Meat

Sapsorrow

I tried putting this into another thread but didn't get a response! If anyone could help me out I'd really appreciate it, I'm at a loss! So here are my questions if anyone can answer any of them...

How do you find a good butcher and how do you know he's being honest?

Is there such a thing as sausages and rashers without additives, like freshly made ones that are just meat sliced off the bone or minced and put into cases?

Is there any reason not to eat pork in general, I know it often has lots of salt in it or is it just safer/easier to stick to Irish beef and lamb?

My mum just informed me that pigs are raised in barns even in Ireland, I naively assumed with all the damn fields in this country they'd be wandering about those until their D days because the only pig farm I was ever on happened to be free range so I thought this was the norm here. If it possible to buy free range pork in Ireland and how do I find it?

Is there some sort of online resource to help people source ethically raised meat in Ireland or am I on my own to find a local producer?

So for chicken you should go for free range, anything else need bearing in mind when you buy it? Is it usually very watery looking and plump or are the cheaper breast like that for a reason?

Thanks!

brianthebard

You can tell if the meat has been hung if its a darker colour (red meat only obv) and this would be the first and possibly best sign of a good butcher. Not sure what type of dishonesty you're referring to, can you expand on that?

Yes you can get 100% pork sausages with nothing added and rashers, easiest way to do that is get the free range or organic stuff which is probably easiest found in the supermarket. You could also make them yourself but I doubt you want to do that.

If you only plan on eating free range pork then I don't know of any reasons to avoid it. Well actually there might be an issue with grain feeding but I don't know much about pig production free range or otherwise so I don't know how much that features and whether it affects the meat like it affects cattle.

I dunno about the online resource, better off googling there. Shouldn't be too hard to find if there's someone out there tbh.

Cheaper chicken is often injected with water which is why its so watery and crap. Free range shouldn't have that issue. You can go organic to be sure I guess but I don't think there's a need.

Sapsorrow

Excellent nice one for that! I meant honest as in if I go in asking him what free range local meats he has he won't BS me for the sake of making a sale, is there a labelling system in butchers or anything?

brianthebard

Ah I see now. Usually everything is labelled already and if something is free range it will be a bit more expensive so they should have it labelled as free range to separate it. So they shouldn't be able to pick up a regular piece of meat and say its free range if its not. Obviously beef and lamb are technically free range by default though so he probably wouldn't have that labelled as such.

Sapsorrow

Ok that explains a lot, can you tell I've never actually been in a butchers! I'm kinda worried about going in an looking like an idiot! :pac:

brianthebard

I'm sure you'll be fine. Just ask questions if you don't know what something is usually they'll be happy to help.

EileenG

Well, one way would be to ask the locals. My parent's butcher goes to the mart and buys the cattle he intends to slaughter, and he knows which piece of meat came from which animal and usually how it was raised and what it was fed.

Some butchers will let you watch while they make sausages.

Sapsorrow

Wow I didn't realise a butcher did that much of the work! God there's so much to learn about meat My mission is to find free range sausages without additives! I think I'll pop into my neighbour who's a farmer he's into the organic side of things so might be able to point me in the direction of a good butcher! It definately seems that lamb and beef are the easiest options though from an ethical and health perspective but I don't like them really, guess I'll just have to learn!

EileenG

Lamb is a very good option. Even the ordinary lamb is very close to being organic. It's grass fed, and usually gets one dip at most, and often not that.

huskerdu

Sapsorrow wrote: »

Wow I didn't realise a butcher did that much of the work! God there's so much to learn about meat My mission is to find free range sausages without additives! I think I'll pop into my neighbour who's a farmer he's into the organic side of things so might be able to point me in the direction of a good butcher! It definately seems that lamb and beef are the easiest options though from an ethical and health perspective but I don't like them really, guess I'll just have to learn!

In the old days, butchers butchered animals, but it is much rarer now. Most buy in from large commercial meat providers. If you know of a real butcher with an abbatoir, great.

