Got a Meaty Question?

by Carl Kimmerle | Feb 27, 2020 | Blog

Got a Meaty Question?

Why and how you should talk to your butcher for all your meat related concerns.

You shouldn’t settle for standard pre-packaged meat from the freezer section of the supermarket. Sure, it can be intimidating to talk to strangers, so you let your phone do the work for you whenever you have a question about meat- whether it’s finding the right cut, how to prepare it, how much of it you will need, and so on- but don’t let that stop you from fully enjoying the wonderful flavors and textures that different meats can offer.

There’s no one better to answer all your questions than your local butcher- they’ve been handling meat for a very long time, know everything there is to know about choosing, cutting, preparing, and cooking meat, and love meat more than you ever will.

If you really want to make the most of your trip to the local butcher, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Your butcher is more than happy to answer them. See, when you buy from a local butcher, you are not only paying for the meat, but for the entire service.

Really, they are more approachable, knowledgeable, and helpful than you may think. Here’s why:

They can help you find what you’re looking for.

Don’t be afraid to ask your butcher for a meat cuts 101, or let them know what you have in mind so they can suggest the perfect meat for you. Try this guide on how to narrow down your options:

The type of meat you want (beef, pork, poultry, lamb, wild game)
Bone-in or boneless?
Preferred cooking method (grill, roast, bake, pan sear, broil, etc)
Desired flavor (mild or deep) and tenderness (tough or tender)

From there, you can take your pick, or go all out and experiment until you find your favorite. Don’t shy away from the lesser known cuts that may be just as tender and juicy as the ones you are used to, and are even cheaper and meatier. As long as you keep an open mind, the sky’s the limit.

Your butcher can even help you with the size, weight, thickness, and amount of meat that you should get, so it’s really a custom, personalized experience just for you.

They can cut it just the way you want it.

Think of it this way- you’re going to the local butcher because you don’t want to settle with standard, pre-packaged meat. So, don’t shy away from requesting exactly what you want with the meat cut you’re ordering.

Your butcher is happy to do way more than cutting the meat into different retail cuts. You can ask them to prepare the meat, such as by deboning, cubing, trimming, trussing, tying, or de-fatting it. More often than not, these services don’t cost extra (there’s no harm, of course, in tipping, especially if your butcher went above and beyond for you).

One thing to remember, however, is that butchers may have a couple of rules or do’s and don’ts, and may steer you away from certain things you want done with your meat- and for good reason. No, they are not being stiff and uncooperating. They know what’s best and what will keep the meat viable and what will preserve its tenderness, flavor, and so on.

They can guide you on your meat filled journey.

Your butcher’s awesome service doesn’t end once you choose what meat to buy. They can offer helpful tips and valuable information on things such as:

Where your meat comes from, like whether it is locally sourced, humanely raised, fed with a natural diet, is antibiotic and hormone free, and so on
How to check the meat quality and freshness, such as by looking at the color and vibrance, texture and juices, marbling, and other factors
The best ways to prepare and process the meat (if you want to make some sausages, smoked meats, or snacks) or to cook and serve it, as well as what ingredients, garnishes, and spices would go well in bringing out the meat’s wonderful flavors
How to properly and safely store meat and for what periods of time, so you can have a steady supply of delicious meat that is safe to eat at any given time

Really, anything you need to know about meat, your butcher has all the answers you can possibly need!

Amazing Facts About Butchers

by Carl Kimmerle | Feb 12, 2020 | Blog

Amazing Facts About Butchers

Butchers have existed around the same time humankind discovered the art of raising livestock, and will continue to exist for as long as there is a demand for meat, which is, well, until the end of time.

However, with big supermarkets taking over our daily lives and addressing our grocery needs, we encounter butchers less and less. Often, we settle with pre-packaged meat that we grab straight from the freezer section, and with all the self check-out counters and online shops popping around, there really isn’t much human interaction anymore when we purchase our meat.

So, perhaps it’s time to familiarize ourselves with just what it is butchers do, and why we need them in our lives.

Amazing Facts About Butchers

Butchers cut, prepare, and sell meat products.

This sounds a tad obvious, but bear with us. After all, a lot of people seem to think that butchers are only responsible for chopping up a slice of meat into small cubes and that’s that.

The stuff we get from supermarkets most likely come from industrial meat processors, which basically means the meat is largely processed by machines under minimal human supervision.

Local butchers, on the other hand, are very hands on in what happens to the meat, from the moment it arrives as a whole animal, until the point of sale where you get bite sized cubed meats and processed sausages.

Slaughter

Here’s how they do it: first, the carcass is cleaned up, the hair, skin, head, and feet are removed, then the body is cut up into large chunks called primals. Then, it is further cut up into retail sized pieces, which is what you see on meat counters. Butchers also do all the extra steps required, such as de-boning, trimming fat, and grinding.

Preparation

And, that’s just on preparing the meat. Butchers also often process meat products into delicious smoked hams, fatty burgers, chunky sausages, cured meats, and so on. These are freshly made in house, and from quality ingredients.

Sale and management

Furthermore, butchers are also in charge with the weighing, labelling, and pricing each meat product. When it comes to product management, they take the time to look for trustworthy suppliers from local farmers and producers, as well as take orders for meat processing services, like in the case of hunters looking for a butcher to handle his wild game.

Education

After all of that, they are also the ones who will sell these meat products to you, all while happily entertaining any questions you may have about meat. Your local butcher is ready to educate you on the many different meat cuts and what you can do with each one, how to handle meat safely, what kind of dishes you can prepare, how to best cook the meat, and so on.

While there is no formal education for butchery and meat processing, all the years of hands on experience that butchers have make them extremely knowledgeable on all things meat. Well, you would be too if you deal with it day in and out.

Butchers are highly skilled professionals.

Since a butcher’s job is multifaceted, it goes to say that a butcher is highly skilled in various areas. Dealing with meat alone requires them to be physically fit and able, in order to lift whole animals, operate machinery, cleanly slice through muscle and bone, stand for long periods of time, and work under cold environments to preserve the meat.

The attention to detail, precision, and patience required when performing certain meat cuts and preparing the meat into sumptuous processed products is really quite unparalleled. They also have to be able to identify exactly which is what and where it came from, and keep things clean and separate from each other at all times, all to avoid cross contamination and maintain the same quality throughout.

And, even though butchers work with dead animals for hours on end, they are also some of the most people oriented individuals you can ever come across. Since butchers handle the sale and management of their own products, they interact with a lot of suppliers and customers on a daily basis, and have developed superb customer service skills.

This is so they can understand their customers’ needs, educate the customer on what’s best for them, and entice them to buy meat from the butcher shop.