How do Butchers work in Ireland?

ashgg1 · 19-02-2015 6:32pm #1

Hi all, I am new to Ireland. Have been learning a lot about Irish ways of living and it's been quite fascinating so far.

One thing I still haven't figured out is the art of buying meat from a butcher's place

. What services can I expect from the butcher after I buy meat from him? Say I buy a whole chicken, is it okay to ask the butcher to de-skin it and cut in small pieces?

Just don't want to be rude to the butcher by asking him to do things he is not expected to do. Thanks for your comments!

Paulw · 19-02-2015 6:48pm

It will depend on the butcher.

Most are very helpful and will do as you ask/need.

wyndham · 19-02-2015 6:48pm

ashgg1 wrote: »

One thing I still haven't figured out is the art of buying meat from a butcher's place . What services can I expect from the butcher after I buy meat from him? Say I buy a whole chicken, is it okay to ask the butcher to de-skin it and cut in small pieces?

Just don't want to be rude to the butcher by asking him to do things he is not expected to do. Thanks for your comments!

I wouldn't expect a butcher to do this tbh. Some light trimming of steaks, etc is probably acceptable, but if you want chicken pieces, why not buy chicken pieces?

donegal. · 19-02-2015 6:50pm

ashgg1 wrote: »

Hi all, I am new to Ireland. Have been learning a lot about Irish ways of living and it's been quite fascinating so far.

One thing I still haven't figured out is the art of buying meat from a butcher's place . What services can I expect from the butcher after I buy meat from him? Say I buy a whole chicken, is it okay to ask the butcher to de-skin it and cut in small pieces?

Just don't want to be rude to the butcher by asking him to do things he is not expected to do. Thanks for your comments!

theres no problem asking your butcher to do this.

pleasant Co. · 19-02-2015 9:06pm

ashgg1 wrote: »

Hi all, I am new to Ireland. Have been learning a lot about Irish ways of living and it's been quite fascinating so far.

One thing I still haven't figured out is the art of buying meat from a butcher's place . What services can I expect from the butcher after I buy meat from him? Say I buy a whole chicken, is it okay to ask the butcher to de-skin it and cut in small pieces?

Just don't want to be rude to the butcher by asking him to do things he is not expected to do. Thanks for your comments!

If (s)he's a good butcher (s)he'll accommodate you, if you get hassle over it then try another butcher, it's not rude to ask.

Avada · 19-02-2015 9:08pm

Just to note, don't expect most of these services from a butcher in a supermarket. Most aren't butchers, just counter assistants.

dudara · 19-02-2015 9:11pm

Not a Consumer Issue, moved instead to Food & Drink

dudara

mags1962 · 19-02-2015 9:59pm

Depends on which supermarket you frequent and definitely not a german one.

L1011 · 20-02-2015 10:37am

mags1962 wrote: »

Depends on which supermarket you frequent and definitely not a german one.

Considering Lidl/Aldi don't even have butcher counters (or any manned counter, bar the checkouts) I fail to see the relevance of mentioning them.

pwurple · 20-02-2015 12:26pm

Depends on the butcher. Proper butchers will do all this... portion/skin/bone your meat as you want, talk to you about the portions and different cuts. Discuss ways of cooking them. Cut or get you something specific if they don't have it there and then.

But often in chain or retail butcher shops and supermarkets all you get is counter assistants. They are not real butchers. They pick up what is in front of them and put it in a baggie. That's it. Zero skill or knowledge.

Miaireland · 20-02-2015 4:35pm

pwurple wrote: »

Depends on the butcher. Proper butchers will do all this... portion/skin/bone your meat as you want, talk to you about the portions and different cuts. Discuss ways of cooking them. Cut or get you something specific if they don't have it there and then.

I agree with the above. My local butcher will do all this. To be honest I would have thought most butchers would be like this. Even the butcher section in our local supermarket would think nothing of jointing a chicken or chopping up meat for stews and stirfries etc.

ashgg1 · 20-02-2015 4:40pm

Thanks all. I will visit a nearby local butcher (not in a supermarket) and try out your suggestions.

duploelabs · 20-02-2015 4:42pm

pwurple wrote: »

Depends on the butcher. Proper butchers will do all this... portion/skin/bone your meat as you want, talk to you about the portions and different cuts. Discuss ways of cooking them. Cut or get you something specific if they don't have it there and then.

But often in chain or retail butcher shops and supermarkets all you get is counter assistants. They are not real butchers. They pick up what is in front of them and put it in a baggie. That's it. Zero skill or knowledge.

