The Inexpensive Cut Of Pork That's Perfect For BBQ Beginners

When looking to barbecue some pork, your mind might immediately go to spare ribs or baby back ribs (the former is a larger cut near the belly, the latter is a smaller cut from the top of the ribcage), but if you're looking for a super easy cut to cook, you could be eyeing the wrong part of the pig. After all, ribs are prone to becoming tough and stringy, so they may not be the ideal starting point if you're still getting comfortable with your 'cue. In search of some guidance, Chowhound spoke exclusively with chef Robbie Shoults, the third-generation owner of Bear Creek Smokehouse, as well as Marshall Mercantile and High Horse 1898 in Marshall, Texas. According to Shoults, next to ribs, your best bet when choosing a cut of pork to barbecue is the shoulder. "Pork shoulders are ideal for barbecuing, especially for beginners," he says.

Shoults likes this cut not just for its rich, porcine deliciousness, but because it's accessible and fairly easy to work with. In his view, "Pork shoulders are inexpensive, have a great balance of lean to fat, and are very forgiving when barbecuing." If you're looking for a special dish to make with pork shoulder, the answer is something you've likely eaten many times before. "This cut is the top choice for making pulled pork," he says.

Pork shoulder is a heavily marbled cut that easily shreds apart once when cooked to perfection. It's often confusingly referred to as "pork butt" or "Boston butt," but rest assured you're getting the front muscles from the pig: That "butt" nickname comes from an old New England term for the large barrels in which these inexpensive cuts were stored. Compared to the typically roasted pork butt, pork shoulder is versatile and it works great when barbecued, which is a slower, longer cooking method compared to grilling, which is much faster. If you're just cutting your teeth on barbecuing pork, the shoulder will likely still taste reasonably good whether you overcook it or slightly undercook it.

As Robbie Shoults described, the shoulder is frequently served as a pulled pork sandwich, much like the kind served at Shoults' Bear Creek Smokehouse kitchen. At home, you can pull the pork apart by hand, or you can get more precise results by cutting it with a knife or splitting it up using two forks. If you think you'll be working with pulled pork a lot, you might even invest in something like Bear Paws handheld meat shredder claws to shred the meat without getting your hands dirty. However you pull your pork, enjoying it with some pickles or a side of coleslaw is a tangy, tried-and-true way to complete the dish.