Anybody else notice it’s getting chilly out? It’s suddenly become stew weather, so why not dust off a recipe for one of the most famous braises of all, ossobuco.
Simple, decadent, satisfying, ossobuco is a fantastic example of culinary alchemy, taking a tough, lean, ordinary cut of beef, and—through low and slow cooking—turning it into a moist, debaucherous show-stopper of a main course.
Read MoreECB’s first Guest Blog Post comes from Arturo Peredo at Porch.com
"When it comes to delicious snacks, jerky is one of the most popular choices out there. With most of us spending more time at home, you can discover how to make almost anything from scratch if you put your mind to it. Thanks to its high protein and mineral content, jerky is not only tasty, but it’s also a healthy alternative to some other snacks."
Read MoreEeven if you’re a novice, you probably know that American Barbecue originated in the South. And no matter how you spell it, BBQ, Bar-B-Q, barbeque, barbecue has such an irrevocable union with the Fourth of July, that it could never be torn asunder. Right? But did you know that African Americans have more to do with meat roasting being the activity of choice on our Nation’s birthday than any other community.
Read MoreOur little neighborhood butcher shop has been open for five year now, and we’ve seen a lot of guests walk through our doors. Our favorite guests have lots of questions, mostly because it’s the first time they’ve ever been to a butcher shop. I thought I’d share some of the most common questions we get to help those of you thinking about coming to ECB for the first time.
Read MoreAs a result, I haven’t met a farm kid I didn’t wish was one of my own. They are some of the best-educated, self-aware, tenacious, fearless, down to earth, opinionated, maybe a little stubborn young people I’ve ever come across. If this generation of young agriculturalists reflects the future of farming—or society at large—we are in good hands folks.
Read MoreIf you’re looking to catch up on your reading during COVID, here are a few books and resources we found interesting. Check ‘em out!
Read MoreIt may not come as a surprise that with all the concerns folks have had about the food system and supply these days, we’ve been getting a lot of requests for entire animal purchases, what we call “on the hoof.” This is something we’ve done for our guests since we opened our doors five years ago, but because of all the requests in the last few weeks, I thought I’d share some pointers.
Read MoreThe biggest bottleneck in the meat supply these days, is processing. That’s the word we use for slaughtering, portioning, and packaging meat. For 90% of the meat sold in the US, this is done in one of a handful of USDA-inspected facilities somewhere in Nebraska, Minnesota, or Iowa. The shortage isn’t a lack of farmers. There are plenty of cattle, pork, and chicken roaming the country.
Read MoreThe Coronavirus Pandemic has changed so many things about life at Electric City Butcher, and it is difficult, and sometimes hurts, to squint my eyes looking back on what things were like just a few months ago. So it probably comes as no surprise, that COVID collateral damage included Top Carnivore. I can’t believe it’s been more than two months since I’ve written a post.
Read MoreLast week we received a ton of questions from our guests about the Reverse Sear technique to perfectly brown your favorite cut of meat without over-cooking. We asked Chef Michael to put down his thoughts on the style that he uses nearly exclusively to cook the perfect steak, chop, & more these days.
Read MoreThere’s a lot of confusion when it comes to lamb steaks, or are they chops? Step into a butcher shop or grocery store, and you might find a blade chop, leg steak, lollipop or saddle chop. Have I already got you confused? But not every lamb steak is created equal. ...they come from different parts of the animal with very different textures, flavors, cooking techniques, and pricing.
Read MoreIt’s shocking how much baggage lamb has as a protein, especially in the United States. Sometimes I feel like I’m the official Lambassador in our shop, spouting to anyone who will listen, the virtues of our fantastic 100% grass-fed, antibiotic- and hormone-free Emigh Lamb. So here is a small attempt at dispelling a few of the worst myths about my favorite protein.
Read MoreIn the US, Lamb are typically born and raised in the fields on pasture and fodder for about six months. At that point, they’re shipped to a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) or “feedlot” that looks much like the Harris Ranch facility in Coalinga I wrote about last year. Animals are corralled in mud pins, sometimes with shade sometimes without, and “finished” for 30 to 45 days.
Read MoreToday, sheep—or lamb as we commonly refer to it in the grocery store—is still a favorite in the Middle East, Iceland, New Zealand and Australia. At Le Paturage, the butcher shop I visited last summer in Puyricard, France, lamb accounts for almost half of sales. However, in the US, and even at Electric City Butcher, lamb is not all that popular.
Read MoreWhat I love about farmers is that they’re just so damned practical. Just when I think I’ve got things figured out, and my dogma down, some farmer comes along and schools me in how logic, nature and, history can challenge all our assumptions.
Read MoreModern day grass-fed ranchers are not your run of the mill luddites resisting progress. Grass-fed beef is a tough business. Less than 5% of the market, it’s expensive to raise, complicated to manage, and hard to process. It would be a lot easier to raise cattle for nine months on the same pasture, and then sell them to a feedlot. But Seth has chosen a different path.
Read MoreI’m still not used to retail life around the holidays. I feel a little like I’ve been aboard the Millennium Falcon for the last six week, Hyperspacing (if that’s a verb) from planet to planet of work, family, and friends, just holding on tight so I don’t fly right through a holiday Turkey, or bounce to close to a Christmas present.
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