Question on buying pork: Paulina vs. Peoria Packing

Hey all, after my purchase of Charcuterie I am gonna continue to one-track on making homemade meats.

Next up: Bacon!

I called Paulina to see if they have pork belly and they said they stock 1lb pieces, but could get fresh larger ones next day. Are they getting these from a place like Peoria?

Also, how do prices compare at Pualina to buying from Peoria?

Edit:

Mike G suggested trying:

Halsted Packing House
445 N Halsted St
Chicago, IL 60622
(312) 421-5147

Anyone bought anything from them?

You're definitely going to pay more than at Peoria (which I think was around $1.79/lb.). But given my last experiences at Peoria, where I wound up with the world's thinnest bacon, that may be worth it. Certainly if they at all resemble the bellies Paulina makes their in-house bacon from, you'll be getting a much more traditional bacon-shaped product to start with.

You could also try this place, which is at least one of Paulina's suppliers:

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.ph ... 392#109392

Excellent!

The book calls for a 3-5LB piece, could you do it with a smaller piece?

I wonder how much Paulina would charge...

Hell, I'd do two 3-5 lb. pieces. It's no more work and what's not to love about having really good bacon in the freezer for a couple of months?

You certainly could do a smaller piece, only difference is you'll have proportionately more of the smokiest exterior bacon, but I just don't know why you'd want to!

Hi,

If Paulina's vendor requires a minimum purchase, then post back here, because I know I may not be the only one who'd like to have a few pork bellies, too.

Regards,

Mike G wrote:Hell, I'd do two 3-5 lb. pieces.

Why only two??


Jamie

Paulina said they only need a day notice to get the fresh belly.

When freezing the bacon, is it necessary to vac-seal? Or could I use a ziploc?

Squeeze all the air out and roll tightly, Ziploc is okay, vacuum seal would be better.

jpeac2 wrote:Paulina said they only need a day notice to get the fresh belly.

When freezing the bacon, is it necessary to vac-seal? Or could I use a ziploc?

How much per pound?

Just called back in to get pricing and it is $4.50lb

On another Paulina note, I was in last weekend buying the supplies for the brats and noticed they stock skirt steak (some places do not) and it is $10lb. Does that seem high or about right?

jpeac2 wrote:Just called back in to get pricing and it is $4.50lb

On another Paulina note, I was in last weekend buying the supplies for the brats and noticed they stock skirt steak (some places do not) and it is $10lb. Does that seem high or about right?

For a cut like skirt steak, I'd say yes. But I find everything at Paulina to be expensive. I think Fox & Obel has it cheaper.

aschie30 wrote:

jpeac2 wrote:Just called back in to get pricing and it is $4.50lb

On another Paulina note, I was in last weekend buying the supplies for the brats and noticed they stock skirt steak (some places do not) and it is $10lb. Does that seem high or about right?

For a cut like skirt steak, I'd say yes. But I find everything at Paulina to be expensive. I think Fox & Obel has it cheaper.

That sounds pretty high to me too (then again, I think you get what you pay for with meat). Nearly every Latino or multi-ethnic market has skirt steak at a pretty reasonable price. At Latino markets, it is usually labeled arrachera.

Best,
Michael

Well, I don't need anything too fancy as I am going to experiment with some sort of tequila marinade I have been tossing around in my head.

Any tips on a Latino market in the near north area (lakeview is where I reside) where you have had success?

jpeac2 wrote:Any tips on a Latino market in the near north area (lakeview is where I reside) where you have had success?

If you're willing to drive as far west as Western, Danny's should be a decent choice (2140 N. Western)--that's about as close as I can think of. But if you don't want to drive anywhere, I'd be surprised if Jewel didn't carry it.

Best,
Michael

Thanks for your help, I will be Danny's bound!

I don't mind a drive to find some place other than Jewel.

jpeac2 wrote:I don't mind a drive to find some place other than Jewel.

Then you might want to also consider Carniceria Jimenez at 3850 W Fullerton or Carniceria Leon at 1402 N Ashland. (Actually Leon might be closest to you).

Best,
Michael

jpeac2 wrote:Well, I don't need anything too fancy as I am going to experiment with some sort of tequila marinade I have been tossing around in my head.

If you have a CostCo membership, I'd say the Flap Steak they are now carrying would be a perfect substitute for skirt as it is quite similar. There is a thread on it, I believe it is $3.99/lb.
Jamie

eatchicago wrote:or Carniceria Leon at 1402 N Ashland. (Actually Leon might be closest to you).

Right up the street on Ashland from Carniceria Leon is Guanajato, which I think, has a slightly wider variety of meat. If Leon doesn't have it, then try there. (In terms of planning your shopping trip, Guanajato has more grocery items and is more of a full-scale grocery store. Carniceria Leon, as the name suggests, is more meat-focused.)

Update!

Ended up going down to Halsted Packing house this morning to get about 12lbs of pork belly for $17. What a steal!

