I'm wanting to find a good deal on some beef tenderloin and other meats.

T&G

http://meat.tamu.edu/rmstcoutlet.html

END OF THREAD

How is ordering from the Rosenthal? Can you just go up and grab it, or should you call/email ahead?

It's all frozen, in freezer cases where you can go pick & choose what you want. No need to pre-order.

Readfields is great, too.

I most always have the butcher at HEB cut my steaks to the thickness I want and they always do a great job.

Village Foods has a full-service meat market. A real butcher, Mike Wiederhold, on-site. Not many left..

wtf constitutes a "real" butcher?

[This message has been edited by rcj0618 (edited 3/22/2011 10:09p).]

quote:

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wtf constitutes a "real" butcher?

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DUHHHH!!...as in "trained" in the art of butchering! Or "been doing it a long time" or, more simply put...his profession.

I know you guys said local butcher, and those that you named are good.

You guys will really be giving yourselves a treat if you ever take a tour of this facility....lonestarfoodservice.com

Next time you're in Austin, make some time. The owner's name is Franklin Hall.

These guys are beyond butchers, they're artisans. We used to bring in their meat for our steakhouse concept. Every facet of how they handle and age their beef is precise.

They usually come to A&M once a year to participate in a seminar at Rosenthal. We were fortunate enough to attend a couple of times.

The quality is proven. They supply upscale steakhouses and hotels around the state. It's pricey stuff, though. It's definitely for beef aficionados.

[This message has been edited by Costa and Andreas (edited 3/23/2011 7:11a).]

[This message has been edited by Costa and Andreas (edited 3/23/2011 7:12a).]

Padre, then what are the people who do it at Kroger, HEB, Readfields...

A lot of grocery stores have gone from getting whole sides of beef, etc. to getting CTRC's, which is Closely Trimmed Retail Cuts or even pre-packaged meats. Basically it takes the butchering out of working the meat counter, it is literally then a meat counter clerk.

I guess in a nutshell most stores now have meat cutters instead of butchers.

[This message has been edited by Artemis (edited 3/23/2011 12:18p).]

thank you, I wasn't aware of that practice. Now I understand.

Thanks for the replies. I'm gonna try the one on campus after class.

Believe it or not Sam's Club has some good quality stuff.

I had a friend who was thinking of opening an organic / local only / grass fed butcher shop.

She trained to be a butcher in NY, but she grew up here.

If the price was a little higher than the grocery stores would you still stop by because it was all grown local and was fresh?

There are several grassfed beef farms in the area already, you may try checking them out and comparing prices.

I'll let my friend know, do you know the names of any of these places?

We will start using Wild Type Ranch beef, in Cameron, for our burgers, in 2 weeks.

Grassy Creek & Star Haven are two off the top of my head. There are couple others.

I've just got to say even though he seems to have settled for "frozen" vs fresh. Go see Tim at Readfield and get what you REALLY want! Just describe it and he will help you figure it out. You may pay a little more, but when you prepare them properly -- you'll soon forget the small difference in price. I'm still thinking about fajitas they carved out for me two months ago.

UMMM!

Thanks Artemis!

OK- here is a more comprehensive list of grass-fed beef operations within a reasonable driving distance of B/CS:

Sandcreek Farm - Cameron, TX
Coyote Creek Farm - Elgin, TX
Cross Timbers Ranch - Franklin, TX
Dewberry Hills Farm - Lexington, TX
Georgia’s Texas GrassFed Beef and Natural Meats - Waller, TX
Glory Farms - Fairfield, TX
Isadore Ranch - Normangee, TX
Jolie Vue Farms - Brenham, TX
Lazy A Ranch - Bellville, TX
Olde World Farms - Montgomery, TX
Texas Ranch Beef - Bellville, TX
Yonder Way Farm - Brenham, TX

BeardedBear-
Yes, I would use a local butcher who offered grass-fed/grass finished beef.

Another name to add to the list of suppliers is Betsy Ross (yes, that is really her name) of Ross Farm. (http://www.rossfarm.com) She is very knowledgeable on this and many other related subjects. We frequently order from her, but we also use Sand Creek.

Many years ago, the person who killed the animal was classified as a butcher. The ones who cut up the meat into steaks, etc., were called meat cutters. Maybe that's changed since the 70s.

Wild Type is AWESOME!!!! And if you actually sit down and compare their meat prices to a grocery store, you'll find they are competitive. The quality difference is day & night. They are at the farmers market once a month or you can find their meat at Village Foods.

Charlie - glad to hear you'll be using their beef, your customers will not be disappointed.


http://www.wildtyperanch.com