Wire rack + sheet pan • Kosher salt (Diamond/Morton) • Optional brine bucket • Optional injector • Mustard/oil/mayo (tiny) • Your rub • Butcher’s twine (boneless) • Labels/marker • Fridge space

 

Pair It

• Drink: Amber/Vienna lager • Off-dry Riesling • Fresh lemonade w/ mint (zero-proof)
• Sides: Vinegary slaw • Charred green beans • Pickles & white bread • Pepper-vinegar greens

 

The PitMaster’s Toast

To shoulders that pull like velvet and feed a crowd without drama—picked right, trimmed tight, and salted smart. Do the quiet work today; tomorrow is just smiles and second helpings. Salud!

 

Pitmaster/Grillmaster

Michael McDearman is a PitMaster/Grillmaster, restaurateur, and good ol’ country boy with a passport full of cook-offs and a phone full of pork-pull shots—not a backyarder playing pitmaster online. He’s represented 50+ BBQ & grilling brands, served three years as Grillmaster for Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner., won contests worldwide, earned six straight Golden Tickets to the Steak World Championship, and judges food sport on the world’s biggest stages. Michael shows up with tongs, temps, and a plan: honest temps, natural fats, good drinks & good times.

 

Safety (Prep-Only)

Keep pork ≤40°F. Sanitize boards/knives after raw trim. Hold brined/seasoned butts uncovered in the fridge on a rack; label dates; don’t cross-stack where purge can drip onto ready foods.

 

 

If you liked this post, check out these:

• Avoiding Flare-Ups (Without Killing Flavor)
• Wood & Smoke Pairings (Hickory/Apple/Cherry lanes)
• Two-Zone Fire (Setup & Why It Matters)
• Crispy Skin (Baking Powder Method) — for poultry cross-linking