Knowledgeable meat cutter, needs I.

April 27, 2006 12:19 PM

Where can I find a quality butcher?

I recently am in charge of a small grassfed angus operation in central Ohio. It's my dad's operation, now in my inept control. We currently have our beef processed at a tiny local processor. I want to look into having the beef dry-aged.
Problems: I live in a rural county about an hour from the nearest urban center (Columbus). I have only enough demand to need 3-4 beef processed each month. My customers currently have the option to have their beef cut to whatever specification they demand.

I understand that dry aging makes for better meat and would like to have someone who knows tell me what they can about why or why not I could get it done.

posted by kid_twist to food & drink (4 comments total)

At the North Market downtown, there's a shop called simply "North Market Poultry and Game", across from the . The owners are Jerry and Anne-Marie, and they are wonderful. Everything is free range (and a lot is grass-fed as well), and he has told me he doesn't sell anything without personally seeing the source, meeting the operators and observing how the animals are treated.

I lived off their free-range chicken and ostrich and bison burgers for the better part of a year. They make some good hot food, too - don't leave without a bowl of soup. I don't know if he dry-ages meat, but I'm sure he knows how and would be willing to help, if not do it especially for you.
posted by xanthippe at 12:31 PM on April 27, 2006

Across from the fish place, that is (which also has good soup). And there's an excellent natural bakery, too, and a cheese shop... How I miss the market!
posted by xanthippe at 12:33 PM on April 27, 2006

I can't help you with your local area, but I can offer (for anyone in the San Francisco Bay Area who wanders in looking for a butcher) that Dittmer's is an excellent "classic" butcher for people who live on the Peninsula.
posted by scrump at 12:38 PM on April 27, 2006

if you dont mind a bit of a drive my father is a very good butcher he lives in southern michigan give him a call at 517-486-2369.

His name is Dave, the place is called Kastel's Slaughter House.
posted by stilgar at 8:14 PM on April 27, 2006