Boston butt

noun

variants or less commonly Boston Butt
plural Boston butts also Boston Butts
: a marbled upper cut of the pork shoulder : butt sense 2b
The Boston butt is the cut of choice for pulled-pork sandwiches.Angela Shelf Medearis

Examples of Boston butt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Every Thanksgiving, people still take turkeys, ribs, chicken, and Boston butts for Harold and his family to smoke for holiday dinners -- a tradition stretching back generations. Arkansas Online, 28 June 2026 The shoulder is made up of two parts, the butt, sometimes called Boston butt, which is taken from the upper part of the shoulder, and the picnic cut, which is lower down. The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

boston, Massachusetts

Note: The reason for the association of the cut with Boston is now obscure.

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Boston butt was in 1915

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Boston butt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Boston%20butt. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

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