Word of mouth is definitely the best way of getting to know your local good quality food providers. Good luck.

You dont give any indication of where you live, If you are prepared to, you might get some recommendations here. Otherwise, ask around.

Khannie

Sapsorrow wrote: »

So for chicken you should go for free range, anything else need bearing in mind when you buy it?

Free range chicken is still usually fed the antibiotics and stuff as I understand it. Not saying it's right or wrong or whatever, that's for another thread. That's just an FYI.

Sapsorrow wrote: »

you tell I've never actually been in a butchers! I'm kinda worried about going in an looking like an idiot! :pac:

They're actually incredibly helpful folk because it pays them to help you out. The meat from my local butcher KICKS THE CRAP out of any meat I've ever bought at a supermarket. It was only after I started buying stuff from the butchers that I realised just how naff the supermarket meat was. Honestly, I just don't understand how there's such a difference, but I would happily take a blindfold test.

If you're not sure what meat you want (and I haven't been in the past) I'd just say for example "oh, I'd like to cook a roast beef dinner; What would you recommend?" and they'll point you in the right direction by asking you some questions. My butcher would ask "do you want pure lean or a bit of fat in it" and give me a round roast or rib roast depending on my answer.

Fair play to you anyway. I think it's cool that you're putting so much effort into checking this stuff out.

FTGFOP

Just on the pork, there's "Caherbeg Free Range Pork Ltd.". I've had their rashers and their sausages and they are nice. I don't know what additives may or may not be used by them but they are free-range. Their tomato sausages are something special.

Their (ancient) website.
List of sellers (no idea how current this is but it's still good for the Cork shops).

Sapsorrow

Thanks for the help guys, went in to a nice looking one today that had lots of people in it (I took that to be a good sign) and asked for free range pork or bacon (they're 2 different things right?) and they didn't have any so I got a lb of round steak mince and a 1lb of stewing lamb! Mission was a success! They were really nice old guys in there, that's a good idea Khannie, very subtle, I'll try that next time. I was amazed at the range of products they had on offer incredible! I barely knew where to start but I knew in my head I wanted to try making (and eating) a beef burger and a moroccan lamb stew, I figure the spices in a moroccan stew would mask the lamb flavour a bit and make it easier to eat and I seem to remember liking homemade burgers when I was little. Thats cool about the Caherbeg Free Range Pork company I'm gonna try find some of their stuff for sale in cork!

FTGFOP

Sapsorrow wrote: »

I'm gonna try find some of their stuff for sale in cork!

You'll get the Caherberg/Rosscarbery Recipes sausages and rashers in On The Pig's Back in the English Market. Their shop is right in the middle of the market, across the floor from the little coffee place called Coffee Central. They keep the Rosscarbery stuff at the end of their stall that's nearest the t-shirt shop.

I've also seen them in O'Keefes, and in the Super Valu in Merchants' Quay SC.

By the way, I've only ever seen the rashers, puddings, and sausages. I've never seen the whole cuts of pork / bacon mentioned on their website.

carolinespring

Your local farmers market wil normally have free range meat on sale. Our local one has a fantastic butchers stall. He will have organic sausages and bacon.

Sapsorrow

FTGFOP wrote: »

You'll get the Caherberg/Rosscarbery Recipes sausages and rashers in On The Pig's Back in the English Market. Their shop is right in the middle of the market, across the floor from the little coffee place called Coffee Central. They keep the Rosscarbery stuff at the end of their stall that's nearest the t-shirt shop.

I've also seen them in O'Keefes, and in the Super Valu in Merchants' Quay SC.

By the way, I've only ever seen the rashers, puddings, and sausages. I've never seen the whole cuts of pork / bacon mentioned on their website.

legend, thanks a million for that! I'll pop in next time I'm in town!

carolinespring wrote: »

Your local farmers market wil normally have free range meat on sale. Our local one has a fantastic butchers stall. He will have organic sausages and bacon.

Good idea thanks Caroline!