You got me though man. It said Pork butt but the labeling wasn't very descriptive. They also had full on shoulders which seriously had me tempted. Then they had "pillow pads". I went with the butts and they were loosey goosey man - no bone and not very well "connected" - hence the butcher twine you must have noticed.
From here on out, it better say "bone in". You're obviously a vet. on pork so if you have ANY tips on cooking or selecting meat I would be thankful!
PS - I am even newer to cooking brisket. I am planning on smoke'n a nice one this weekend. Tips on that would be appreciated as well.
I'm not a vet, by any means. I look for a "Boston Butt", with a blade in, as you've sumised. Picnic cuts tend to be a PITA. I just dust mine up in a rub. Sometimes I inject, but I can't say as I really notice a difference. Others will swear by it. I just hold my pit @ 230 for the duration. In that shot, it took me 14 hrs to cook all that. The nice thing, there was only a 3 degree difference in meat temp between the bottom rack and the top rack (heat comes in from the bottom).
Brisket, I've made it a few times. not enough to say anything with any authority behind it. I've got a marinade recipe I have used (Recipe found here) a couple of times. Comes out OK. Nothing to write home about. I have noticed though, that it is still moist. I hate dry brisket (which a bunch of the BBQ joints around here do).