Talk:Boston butt

US-centric?
This article appears to talk only about this cut's use in America. I am going to assume that the rest of us don't throw it out... though I honestly don't know different. - BalthCat (talk) 17:22, 11 November 2008 (UTC)

I agree - and it's Boston centric. I live in the United States (have lived all over Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Delaware, Washington, DC, New York, and California and have been eating pork shoulder all my life and have never once seen it listed as Boston Butt in a grocery store, at a restaurant, at a BBQ, or even at a farmer's market. Shouldn't this article be titled and refer to pork shoulder and perhaps state that it is known in some places as a Boston Butt?  I think the most common name is just pork shoulder.  Thoughts?  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.49.150.115 (talk) 01:33, 18 May 2010 (UTC)

I think Boston butt deserves to remain as its own article. I don't know enough about buthcer terminology to tell for sure, but it may be that Boston butt is not simply another name for pork shoulder. If it is just another name for pork shoulder the way Boston butt is prepared, cooked and served and its importance to southern cuisine makes it important to identify in its own article. I have seen first hand how important this dish is while living in Georgia. Maybe a seperate article on pork shoulder?Rockford1963 (talk) 13:34, 18 May 2010 (UTC)

I think either a seperate article should be written for pork shoulder (right now pork shoulder redirects here) or Boston butt should be included as a sub-section of an article on pork shoulder (which might be more in keeping with the wikipedia rules on consolidation) - but either way would be fine with me. What I don't think can continue is to have pork shoulder redirect to the Boston butt article, as I think you are right, all Boston butt's are pork shoulders but not all pork shoulders are Boston butts. Thoughts? 68.49.150.115 (talk) 04:51, 19 May 2010 (UTC)

I live in St Louis and we call it butt. I'm 64 years old and it has been called that as long as I remember. The article is US centric because it us an American cut. Cal Fallon (talk) 14:02, 15 September 2018 (UTC)

Since this article is titled Boston butt. I removed the picture of the picnic roast, which is the arm portion of the shoulder, and the text about picnic hams. There should be a page for the primal shoulder cut, separate from this, or the title should be changed, with sections on both butt and picnic. Cal Fallon (talk) 14:07, 15 September 2018 (UTC)

deleted Weddington family reference
This seems very likely self or local promotion. Boston butt has been used prominently in bbq for many years in many regions throughout the US. It was not especially introduced or promoted by any one family. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 134.11.111.43 (talk) 14:27, 22 April 2010 (UTC)

Pork Button Bone
Is the Boston butt what is being talked about at http://community.tasteofhome.com/community_forums/f/29/p/650420/7560581.aspx or something different? Eating this now but not sure what it is. 174.92.134.246 (talk) 22:48, 16 August 2016 (UTC)

Insider Jargon?
i'm from boston, bit of a chowhound, and have never -- repeat: NEVER -- seen this term anywhere! moreover, if i had, i would assume it was some sort of RUMP cut, not pork shoulder!

"pork shoulder" is the standard term in boston. "bone-in pork shoulder", "boneless pork shoulder", "pork shoulder (deboned)" etc -- i've seen them all. but never "boston butt"!

either it's extremely OLD (archaic/obsolete) or it's just a term in use among butchers or other meat industry types. not at ALL common among laypersons, even in boston. 209.172.23.66 (talk) 04:19, 7 December 2016 (UTC)


 * It is a commonly used term on packaging labels at meat counters throughout the south. Yes, it is ironic that it not known as such in Boston, which I believe was the gist of one of the Boston Globe articles.Rockford1963 (talk) 06:35, 7 December 2016 (UTC)
 * As a former chef from Boston, I assure you this term has been in common parlance in and out of Boston long before either of us picked up a pan. Pork shoulder is not the same as Boston butt. --Andythechef (talk) 05:21, 1 October 2022 (UTC)

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Boston butt as a stand alone article
While the term and cut do originate in the Unite States, it cannot be considered US-centric over the term "Pork butt" or 'Pork shoulder" since this has been a US export for over a hundred years. The very term "pork butt" references the American use of the Butt sized wooden casks to store the specific cut, which seems to originate in the Boston area.

Not that "Pork Shoulder'' should not have its own stand alone article. I intend to do that myself by editing the redirect to this article.--Mark Miller (talk) 11:26, 13 February 2021 (UTC)

Folk Etymology
Can we check the explanation of “butt” referring to the wide end of something? A more plausible etymology is that shoulders were frequently used cuts in making salt pork and packed and sold in butts (large wooden barrels). What the connection is to Boston, I can’t say. 70.184.164.110 (talk) 19:21, 6 September 2023 (UTC)