Where do you buy your fresh meat? (frozen, health, homemade)

[southdown]

I am used to having two or three small local butchers shops to buy meat from (coming from jolly olde England), but they don't seem to be the norm here in Austin (it's a dying breed in UK too, sad to say).

Do you buy fresh meat ready wrapped from the chiller in the supermarket, or from the fresh meat counter - or is there a better way?

[Hunter Wold]

From the North 40 during Elk season, the South 40 for Deer, and Arkansas for wild Hog...

Other than that a local grocery in Milan, NM. and Whole Foods in Abq.

Happy trails,
HW

[findinghope]

if i dont find a butcher, which is hard to find where i am also, i buy from the supermarket--as long as i see that there is a butcher counter. i wont buy it from walmart, aldi's or target where i know it was shipped in prepackaged.

[arsbadmojo]

The Raleigh, NC Farmer's market has a grass fed beef guy I use, but it's frozen. It's only a few days old most of the time, but still frozen. Still working on a fresh source. Lots of fresh chicken there though.

[Nomadicus]

In my area I have one butcher shop. I still mostly buy from our local Publix supermarket. Rarely have we been disappointed. It's impossible to taste test every steer and once in a great while one will be off a little but that is only every few years so no big deal. I worked in a small shop many years ago and am familiar with the process for feeding through the cutting and wrapping. Buying a side or quarter from a local farmer to me is ideal if you don't mind having to thaw before cooking. I hope to feed my own out one day soon so I know exactly what I'm getting.

[Mooseketeer]

If at all possible from local farm shops otherwise from our very good supermarket "Waitrose" which has very strict quality control and with good provenance and standards of husbandry ( all free range chickens, well sourced beef, lamb etc..) .

I also use our local butcher if I can for more unusual meats like venison , wild boar, rabbit, hare, pheasant and other game birds as it is locally shot and also tend to be cheaper in season than other meats.

[nomoresnow]

A friend of mine was a butcher and he taught me how to spot good meat and well-cut meat too. Like Nomadicus, I won't buy the pre-packaged stuff. Since we've moved to Florida, we usually get ours at Publix and have never been disappointed.

[MICoastieMom]

I buy the bulk of my fresh meat from Ray's Prime Meat's in Taylor, MI, or the The Dearborn Sausage Co., in Dearborn. They consistently get "A" ratings from the Board of Health for cleaniness and sanitation. They also each produce award winning sausages and smoked/etc. meats.

Ray's Prime Foods - Downriver's Only Full Service Butcher
Taylor, Michigan Butcher Shop Offers Homemade Smoked Sausage - Associated Content
Ray's remains a cut above rest 05/16/08 (broken link)

Dearborn Sausage Company, Inc.
Dearborn Sausage Company @ Treasuresof.com

[mommytotwo]

Fresh meat, what's that?

I don't think I've had fresh meat but once.

That was when my husband "went in on a cow" with some people, and I got 1/5 of a cow dropped off at my house. Disaster! And did it stink! Everyone told me it stunk because it was fresh. Oh, god, I can still remember the smell.

Anyhoo, after that, I just shop at the local meat outlets, we have two. One has better quality and higher prices than the other, but both beat the grocery store, and the meat moves through them so fast it doesn't have time to not be fresh.

Nowadays, who knows hold old the meat is? Who knows where it came from, and when, anyway?

What I want to know, if it's fresh (hey lets face it no matter where you buy it, they will claim its FRESH) then why do we have to cook it WITHIN 24 HOURS???

THAT is the million dollar question.

[NicoleJ]

I wish there was a butcher shop here.