Most of us have heard the term money muscle in barbecue circles... but what is it? Well it's one of the most tender muscles on the entire hog. It's called a money muscle because competition BBQ cooks often include it in their pork turn-in boxes because it can help put them in the money at a contest.
The money muscle is located at the top of a Boston butt shoulder roast, opposite the blade bone. When on the animal the money muscle is in-line with the pork loin. It's usually about 7" long and around 1.5" in diameter and has some distinct lines of fat. When sliced, this muscle looks similar to medallions sliced from a pork tenderloin.
BUTCHERING
A Coppa roast includes the money muscle, and several smaller muscles called the 'tubes'. Here is a cross section of a pork butt with most major muscle groups labeled.
When buying a pork butt, look for a generous money muscle. Also shown is the approximate cut line for a Coppa roast.
Here are some examples of a Coppa roast. You basically follow a fat seam (refer to the top photo) and remove the smaller roast from the pork butt. Then, with a sharp boning knife or fillet knife, trim off some areas of heavy fat while shaping the roast. Try not to leave any square corners, as they will dry out while smoking. A sharp knife can round off any square cuts, or you can use scissors to snip the edge. I trim the roast with a slight flat spot so the money muscle is positioned on top.
Here is a slightly larger roast, the diameter is entirely up to you.
COOKING
This roast comes from a working muscle and is well marbled with fat. It can be braised, baked, grilled, barbecued or smoked and I prefer a maximum cooking temp of 275°. It will require 4 to 6 hours in order to be sliceable or another hour or so if you want pulled pork. I prefer 'fork tender' slices.
Season with a minimum of salt and pepper. Using your favorite BBQ rub(s) will work great. I generally use an injection too, but this is not mandatory. Tying with string is optional.
My standard technique is smoking with an indirect method for several hours in order to build some bark and good color. This normally happens around 160°F. Then I will wrap with a little butter, sauce, and an ounce or two of liquid and return to the cooker or an oven and check after 1-hour for internal temp and more importantly probe for tenderness. I adjust my wrap time for my preferred doneness. I do like an hour or two of resting time. As always, the roast can be returned to the cooker or oven unwrapped to firm the bark, or to glaze with sauce.
For pulled pork, just monitor the doneness during the wrapped step. The roast will go from 'sliceable' to 'pullable' in about an hour or so.
.jpg)
