Standing at a meat counter can be intimidating, which is why we turned to Rusty
Bowers, a chef turned craft butcher who helped champion the concept of whole
animal butchery in Atlanta. Currently, Bowers is the owner of Pine Street Market, a
whole animal butcher shop, and Chop Shop, Atlanta's first butcher-and farmer-owned
retail store.
Here are the questions that Bowers says you should ask your butcher next time you're
at the counter.
"What are some uncommon but flavorful cuts?"
“As a society, it’s so important to minimize waste. Plus, there’s much more to an
animal than chicken breast, ribeye, New York strip steaks, and pork chops. These are
popular consumer choices, but you don’t know what you don’t know! Every good
butcher has a favorite, less expensive, lesser known, flavorful cut of meat in mind that
they would love to tell you about. Most of these lesser known cuts are ignored
because of lack of customer demand, but the more we try these cuts the more common
they become.”
"Where do you source your meat?"
“It matters. Knowing whether you’re buying commodity meat from a box that has
likely been frozen for long periods of time or meat that’s fresh and hand-cut from a
humanely raised, local animal matters –– not only for ethical and sustainability
reasons, but you can taste the difference. A seasoned butcher is excited to share their
passion and can tell you how that animal was raised, where it came from, what it ate,
and the right way to cook each cut.”
"What cut would you recommend for what I am doing?"
“The butcher is there to help you navigate and find the right piece of meat for your
recipe or desired cooking method. Different cuts of meat shine with certain cooking
methods. A good butcher can tell you what cut is best for hot-and-fast-cooking, such
as grilling and pan-searing, or what cuts are better for slow-cooking, roasting, and
braising.”