Picnic shoulder, Stewed front leg, 78°

Cook Picnic shoulder as “Stewed front leg” until the centre reads 78 degrees. The mark to keep is 78°. Before you pay, check once that the cut named on the package matches the cut on the slip. If the seam of sinew is badly split, change the slip from a short sear to a long cook. Skin should be smooth and dry to the touch. A damp, sticky rind will steam rather than crisp. At the butcher, open Picnic shoulder so the slip shows 78° first, 78 next, and “Stewed front leg” beside them.

This week, before you enter the butcher, write the cut, the method, and the core temperature at the top of the shopping slip, and at home keep the heat until the thermometer shows that figure. If the grain is coarse, give more time at the same temperature, and do not time a thin slice and a chunk the same way. The order is Picnic shoulder, 78°, 78, then “Stewed front leg”. When the thermometer is done, look again only at 78° for Picnic shoulder and leave 78 on the slip.

Do not call the meat done from color alone, and do not read the temperature as a grade score. Check that the core temperature on the slip and the thermometer match, and do not kill the heat before that mark even if the color changes first. If the seam of sinew is badly split, change the slip from a short sear to a long cook. Match Stewed front leg with 78 at the butcher before you close 78° for Picnic shoulder. Cook Picnic shoulder as “Stewed front leg” until the centre reads 78 degrees. The mark to keep is 78°.