Shouldering the question of pork butt

Just Ask

Q: Why is pork butt called that, if it's the shoulder? And why does Boston get them?

A: I hate to admit it, but I always assumed Boston butt was the backside of a pig. But, thanks to this caller's questions, I've learned it is the shoulder.

I came across a chef's site called Ochef (ochef.com) that has a large section devoted to answering cooking-related questions. As it turns out, they had taken this very question to the National Pork Board.

This board was created by Congress in 1985. And if anyone knows about creating pork, it's Congress (hee-hee).

Seriously, though, this is an important oversight board for pork producers.

Anyway, the board explains the reason for the name dates to the New England days before and during the Revolutionary War. Some pork cuts in that time were packed inside casks or barrels for storage and shipping. These barrels also were known as "butts."

So, the method used to cut the hog shoulder in the Boston area came to be known as "Boston butt," the site states.

Interestingly, the board notes the name remains the same pretty much everywhere across the nation - except Boston.

Boston butt also goes by a variety of names, according to the Virtual Weber Bullet, which is the Web site for Weber smokers. Those names include Boston shoulder roast, Boston roast, shoulder butt and shoulder blade roast.

Q: I've seen bills described as "sawbucks." What type of bill ($1, $5, $10, etc.) is a sawbuck, and how did that nickname originate?

A: The QPB Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins explains "Sawbuck" comes from "sawhorse."

So, picture a sawhorse, which has two supports at each end that form an X by crossing each other. Those legs help support something that is sawed. A sawhorse resembles a horse's body. So you see where the saw and horse combine to form the name.

A sawbuck refers to a $10 bill. The QPB Encyclopedia explains those X-shaped legs on sawhorses are responsible for the sawbuck nickname. Why? Because the Roman numeral for 10 is X.

Bills are called bucks, so you have a sawbuck.

That, of course, leads to another question: Why are bills called bucks?

The encyclopedia explains that may have started with the notion of animal skins being classified as "bucks" and "does."

Fur and skin trading was extremely important during America's early years.

Buck skins were larger and, therefore, more valuable, so a buck meant a larger denomination than a coin.

Makes you wonder why a $10 bill isn't called a sawporkbutt.

Bernie Delinski writes Just Ask, which runs Wednesdays in the TimesDaily. If you've got a question, e-mail it to bernie.delinski@timesdaily.com, call him at 740-5739, fax it to 740-4717 or send it to Just Ask, c/o TimesDaily, P.O. Box 797, Florence, AL 35631.