Now onward to making some bacon.

Anyone have any feedback on the maple syrup and more savory recipes from Charcuterie?

I saw the other thread on bacon, but did not see any specific thoughts on the original ingredients suggested for the two recipes.

HI,

jpeac2 - please take some pictures with a ruler next to the thickness. I was at Peoria Packing House around 9:15 this morning just as they were adding rib on pork bellies. I had my choice of about 12 bellies and got the thickest I could. Just a few minutes earlier there were a few scrawny ones to choose from. I looked at the bill later, one belly weighs just over 11 pounds and the other around 8.

I am off to Wisconsin, I will take pictures with some scale for comparisons tomorrow morning.

Regards,

Now last weekend when I made my brats I bought all the meat and fat at Paulina. Could I get the veal and the pork shoulder at Peoria?

Guessing the price difference would almost make these things cheaper to make at home.

HI,

Pork shoulder at PPH can be as low as 99 cents a pound and up to around $1.29 a pound. Sometimes sales at Dominicks for cryovac wrapped pack containing two shoulders can be comparable to PPH. If there is veal at PPH, I haven't seen it. I would call in advance to check.

Last summer I bought a skin-on picnic shoulder at PPH for 69 cents a pound. It looked like a ham, though it wasn't.

Regards,

I've bought many a pork product at Peoria, but I need some special pork for next weekend--five pounds or so of pork shoulder as sustainably raised as possible. No hormones or other nonsense, plenty of fat, no white meat! (Does that sound like a personal ad?) Are Whole Foods and F&O my only options for this? Is anyone selling meat at the winter Green City Market at this point? Any guidance would be much appreciated.

Kristen

kl5 wrote:I've bought many a pork product at Peoria, but I need some special pork for next weekend--five pounds or so of pork shoulder as sustainably raised as possible. No hormones or other nonsense, plenty of fat, no white meat! (Does that sound like a personal ad?) Are Whole Foods and F&O my only options for this? Is anyone selling meat at the winter Green City Market at this point? Any guidance would be much appreciated.

Kristen

If mailorder works for you check out Niman Ranch.

Jamie

Mike G wrote:But given my last experiences at Peoria, where I wound up with the world's thinnest bacon, that may be worth it.

Actually Jamie and I had the same problem at Peoria the last time I went there to get some bellies for curing/smoking. I went there in the middle of the day on a week day and they had exactly 2 bellies out that ranged from 1/2" to 1" thick, or thereabout. I went up to the counter and asked if they had any other raw bellies in back which, at the time, seemed like a sensable question as they have huge boxes of meat sitting on deck waiting to be carved up for the tables. The guys looked at me like I was nuts and went about their businnes. I guess it wasn't a sensable question, although I still have no idea why. So I grabbed the 2 bellies that I could... Take this for what it is worth as I have heard that they often have lovely many lovely bellies for your curing/smoking pleasure.

kl5 wrote:Are Whole Foods and F&O my only options for this?

Kristen

I bought a lovely, well-marbled boneless pork shoulder at the Whole Foods on North Ave a couple of weeks ago, but return trips to procure more have come up empty-handed. I think they brought it in specifically for the Super Bowl. Plus, they don't advertise the provenance of the pigs, and I'm not sure I would count on them to meet all your criteria...

If Paulina wants to charge $4.50 a pound for a belly, you're almost better off ordering from Niman Ranch - 8.5 pounds for $39.

- Fillay

What's shipping add to that? It's not inconsiderable, I'm sure.

If you have time to make the drive, I like Harbach Meats in Freeport, IL for my hippy pork needs.

http://www.harbachmeats.com/aboutus.asp

I've been to the farm, seen the cows and piggies walking around, had a long talk with the owner about their feed (all I wanted to know was if they used hormones or ground up dead animals, he answered that and gave me much more information, including the name of the company that mixes their feeds along with a contact number... dang!). They are extremely nice and their products are top notch.

The price list on the website is dated, some things are higher now but many are still priced comparably to grocery store prices, like the flank steak.

They trim their pork shoulders very close, and the meat is generally leaner, so you'd have to make a special request to have them leave more of a fat cap.

I was actually going to make a run up there next weekend...

grace

kl5 wrote:I've bought many a pork product at Peoria, but I need some special pork for next weekend--five pounds or so of pork shoulder as sustainably raised as possible. No hormones or other nonsense, plenty of fat, no white meat! (Does that sound like a personal ad?) Are Whole Foods and F&O my only options for this? Is anyone selling meat at the winter Green City Market at this point? Any guidance would be much appreciated.

Kristen

Mike G wrote:What's shipping add to that? It's not inconsiderable, I'm sure.

Inconsiderable, compared to the warm glow of knowing you're making the world a better place...

- Fillay

Well, seriously, it could be $20-30 for a next day air, dry-ice-packed package, which raises $4-5 a pound to more like $7-8 a pound.