Smoked Boston Butt

[GrantsKat]

Well I bought an 8lb smoked boston butt the other day and its been sitting in my fridge as I have no room in my freezer for it. I dont know what I was thinking when I bought it because its so hot here I have no desire to have the oven on for the better part of the day!!
Any suggestions as to what I can do with it? Also how long will it keep in the fridge?

 

[Jeekinz]

Cut it in half and freeze one part. That will take a long time to smoke.

 

[GrantsKat]

It is already smoked

 

[QSis]

Kathe, is this a fully-cooked butt-end of ham?

Lee

 

[GrantsKat]

it is smoked, says ready to cook

 

[bowlingshirt]

Cut it down to smaller pieces and work with it from there. Shred for sandwiches and freeze the leftovers. Invite friends and family over for a free meal (for them anyway).

 

[GrantsKat]

am I correrct in assuming that it does not need to be heated? the package says ready to cook and cook to internal temp of 160

 

[Jeekinz]

When you "smoke" a piece of meat, that is what cooks it. The heat from the fire causing the smoke.

I'm not sure what you have. Maybe a ham like Lee said. Can you take a pic or find it on the web? Is it completely cooked and the label calls for reheat temps?

 

[GrantsKat]

Oh Im sorry! I left out the most important word HAM...it is a smoked HAM butt. It doesnt have reheating directions, it just says that its "ready to cook". So I was wondering if I HAVE to cook it or can I just cut it up cold right out of the package and use it for salads or sandwichs.

 

[Andy M.]

am I correrct in assuming that it does not need to be heated? the package says ready to cook and cook to internal temp of 160

It must be cooked before eating! The package directions are clear.


Smoking does not always cook the meat. Bacon is a prime example. It's smoked but you wouldn't eat it without cooking.

A Boston Butt is the cut used for pulled pork. Put the butt in a roasting pan and into a 225-250 F oven and let it roast slowly for 12-15 hours. It will be safe to eat when the internal temperature in the thickest part reaches 160 F as the packaging says. At that temperature, it will be slice-able and tasty. If you continue to cook it to an internal temperature of 190-205 F, it will shred or pull and give you the best pulled pork for sandwiches. Serve with your favorite BBQ sauce.

 

[GrantsKat]

Thank You Andy!!!
Im not real knowledgeable when it comes to meats like this!
No I would not eat uncooked bacon, but my grandmother did, bless her heart and she lived to a ripe ole 85!!
thanks again

 

[Andy M.]

Kathe:

There are two kinds of smoking, hot smoking and cold smoking.

Hot smoking is done with burning charcoal or hardwoods. The meats are subjected to heat and smoke and are cooked and flavored with the smoke at the same time. This is the type of smoking that occurs when you barbecue.

Cold smoking involves less heat. Bacon and lox (smoked salmon) are cold smoked. While you eat lox raw, bacon must be cooked.

The term 'ham' can be confusing. It is the name of a part of the pig - the rear leg. It is also the name of a food product which is made from the pig's rear leg. A Ham is salt cured and smoked. Not all hams are ham.

 

[GrantsKat]

Thanks for the info!
Please excuse me if I sound ignorant but how is it that not all hams are ham? and how come its safe to eat lox raw but not bacon?

 

[Andy M.]

The ham (leg) can be sold fresh. It's labeled as a fresh ham. That can be roasted or braised and will be similar to a port roast.

I would guess the pig part is called a ham becaues that's what it was always used for before refrigerastion was generally available. The curing and smoking preserved the meat of the ham part of the pig and for convenience, it was referred to as ham when served.

Both bacon and salmon can be eaten raw (ask your grandmother) but raw bacon is not very appetizing to most people.

Until recent years, pork often carried parasites that were killed off by the heat of cooking. That's why earlier generations tended to cook pork to death. The parasite issue is no longer a problem as pigs are raised differently and fed medications to eliminate parasites.

 

[Bigjim68]

Oh Im sorry! I left out the most important word HAM...it is a smoked HAM butt. It doesnt have reheating directions, it just says that its "ready to cook". So I was wondering if I HAVE to cook it or can I just cut it up cold right out of the package and use it for salads or sandwichs.

FYI, a Boston butt, I believe, is a shoulder cut, and is a good barbecue cut. It would require slow cooking of some sort, and as Andy says, serve with barbecue sauce. A ham butt is the larger portion of a halved ham. If it was smoked, you have a smoked ham portion, and it would cook like any other ham.