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Q: Where does the name "Boston Butt" come from, especially considering that the cut comes from the shoulder of the animal?
A: In pre-revolutionary New England and into the Revolutionary War, some pork cuts (not those of high value, like the loin and ham) were packed into casks or barrels for storage and shipment. These barrels were known as "butts." In the Boston area, the cut from the hog's shoulder became known in other regions as the Boston Butt. The name stuck, and today it is still referred to as the Boston Butt almost everywhere in the U.S., except in Boston!
