A good friend of mine, who I shall refer to as Mr. X (to protect his innocence and identity), asked about smoking a 15 pound ass since he did not have a Boston Butt. I hope this clears up the confusion of pork cuts, and as always all questions are welcome.
The following is from the National Pork Board...
In pre-revolutionary New England and into the Revolutionary War, some pork cuts (not those highly valued, or "high on the hog," like loin and ham) were packed into casks or barrels (also known as "butts") for storage and shipment. The way the hog shoulder was cut in the Boston area became known in other regions as "Boston Butt." This name stuck and today, Boston butt is called that almost everywhere in the US,… except in Boston.
"Picnic ham" is a little challenging. Generally, the shoulder is smoked, they say, which gives it a very ham-like flavor. Since picnic shoulder/ham is an inexpensive substitute for real ham (which only comes from the hind legs), they speculate that it would have been considered a good cut for casual dining — such as a picnic — rather than for use at a formal family dinner, such as Easter or Thanksgiving.
