Pork... butt?

Hey all - I'm smoking a pork butt for the first time and had a question regarding the cut I received from the butcher. The cut had what appear to be ribs still attached on one side. I've only seen shoulders with one bone in them that's supposed to slide out when it's done. Is this common?

In the pic you can kind of see the ends of the bones on top of the roast. I won't have a better picture until later.

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Alex_311927

Hmm, doesn't look like a pork butt that I normally see. Could be a loin of pork with the baby backs still sttached. Kinda hard to tell from the image. If you have one of the cross section i.e. the side it'll be easier to tell. If it is a loin it's not going to pull and break down like a butt. It's not a terribly fatty piece of of the animal, in most pigs that is.

ashecorvin

If it's a loin, then I'm most likely ruining it by smoking it for so long. I thought it was weird when it was being trimmed but the place I go to has been great so far for everything else. I've only ever seen a pork butt in videos that I've been watching as research and you are right; I haven't seen one that looks like this either. I guess I'll find out a little later how this turns out.

Alex_311927

I would definitely avoid over cooking it. Smoked loin of pork can taste awesome, but not if it's taken beyond internal temp. You can treat it like a rib of beef. Once it hits internal temp you're good to go. I think modernist cite 62degC as their preferred internal temp.

ashecorvin

Okay - so we talked to a friend who does competition barbecue. He educated me on what I should've asked for at the butcher. Apparently bone-in shoulder or bone in butt is what I should've asked for. I just asked for a shoulder and got a different part of it. He gave me some tips on finishing it. Pulling it out early was not an option since by the time of the original post it was already at 162F. So we wrapped and cranked up the heat and took it all the way to 195 and it came out pretty damn good. Tender, juicy, though probably not as good as a true butt. Served it with the CS Carolina Gold and another vinegar based sauce and it was absolutely delicious.