chewing on a pig's ass

There's a number of religious and ethnic groups that don't eat pigs. Presumably a historical thing due to Trichinosis or diseases endemic to pigs. To my mind, that just means more meat for the rest of us. Pigs just plain taste good.

A few days ago I posted about making a Boston Butt in my crockpot. I got several Emails about that so I decided to pick up another butt (that sounds naughty, doesn't it?) at the grocery store since it was still on sale (almost 50% off!) and this time take some pictures of the process.

First I lay down some aromatic veggies for a bottom layer to keep the meat from adhering to the crockery. I don't use onions at the bottom, just carrots and celery and I use fairly big pieces.


Next I dice up about twice as much as I used in the bottom layer. These will go above the meat and on the sides. They add taste and provide moisture during the cooking process.


Here's the butt itself. This package has 7 pounds of meat which is way too big for my crockpot so I had to cut it in half. Half a butt is better than none, you know? LOL I sure do love butts.


If you thought I was being a little naughty before, this picture really pushes the envelope and gets graphic. Are we still talking butts here?

This, as you no doubt guessed, is the pig butt when I'd almost sliced all the way through. I'm holding it open so you can see the musculature. It looks so much like the anatomy books I studied in school you'd almost think this was a cadaver instead of a pig. Kinda creepy. But tasty despite that anatomical similarity to us.


Here you can see a different angle on the meat. This allows you to see what must be part of the pelvis that I sliced through. Do you ever think of the movie Babe when you eat pork? I try not to. That'll do, Pig. That'll do.


Anyway, moving right along...after cutting it in half I put one of the sections into the crockpot on top of that bottom layer of celery and carrots.


And then added in all the diced veggies...


Covered the pot up with the lid and cooked it for 4 hours on low, then added the spices (this time I used white pepper, paprika, garlic salt, and a bay leaf) and moved the temperature to high for another 3 hours. Then I ate it! Actually I only had a small serving, as you can see below, since I find that the taste improves a lot after overnight refrigeration. I find tougher cuts of beef and pork, like Boston Butt, are best a day or two after the initial cooking. Bon appetit.

Comments

srp said…
That looks really good! Down in Mississippi we had several people who owned these huge smokers and each year the school would sell smoked Boston Butts. It was great. Drive through the parking lot and as you pay your money you see them take your roast off that hot grill, wrap it in foil, put it in a bag and hand it too you. Makings of some really fine barbeque.
Canadian Mark said…
Thats a good way to treat a butt.

To really make a crock potted butt special, though, you should ass a shot of the most expensive tequila you can find, at the same time as the veggies.
Anonymous said…
Looks good. My Dh and kids would love it. Wanna come cook for us?
srp said…
About pumpkin... I really thought the idea of a pumpkin bisque was strange. Even though I love pumpkin pie I just couldn't get over thinking it would be a sweet weird soup. But it REALLY didn't taste like you'd think.... and it does have carrots in it.

Now the beet soup sort of a borscht bisque that I had in Chicago... that tasted exactly like I thought it would and rather sweet.
Anonymous said…
Love your title and you butt cracks. lol.

For a post of raw meat, you sure made it interesting and pretty. Analogous musculature like that can creep people out but better that than deny it in my opinion.

One of these days I'll have to get myself a slow cooker. I like the things it can do. Plus you avoid all the carcinogen potential of browning, don't you?
Anonymous said…
um... YUM! i love me some pork!

Michele sent me.
Anonymous said…
Pearl - butt cracks - pun intended?
I read somewhere that bacon is the most common food that causes vegetarians to renig. Hmmm.
I'm hungry now. Michele sent me.
Karen said…
So if I made this dish here, would it be Milwaukee Butt? It looks yummy - I gotta say! Thanks for the recipe with the photos too. Very nice.

Michele sent me your way today. Hope you're having a great day!
utenzi said…
Oddly enough, Nienke, I just can't stand the taste of bacon. I like most of the other meaty parts tho.
Not fair... now I'm really hungry ! Damn diet...

Michele sent me ; have a great weekend !
kenju said…
Dave, you surely didn't have many veggies on that plate! Shame on you!

Michele sent me this time!
utenzi said…
There's some more under the cranberry sauce, Judy, but in general you're right--I'm mostly about the meat and potatoes.
Anonymous said…
I love step by step recipes along with photos! I'd do it myself except I'm far to lazy to do so, lol.

Ari (Baking and Books)
carmilevy said…
Even though I'd never eat it, I found your visual tour through its creation to be fascinating. Funny - I would probably love the taste. But because I've grown up not having it, it's just not something I'd start eating at this stage of my life. I know it sounds weird, but it's all I've ever known.

These days, thanks to the vicious snowstorms rolling through town, I'm instead very partial to comfort foods, namely the delicious vegetable soups that my wife's been making in anticipation of this weather.

