Local Butcher---> Good thing

[fishwrestler]

I have had the good fortune of finding a great local butcher full of knowledge and a willingness to help.  I try to buy as much as I can from him since he is so helpful.

I called yesterday to see if he had high temperature cheese for sale. He told me he did not use enough to keep any in stock. I inquired to the cost when he did buy it.  He gave me a price and was not sure if that was for 40lb or 20lb package. He told me to call back today and he would have some information on cost and minimum order quantity. So I call him back and today and find out that there is a minimum order of 20lbs and it will cost $90. There was a pause. So I asked if I bought 10lbs could he use the other 10lbs. He said sure I will order it tomorrow and you can pick it up on Friday afternoon. So going local saved me almost 1/2  and i don't have to wait for delivery. Now I am off to search for a good cheese sausage recipe.

 

[les3176]

Yep gotta love the local guys..their great,they are willing to help with info and they seem to take good care of ya!

Sounds like maybe some summer sausage with cheese in your future??? Good luck.

 

[scarbelly]

I live in the country and we have no local butchers. We have had really great luck with the local Carneceria in town

Not as good as a regular butcher since they dont do a lot of traditional cuts

 

[SmokinAl]

No local butchers in our town either. If you search cheese sausage recipe there are tons of them.

 

[pineywoods]

No local butcher shops around here either. I usually order my high temp cheese from Butcher and Packer.

 

[fishwrestler]

Yeah If I did not have a local butcher I would order more stuff online. I looked at butcher packer and for  10lbs the price is about the same. But no shipping charges by getting from the local. guy. If it is not more than %10 more I will usually buy locally.

I like that everytime i stop in we have a 10-30minute conversation on meat and curing. I think I should have been born 100 yrs ago when these kind of shops where more available.

 

[czarcastic]

I think there is just a dearth of local butchers in Florida.  Nothing near me either - at least, not anyone with any real knowledge or that has given me a reason to drive extra to them for services.  They are a dying breed what with grocery stores on every corner.  You should consider yourself very lucky to have someone near you who you can rely on.  I would give them as much business as I could.

On the other hand, I've got a GREAT fish guy ...

 

[flbobecu]

Dang guys - I've got 3 within about 10 miles here in Orlando.

Not to mention other decent sources for meat - though I don't know what the cheese selection is like.

 

[scarbelly]

Here is a link to a bunch of sausage websites - just scroll down to my second post

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forum/thread/102292/great-sausage-website

 

[chef willie]

Think local butchers are going the way of the buggy whip maker. The supermarkets and Walmarts are driving then out of business. We do have guys here that do 'cutting & wrapping' of your beef or game but no retail. The last butcher I knew of in California with a small shop sold pretty much only choice or prime cuts (when available) and huge chops etc to folks that could pay the bigger bucks.

 

[skully]

I support My local Guys, the service/quality/info is next to none, I have had the opportunity to make excellent friendships with My local Guys and wouldn't give them up for anything........peace..........just to add, everything I know pretty much came from them, what I didn't learn from family pass downs, they taught Me.......

 

[fishwrestler]

This is the local guy I am using. Hope it is alright to post his information here. Just figured if anyone was in the area and need information or meat or casings

Allen's Custom Meat

(530) 885-8811

592 Grass Valley Hwy, Auburn, CA 95603

I was talking with some one at Safeway today and they said they are not even allowed to cut meat. Just unwrap and repackage. MY local guy actually mention some of the big box super market guys come to him for training because no one at these place have the skills to pass on. It is so sad.

 

[ak1]

Wow, even our supermarkets have butchers who can custom cut from a side of beef or a hog.

 

[Bearcarver]

One of the good things about living in SE PA----We got small local butcher shops all over the place.

Must be at least 30 of them within a 20 mile radius of here, and I'm not including Lancaster (Amish).

Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

Bear

 

[czarcastic]

It's not that there aren't any butcher shops, and yes, the grocery stores will do a special cut for you, but they are mostly "meat cutters" and not overly knowledgeable or helpful.  And like I said, not worth the extra drive or cost to buy from them.

What I am talking about is the kind of guy like Fishwrestler talks about.  A real, knowledgeable butcher who really knows what they're doing.  I'd give anything to have someone like that around here.

 

[pawoodswalker]

Yep Local butchers in all directions here. Pa has it's perks

 

[arnie]

Your local farmers and/or ranchers should know of a meat locker in the area where you can go. Ask them where they go to have their personal beef and/or hogs butchered. I’ll bet they’d even be willing to make you a deal on a side or full hog or beef

We have several grocery stores, both chain and local, a few butcher shops, several small town meat lockers, as well as a couple of large packing housed in our area. Maybe we’re just lucky

 

[cowgirl]

I have had the good fortune of finding a great local butcher full of knowledge and a willingness to help.  I try to buy as much as I can from him since he is so helpful.

I called yesterday to see if he had high temperature cheese for sale. He told me he did not use enough to keep any in stock. I inquired to the cost when he did buy it.  He gave me a price and was not sure if that was for 40lb or 20lb package. He told me to call back today and he would have some information on cost and minimum order quantity. So I call him back and today and find out that there is a minimum order of 20lbs and it will cost $90. There was a pause. So I asked if I bought 10lbs could he use the other 10lbs. He said sure I will order it tomorrow and you can pick it up on Friday afternoon. So going local saved me almost 1/2  and i don't have to wait for delivery. Now I am off to search for a good cheese sausage recipe.

Nice score!!  ...both the butcher and the cheese.

 

 

[ak1]

It's not that there aren't any butcher shops, and yes, the grocery stores will do a special cut for you, but they are mostly "meat cutters" and not overly knowledgeable or helpful.  And like I said, not worth the extra drive or cost to buy from them.

What I am talking about is the kind of guy like Fishwrestler talks about.  A real, knowledgeable butcher who really knows what they're doing.  I'd give anything to have someone like that around here.

I'm talking about the same. I've got 6 that I can drive to within 10mins from my house.

 

[southensmoker]

My butcher told me that unless you are going to put cedar cheese in your sausage that the high temp cheese is a waste of money.  He said that when you heat cedar cheese it will separate into oil and cream and other kind of cheese won't do that.  I use pepper jack in my sausage and he said I could just use regular cheese and thats what he does.  Also when he tasted my sausage he said there is too much salt and said that all the salt could have came from the high temp cheese.  So when I run out of the high temp I will use regular cheese.