Reasons to Buy Meat From Your Local Butcher
The meat counter is undoubtedly one of the grocery store’s most daunting sections. Many people avoid purchasing fresh meat because they cannot choose the best cuts, estimate their family’s needs, or choose the appropriate meat for a particular dish. You definitely can’t miss this part, especially if you love to cook as I do! Only the best ingredients will do when it comes to cooking and eating, and fresh, locally produced meats, veggies, and other food are as excellent. Whether you prepare the meals yourself at home or hire a private chef to perform the hard work, you will undoubtedly taste the difference when using higher-quality products. However, given how busy our lives are, it might be tempting to “grab everything from the store” while doing the weekly grocery shopping. However, it is always wise to take a little more time to get your meat from the neighbourhood butcher shop. Meat purchases from supermarkets aren’t always what they’re made to be, but meat from a specialised butcher never lets you down. Here are some of the reasons why.
Why You Should Buy From Your Local Butcher
Where you buy your meat each week is one of the most important decisions you make. The supermarket may sometimes be your best bet if you seek an affordable and practical alternative. On the other hand, a trip to the butcher could be in order if you’re thinking of serving a hearty supper to your loved ones. They can offer a higher-quality and more recent meat supply than a store.
Unbeatable Quality
Let’s start with the most obvious answer: meat from a butcher shop tastes better. Why? The reason for this is the freshness of the meats you can purchase from a butcher. Local suppliers are frequently used by butcher shops, allowing for a speedier turnaround at the store. And unlike supermarkets, which frequently get their meat from factory farms that torture animals, many butcher shops try to source their meat from establishments that produce and care for their livestock correctly.
Animal Welfare
Even though many people would instead not think about it, animal welfare should be considered when buying meat. It’s crucial to know how and where it was raised. To meet the enormous demand from supermarkets and other major retailers, many cattle and other livestock are mass-bred in poor conditions. Still, butchers guarantee that their meat only comes from local farms, where animals are well-treated, nourished, and enjoy a happy existence.
Free Advice
Your butcher can steer you in the appropriate route regardless of your degree of skill. Yes, meat from a butcher can occasionally be more expensive than meat from the grocery store. Still, a savvy butcher will be able to recommend alternatives that can help you save money without compromising flavour. In addition, when the quality improvement is taken into account, you end up saving money.
Excellent Customer Relations
Relationships developed at establishments you frequently visit are incomparable. You may get advice from butchers on what to buy for your family. In addition to providing more extraordinary service than a serve yourself meat case, they may assist you in choosing superior cuts of meat. Ultimately, when you buy at your neighbourhood butcher shop, they treat you more like family than a consumer.
Wider Variety of Cuts
The more extensive assortment, including speciality cuts you are unlikely to find in a supermarket, is another benefit of purchasing meat from a butcher. The Meat-Inn Place also offers other services, including bulk purchases (such as a half a lamb or a hindquarter of a cow) and barbeque spit rental.
Why We Must Support Our Neighbourhood Butchers
The need to help small enterprises in these trying times is growing as the corporate world and the globe change daily. Butchers put a lot of effort into giving their clients fresh, high-quality meat, helpful advice, and top-notch customer service. You may help the local economy in Victoria by making purchases from your neighbourhood butcher. Additionally, knowing that you are assisting a company that obtains beef ethically and responsibly will give you peace of mind.
Why is buying cheap meat discouraged?
Just by looking at the price, buying inexpensive meat seems like a fantastic deal, but there is a price to pay. Unsettling research has revealed that inexpensive meat is occasionally not composed of the flesh you believe you’re purchasing. Additionally, fillers and antibiotics may be included. Therefore, the greatest price you can get on meat is the costlier cut. Cheap meats are just not seen as wholesome food choices. You won’t be damaged if you sometimes eat some processed meat, but consuming it frequently might seriously affect your health over time. Numerous studies have demonstrated a correlation between increasing processed meat intake and foodborne infections and a link to cancer or poor organ health.
Where can you buy the cheapest meat in the World?
It is no surprise that meat doesn’t come at a low price. But some countries still sell this prized product for less than what we are used to paying for.
Top 10 Countries with the Lowest-Priced Meat
- Mongolia
- Rwanda
- Tanzania
- Bolivia
- Ukraine
- Madagascar
- Chad
- Paraguay
- Malawi
- Azerbaijan
Top 10 Countries with the Highest-Priced Meat
- South Korea
- Switzerland
- Iceland
- Japan
- Norway
- Israel
- Austria
- Luxembourg
- New Zealand
- France
Source: The Global Economy
What are the most useful questions you can ask your Butcher?
Your neighbourhood butcher shop, The Meat-Inn Place, is the best location to acquire fresh, high-quality meat in your area, whether you want to purchase pig belly, beef ribs, or anything in between. However, some customers still proceed to the counter without engaging the butcher in conversation. Not beyond just requesting the specific cut of meat they had in mind when they entered.
But when it comes to all things meat, including different kinds of meat, cuts, and how to prepare them, your local butcher is a treasure trove of information. If you want your outdoor cooking to regularly provide tasty results, you should take advantage of that.
- Which cuts do you recommend?
- Where do you source your meats from?
- What’s the daily special?
- How would you cook this?
- When did deliveries arrive?
- What grades of meat are available?
- Is the meat okay to freeze?
- Can you cut it according to my specifications?
- What’s the best cut for grilling?
- Which cuts would give me the best value for my money?
- Do you have condiments, seasonings, and sauces available for BBQ?
What skills and qualities should a Butcher possess?
Butchers are indispensable people in any neighbourhood. But, not everyone can be a butcher! If you want to become a butcher someday, here are some of the qualities and skills you must have and develop to become one.
Butcher’s Main Responsibilities
- Performing the butchering and killing of animals
- Separating primary and secondary cuts from carcasses
- Chopping, sawing, and other methods of processing flesh
- Portioning or Putting cuts together for weighing, packaging, and selling or other processing
- Preparing meat derivatives and meat products
- Selling cuts to the public and displaying cuts at the butcher counter
- Ensuring that workplaces are spotless and adhere to all food safety and hygiene regulations
Butcher Skill Requirements
- Education, experience cooking, or knowledge of meat preparation.
- Ability to operate in frigid conditions,
- Handle large objects, stand or walk for extended periods of time, and utilise hand tools.
- More training is often needed
- Knowledge of the methods and cuts used in meat preparation.
- Strong task management, customer service, and communication abilities.