Hi from Michele. She's not that far from me on the map, but the radar plot shows she's getting no snow at all tonight. Cool!
utenzi said…
I understand, Carmi. I feel the same way about spinach. My ex-wife is Jewish but she's Reform so she didn't follow any dietary restrictions. A lot of people in her family and friends did however so I remember having to plan meals with that being a consideration. Religion can be so complicated!
Anonymous said…
It looks good, although I don't like pork. Being Jewish, I get out of eating it by claiming my religion (although my folks eat it.)

Here from Michele's this time around.
kenju said…
Dave, thanks for the visit. You are right - one of the cutouts was posted twice and you are the only one who noticed it - including me! I'm going to go and delete one of them now. Thanks for telling me.
Anonymous said…
Hey Dave! I don't eat pig for a number of reasons, but that dish looked great!

Hope all is well at your end of the continent!

Hugs!
Jennifer said…
It looks yummy to me...making me hungry!! :)
Here from Michele's! Hope you've had a great day! :)
Bobkat said…
Wow - that seems like a great recipe. We don't have a cut called Boston Butt here in the UK but I am sure it is the same as Pork Loin. I'll have to give it a go. Great for cold wintry days!

Thanks for visiting my blog and I'm glad you liked my pics. My fave is of the green snake too :-) I was an odd child as I always liked dinosaurs adn reptiles!
Anonymous said…
First my greeting to Michele and a thanks to the cooking gods that brought me to your site this morning. I love using my crockpot and your recipe and photos are inspiring.
purplefugue said…
Ola! Long time no visit, as they say.

How would that cut of pork do as a roast? I've never been a fan of casseroles or stews but I do love a good roast pork.

Here from Michele!!
Anonymous said…
Nice food photography! Have you ever been to Pim's sight? She's got a great food blog with wonderful pictures.

www.chezpim.typepad.com
Lois Lane said…
Hey Dave, it's cold here. I mean really cold. I was just thinking... right before I clicked on your blog... wouldn't it be great to put my Chicago Butt in a crockpot? ;)
Have a great weekend!
That butt looks great, I'd love to sink my teeth into some of that.

Thanks for visiting my blog.
This was a great "cooking" tour Dave! I do eat bacon and ham, but very rarely...Pork Roast or Pork Loin is just not one of the flavors I particularly like---we never had Pork Chops or Pork Loin growing up---though we were associated with a Reformed Temple---both my parents came from a stricter background, my father, particularly. I have eaten both Chops and Pork Poin, but neither is something I ever really loved!
"Babe" of course cemented that and now, "Charlotte's Web" will I am sure, reinforce that, too!
There was a time when I lived on Steak and Salad...very dietary at the time...Well, I rarely eat meat anymore and I bet I haven't had a steak in 8 or 9 years....maybe more!
Is there a reason you don't use Onions, Dave? I am intetested in that....!

And, Michele sent me today, my dear! Good to visit you, as always!
WendyWings said…
that looks great, nothing like a big bit of butt.
Ok TAR update, All Stars is actually filming right now, (not that my disappearing like that has anything to do with it cough lol)
I can't tell you the whole cast because um I don't want to die but Rob and Ambore are back boo,The Guidos.
Phil is still hosting no duh ;)
WendyWings said…
Michele sent this time, I don't tend to use onions in my cooking because Mr Wendy hates them ( or as he says he is allergic to them even though he was tested and he isn't LOL)
craziequeen said…
ooh graphic........

[turns slightly green]

but I read most of it :-S

cq
Michele sent this vegetarian blogger to check out your butt...
Chatty said…
Oh.great.

I am incredibly hungry now and have to wait at least another hour.

A man who cooks; quite impressed!

Stopping by via Michele's (earning my spurs! LOL)
srp said…
Here from Michele this time.
You really need to do some more crockpot recipes. When I was in med school and still married the crockpot was my friend and savior. OF course it failed to save my marriage... thus proving that old saying wrong.... you know the one.. "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.... such is life!
Anonymous said…
i'm hungry now.... wish i had time to cook a pork butt. but i have to finish the cookies for tomorrow's party and also find some pizza parlor to sell me some dough.

michele sent me again today.
Catherine said…
I love pork - though I usually try and get leaner cuts. Re your comment on global warming causing cold - there are a bunch of large icebergs floating past New Zealand, possibly because warming of the Antarctic caused them to break off - so it is entirely plausible to me that global warming could cause cold in some regions. We certainly aren't having much of a summer so far! (Though Australia has droughts and bush fires).
Here from Michele's.
kenju said…
Back to say hi, via Michele tonight. We had pork for dinner tonight, in the form of Italian sausages with penne pasta and spaghetti sauce.
scrappintwinmom said…
YUM. Here via Michele.
Anonymous said…
Took a venture from Michele's just to look at your butt.

No fair...I missed dinner tonight and this popcorn just isn't hitting the spot.
Anonymous said…
my, what a nice butt you have!

i love pork. yours looks fabulous. I liked the step by step pictures as well. I have never been a crockpot cooker, but i am hoping santa brings me one for christmas this year as i would really like to try it out.

michele sent me

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