Craft Butchers?

For example, this is on my list to make. https://www.recipetineats.com/momofuku-bossam-korean-slow-cooked-pork/ I would expect a craft butcher to be able to get the right cut and weight to make it.

God you’re after reminding me of something I used love to eat as a child, haven’t tasted it in years, but pig’s tongue! I’ve no idea how difficult it is to get nowadays and I never thought to ask where me old man used get it. I just assumed it came from the local abbatoir because I never saw it in a butcher’s. Now, I’m not so sure as I haven’t seen it in years anywhere 😳 I did google, it’s not expensive either -

https://www.ryanmeats.ie/pork-tongue

Also used love sheep’s and cows hearts, don’t see them in a supermarket any more, still pick up a few packs of liver though, I can’t claim to be a picky eater 😂

This is exactly the point I'm making. Asking a butcher to…….butcher some meat for you is not precious and over the top, it is standard fare and, not that long ago, would have been an automatic question from your local butcher. I used to have two regulars……one was a pork specialist and another for beef and lamb, such was the specilaised training.

Go into Moore St and stand in FXBs for 15 mins and you'll see how normal a request like that is and how easily it is done by the right person with the right tools. Completely accomplished and professional staff, trained in the art, willing to go that bit further to ensure a happy customer. Nowadays they're too busy unloading the trays of crap they brought in from somewhere else.

we have zero issue handling meat, did you not read my post stating this butcher ready meat tray fascination is ridiculous.

if he will mince cuts of meat, why not just dice up the chicken breasts if asked, whats the issue there - he's a butcher right, so you cut / serve out the meat to a customer as they wish?

Meh, the difference in price with regular butchers and even supermarkets isn't that big on certain things, not any more. Their mince is €15/kg and supervalu round the corner sell Hereford mince for €6.50/lb, which is about €14.50/kg. The difference in quality is remarkable.

They are very dear for certain things, though, you're right. My biggest issue is that they (and a few others in fairness) have started charging premium prices for the traditionally cheaper cuts of meat. I buy a lot of beef shin for stews and pies and they're charging €17/kg, which is dearer than the mince even! It's not that long ago that the likes of O'Mahony's were selling it for half that. You can still get it cheap enough in some places……..this crowd sell it for €7.70/kg. Same with heart, liver and kidneys. It's like they've jacked up the prices of the cheaper stuff so they don't have to do it with the dearer stuff.

Same story with the fishmongers in Howth. All the cheaper stuff like crab claws etc. is now mad money. It's the way everything has gone, nowadays. Nothing makes me feel more like an auldfella than when I'm looking at the price of something and going…….."this has to be a pisstake…….a tenner for four lemsips?……….€7.50 for garlic chees chips? and a smoked cod and chips is HOW MUCH?????!??"

None taken at all, I take it they're not picky eaters either? 😂

(as an aside, only ate cows tongue once, but I said I wouldn't link to it as it's too weird looking! 😕)

Ive come across beef tongue and chicken hearts in the last while.

If there's a Polo Store near you their meat counter can have interesting cuts.

I was Higgins butchers in Sutton at the weekend and they were vacuum packing it themselves behind the counter. Best butcher I’ve been in but I don’t see them on the Craft Butchers list.

The first two paragraphs are just not true, plenty of butchers still kill their own , we sell a half dozen direct to one every year.

It seems to be literally just about the branding, like ‘artisan’ bakeries, but here’s one that occurred to me just minutes ago - I used see shop fronts for victuallers, which were butchers. It turns out that’s what they’re called only in Ireland. I looked it up and when it said victuallers sold alcohol, that didn’t seem right, they’re called vintners?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victualler

EDIT: Nope, vintners are wine sellers (as distinct from cellars 😂)