The Money Muscle?

[deestafford]

When BBQ judges are talking about the "money muscle" of the butt where is exactly is it and how do you identify it after the butt is cooked and how do you separate it from the rest of the butt?
Dee

[CDN Smoker]

Real good question Dee?

[sparky]

I want to know too.

[Saber 4]

I want to know too.

X2

[muebe]

Dee wasn't that your nickname in college? 

[HighOnSmoke]

Dee, the money muscle is on the opposite side of the bone.  I don't do anything special
with it other than cook the whole butt. I am not into competitions but I understand that
they cube the money muscle for their turn-in boxes.



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[deestafford]

HOS, Thanks.  Now I understand.  When the competitors are preparing their plates for turn in they slice the money muscle up nice and pretty cause it seems to have a nice shape like a pork tenderloin.

Mike, You're right on the money.  Still am. But taker numbers have reduced drastically...very drastically.

Dee

[sliding_billy]

The bone actually points at the money muscle (it is the corner).  I do not complete, but I still like to slice the money muscle.  My wife likes sliced better than pulled, so... The catch is that your money muscle is ready to slice (around 180 degrees for me) before the rest of your butt is ready to pull.  There are a couple of ways to combat this.  You can take out the butt and slice off the money muscle then return the butt to the cooker.  What I typically do though is put the money muscle side into a colder spot in the cooker and pull the whole butt out at once.  Typically I get about that 20 degree difference from end to end that I am looking for.

[bigdaddydan]

Although a newbie to this website (actually my first post), I think I may have some insight from a competitors stand point. The money muscle is almost a needed part to a turn in box in KCBS competitions. On the opposite side of the bone, you will notice a loin that almost looks like the grain runs perpendicular to the table the butt sits on...this is the "Money Muscle". I personally sculpt the muscle out and cook it until it reaches 190 to 194 degrees. At this point, the butt needs to rest for at least 2 hours so that all the juices don't run out when slicing into it. This website does a great job explaining the cut view of a pork butt.

[CDN Smoker]

Although a newbie to this website (actually my first post), I think I may have some insight from a competitors stand point. The money muscle is almost a needed part to a turn in box in KCBS competitions. On the opposite side of the bone, you will notice a loin that almost looks like the grain runs perpendicular to the table the butt sits on...this is the "Money Muscle". I personally sculpt the muscle out and cook it until it reaches 190 to 194 degrees. At this point, the butt needs to rest for at least 2 hours so that all the juices don't run out when slicing into it. This website does a great job explaining the cut view of a pork butt.

http://www.thepickledpig.com/forums/printthread.php?t=1252&page=1

Wow that's a heck of a way to start your first post. That article is very good reading.

Many Thanks and a Big Welcome from Manitoba Canada

[bigdaddydan]

Thanks for the compliment CDN.  I have to apologize, i modified my original post because it referenced another forum which was brought to my attention. I posted the link because thats how I and many other competitors learned about the different muscles of a pork butt and couldnt have said it better than that original poster.

[Northshore]

Welcome from Minnesota



Paul

[teesquare]

It is fine to mention other sites, we all do it as needed.

But,  when it is possible - we like to post the information here on LTBBQ, and absolutely give credit to the original post and website. This helps to build the LTBBQ data base so that we can continue growing the content.

Again - and this is the important ( and often misunderstood ) part: We MUST give credit to the original poster/website. So, don't worry about mentioning other sites, we are ALL members of several forums. We are not anti- other forums here . What our House Rules try to explain is the difference between mentioning, and promoting. Promoting is usually pretty obvious. I did not see that your post was promoting - it was pointing to good information, specific to the discussion. Still, whenever possible, copy and paste here - and give credit to the site where it came from, and even post the link to the original post.

So, Dan, sorry for the confusion, we are trying to refine the policies so that they protect  LTBBQ and you all as members. It is our goal to create 1 place that you can find most of the useful for outdoor cooking.

[ACW3]

A side note on the money muscle.  As a KCBS Judge, if I see a turn-in box without the money muscle presented with the pulled pork, the first thing I look for/"taste" for is "is this pulled pork over cooked".  It simply raises a flag on that competitor's box.  I have had boxes without the money muscle that were really outstanding.  These competitors may have been relatively new and not aware of the "power" of the money muscle.

Art

[Hub]

From a competitor and judge:  Not all that many years ago the pork category of KCBS competitions was pretty much all pulled or chopped pork.  Although this can look delicious, it pretty much all looks the same from box to box at the judges' table.  To stand out and make their boxes more attractive, some cooks started slicing the money muscle (well described above) into "medallions" and glazing them to create interest.  This caught on in a hurry and nowadays, almost every pork box I see is composed of both pulled or chopped (sometimes both) meat along with money muscle medallions.  The term "money muscle" was born from it tendency to almost always be quite flavorful, tender and attractive thus providing more oomph toward prize money 

Hub