Butcher Shops and Other Endangered Species

 If you are old enough to remember when just about every neighborhood had a butcher shop (or meat market), then you know they are a disappearing enterprise. What a pity. Shopping for meat today in a supermarket is about as personal experience as going through airport security.

Fortunately, we in southern Wisconsin are blessed with several fantastic meat markets and sausage factories (oftentimes both on the same premises!), where the person behind the counter is versed in the subtleties of beef, pork, lamb, and veal. Who knows the difference between Kalberwurst and Knockwurst and are happy to tell you. Where you can have your steak or roast cut the way you want it. And, if it's not too busy, exchange a little chit-chat about the weather, where you're from, or -- the perennial favorite -- how the Packers are doing.

I was in New Glarus the other day, and this little town of about 2,200 permanent residents, is blessed with not one, but two meat markets/sausage manufacturers, Ruef's Meat Market, in the heart downtown, and Hoesley's Meat Market (pronounced HOSE - lees) on the edge of town in an industrial park. Ruef's is more of a sausage manufacturer, while Hoesley's is a mixture of both. On this particular trip, I paid a visit to Hoesley's.

On this particular day, I was shopping for a nice thick New York Strip to put on the grill. I didn't want a wimpy slice, prepackaged in a pink Styrofoams tray with a diaper underneath it, and wrapped in cellophane. I wanted a 1-inch (at least!) thick slab of beef, trimmed by hand, and wrapped in butcher paper. So, in this sense, Hoesly's -- and indeed most meat markets -- are more of a binge than a bargain. But, then, going back to my basic philosophy of what this blog is about it's a question of value over purely price, and believe me ttoccasional indulgence of a hunk of really good beef is worth it.

It was relatively early in the day (about 10:30 a.m.), so Hoesley's did not have all their steaks, chops, and roasts out in the display case yet. But no problem. I talked with the friendly lady behind the counter, and she knew exactly what I wanted and told me the butcher would be happy to cut me a nice 1-inch thick New York Strip. It took about 15 minutes, and I used the time to peruse the market and its many offerings, which include a wide variety of sausages (made on premises), thick-sliced bacon, and frozen prepackaged steaks, chops, and roasts if you are in a bit of a hurry and don't want to stand at the butcher counter. They also have a lovely refrigerated display of cheeses, most of them locally made.

The lady emerged from the back room where the magic happens with two steaks stacked on top of one another for my inspection and approval. I chose the slightly thicker one, a delectable looking slab of the finest sirloin, enrobed in a border of fat that promised juiciness in every delicious morsel. She weighed it, and wrapped it, I paid my $12.50 (it weighed about a pound) and I left the store one happy carnivore.

I cooked it two nights later on a double contact electric griddle (I am currently minus an open-flame grill ... a tragedy I soon hope to remedy) about medium. After trimming, I was left with about 12 ounces of some of the best beef to be found. Yes, folks, the Chesapeake Bay may have its crabs, New Orleans may have its shrimp and oysters, but we here is Wisconsin have some of the best beef to be found anywhere. Talk all you want to about Iowa beef, Texas beef, Kansas City beef, whatever. I'll  put up our Wisconsin beef against those folks anytime. It's really another one of our "best kept secrets" here in Wisconsin, and I for one hope it stays that way!

There are several other really good meat markets/sausage factories in southern Wisconsin, and they include Sorg's (between Janesville and Delavan); the Bavarian Sausage Shop in Fitchburg; Gempeler's Market in Monticello; and of course Ruef's in New Glarus. There's also UW Provisions in Middleton, but I place them in a different category. I'll cover some of these other places in future blog entries. But in the meantime, if you have a favorite meat market/sausage factory, please leave a comment and let me (and others) know!

Cheers!

Bruce