On this Earth Day, I thought I would take a moment to highlight the real warriors for a healthier ag biz. Our friendly farmers and ranchers are doing the real work, one pasture, one animal, one incredibly long day at a time. Today, I celebrate the efforts of these men and women who are trying to change the way we enjoy meat, for the better.
Read MoreThe Sophie’s choice of carnivores. I’ve bought more delicious, custom-cut, responsibly raised meat than I can possibly eat this week from my favorite neighborhood butcher, Electric City Butcher. Do I take the risk of it going bad, or can I put it in the freezer and hope for the best?
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 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 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 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 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.
Read MoreAnyone else remember Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and the “how people made things,” segments? Fred and Mr. McFeely narrating, me snacking on a PB&J with the crusts cut off, the jazz piano twinkling in the background, as folks hypnotically pressed trumpet after trumpet, inflated countless toy balls, or cut tofu into buoyant cubes. Soon after Y2K, Mr. Rogers and his popular segments were gone. The “offshoring” movement was well underway.
Read MoreA couple of weeks ago, I interviewed White Oak Pastures’ Will Harris, and got things straight from the horse’s (or dare I say steer’s) mouth. You can learn more about Will and his beautiful Georgian regenerative farm in last week’s post, but suffice it to say, he’s got plenty of grass-fed street cred. The largest grass-finished beef rancher in the country, Will is also one of the...
Read MoreWith everything going on for the holidays, sometimes we forget that Thanksgiving is all about being with family and reflecting on what we are thankful for.
At ECB, we’re a big family made up of butchers, ranchers, farmers, restaurateurs, small business owners, and changemakers. So, I thought it would be fun to ask our family to share what they are thankful for this holiday season.
Read MoreJust in time for Turkey Day, I thought I’d highlight some of the top tips from the last several weeks of turkey talk.
1. Turkey Wranglers: My favorite bit of Turkey Americana has to be the Gobbler Gaucho of the 19th century. The job of the Turkey Drover, as they were known back in the day, was to herd sometimes thousands of birds across America’s Great Plains and get them to market.
Read MoreAfter hours of wandering the desert of streaming content, the RPG smartphone games, teenybopper Disney shows, and the umpteenth Adventuring the Wild! The Legend of Zelda Zebra Gamer Gameplay Video, I called a timeout. My brain, and more importantly, the cerebral cortex of my offspring, needed a breath of restorative, intelligent, and thought provoking fresh air.
Read MoreWhy would anyone stuff anything into an animal in the first place? What compelled us to get creative with the cavity? Was it some primordial anal-retentive gene to fill every nook and cranny; or a Neolithic cultic ritual, its significance long since forgotten? Whatever the reason, humans have been busy stuffing animals—especially poultry—full of all kinds...
Read MoreThere are so many buzzwords when it comes to rating meat. “Pastured,” “free range,” “humane,” “organic.” It can feel overwhelming to the shopper, and more often than not, can be misleading. That’s why Electric City Butcher and our farmers tend to lean on certifying organizations like the Global Animal Partnership–also known as GAP—to help straighten things out.
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