This! The majority of butchers out there today are just retail assistants. I asked for some beef shin, oxtail, and short ribs the other day at a chain butchers and even the manager looked at me like I'd three heads, i'd to describe what I wanted and then he said he'd to call head office to order it in. I know it sounds weird but a proper butchers will have the smell of the meat in the air

L1011 · 20-02-2015 5:19pm

duploelabs wrote: »

This! The majority of butchers out there today are just retail assistants. I asked for some beef shin, oxtail, and short ribs the other day at a chain butchers and even the manager looked at me like I'd three heads, i'd to describe what I wanted and then he said he'd to call head office to order it in. I know it sounds weird but a proper butchers will have the smell of the meat in the air

I find the franchise chains - identical branding, overly clinical internal feel - are more likely to have this problem whereas the older butchers with the tacky plastic "greenery" between items in the display cabinet are more likely to be able to accomodate near any request

My local one is somewhere between the two extremes - I've walked in when someone was carrying an entire pig from the store room but they have an immense amount of prepack stuff they really can't be doing on site in a small store.

CJhaughey · 20-02-2015 10:03pm

I find the butchers in my local Supervalu's very good, One of them is a trained butcher and operates his own abbatoir.
The other Supervalu has butchers that make sausages cut meat into any kind of portion you want and have plenty of good advice.
Be sensible, go at a time when there isn't a massive queue and they will have a lot more time to respond.

Mellor · 24-02-2015 6:55am

I know Superquinn doesn't really exist anymore. But originally, their butcher counter was manned by proper butchers. Some guys even did their butchery apprenticeship there.

I personally would ask a butcher for small stuff like cutting up a chicken. But i'd have no problem asking you to debone larger whole cuts.

pog it · 09-03-2015 8:28pm

duploelabs wrote: »

This! The majority of butchers out there today are just retail assistants. I asked for some beef shin, oxtail, and short ribs the other day at a chain butchers and even the manager looked at me like I'd three heads, i'd to describe what I wanted and then he said he'd to call head office to order it in. I know it sounds weird but a proper butchers will have the smell of the meat in the air

Very true. Reminds me of the 'butchers' in a certain shopping centre in Dublin :mad:

katydid · 14-03-2015 11:38pm

donegal. wrote: »

theres no problem asking your butcher to do this.

I should think a butcher would find it a strange request, but I imagine they would do it.

Bateman · 15-03-2015 1:41pm

I ask them to separate the drumlets from the winglets when I'm getting wings sometimes and generally they do it

pidgybird · 26-03-2015 11:44am

A proper butchers shop!! Would skin bone and even roll the chicken.. A proper butcher shop also knows what shin beef on or off the bone is.. And also what an oxtail is.. A proper butchers shop can also give you cooking instructions.. A proper butchers shop in Ireland can also tell you where the beef or lamb or pork had their last meal.. Irish butchers are the best in the world..

duploelabs · 26-03-2015 12:17pm

pidgybird wrote: »

A proper butchers shop!! Would skin bone and even roll the chicken.. A proper butcher shop also knows what shin beef on or off the bone is.. And also what an oxtail is.. A proper butchers shop can also give you cooking instructions.. A proper butchers shop in Ireland can also tell you where the beef or lamb or pork had their last meal.. Irish butchers are the best in the world..

Those type of butchers are very sparse on the ground these days, the majority seen are nothing more than retailers with very little knowledge

twerg_85 · 26-03-2015 2:11pm

I went into FXB Deansgrange the other day and asked him for some bone in pork loin. No problem he says and heads into the back room. He reappeared a few minutes later with half a pig and proceeded to butcher it up into large cuts so he could get at the loin for me. Asked me how much I wanted, took off the chine bones, trimmed it a little and bob's your uncle.
I was asking about another cut of meat, wasn't sure where exactly it was from and as he said "We have whole pigs here, so I definitely have the meat, just haven't heard that term before". He offered to look it up for me but I was in a bit of a rush.
(By the way, he reckoned it was probalby form the shoulder area and turns out he was right - I'll be back there next week!)

Anyway, great place if you're nearby.

F.

pidgybird · 26-03-2015 4:15pm

Try Peter Gillivans Moate.. Own abattoir.. Experienced and efficient staff.. Always helpful and friendly.. To check how good your butcher shop is see how many trays in the cabinet are cuts of meat and how many are ready made meals.. Proper butchers have a limited selection of ready made meals as their main concern is fresh cuts..

How do Butchers work in Ireland?

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