Boston Butt. Advice for the Australian butcher?

[WarmBeer]

Following on from a post I raised in another, unrelated, thread, I'd like to raise this as a question for the forum in general.

Is there a difference between the classic "Boston Butt" cut, as used in the majority of North American 'cue recipes, and the "Square-Cut Shoulder" of pork we get over here?

I was chatting to my local, friendly, butcher about a square cut shoulder, and he happened to have one on hand to show me. It was bone-in, skin-on, but appeared to be quite a bit thinner (from the skin to the opposite side) than the Boston Butt we see in online recipes and TV shows (see below)

<-- USA Boston Butt

Is there a difference because of our Aussie breeds of pig being smaller, different age/size at slaughter, or different processing at the abatoir before it even gets to the butcher?

Any expert opinions welcomed.

[urbangriller]

Yes, the Kill weights (age) are different here. So the size will be different. If you get Square Cut shoulder, you'll be on the right track. It'll be smaller and younger (read less taste) than in the US.

Cheers
Chris

[Narmnaleg]

That explains why I can't get a decently sized pig's cheek!
I have the same problem with brisket as well....

We need to start the "Let them live longer" movement

[Bentley]

Curious why they would slaughter at a smaller weight? Anyone have any idea why?

[WarmBeer]

Curious why they would slaughter at a smaller weight? Anyone have any idea why?

Possibly it's an economic decision?

Less feed required to get them to market. Less time. Greater ability to churn the next batch of pigs through the same, limited, farming land.

[Narmnaleg]

Curious why they would slaughter at a smaller weight? Anyone have any idea why?

I'd hazard a guess: ROI and being able to get away with it in the AU market.

[GarthFader]

Yeah, it would be a simple matter ROI... The market dictates what they can charge per kilo, so the breeders would determine where the crossover point between cost of rearing starts to eat into their profit margin, and ultimately the kill age... If you were told you could have a massive collar-butt but it would cost you twice as much per kg... would you still want it?

Back to the original question about the Boston Butt... I found this graphic online when I was trying to find out where the Scotch Roast was from, so I could air-dry it to make some coppa or spalla... looks like it's shoulder (so i'm going to use it for spalla), more specifically according to this graphic, it's the same as the Collar-Butt you're looking for.

[gussigan]

I always do pulled pork with collar butt / scotch these days - can get it at a good price and shreds beautifully