Meat, meat, meat

We get most of our meat from a co-op and its great, however, they are often out of our favorite cuts. I have been trying to find a good trustworthy butcher (preferably northside) for a long time but cant seem to find one. It is frustrating that it is so hard fo find pastured hormone free grass fed beef/pork/ poultry. Most places I have contacted will only guarantee that the cattle has been grass fed for the last three months, but thats it. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Also any suggestions for where to find good lamb or baby goat?

Where are you located and how far are you willing to travel?

thick wrote:Where are you located and how far are you willing to travel?

about 40 minutes north of downtown. How far I am willing to travel really depends on how good the place is but <30-40 minutes away would be ideal.

We found we had to go to Wisconsin, Indiana and Ohio for butchers that sell good quality hormone free meats. Amish communities are a good bet and we stock up. Many organic stores that sell meat do so from the freezer case and many cuts are wrapped in paper and you can not see the meat.

I suspect you have a Whole Foods nearby. Any reason that does not meet your requirements?

Elfin wrote:We found we had to go to Wisconsin, Indiana and Ohio for butchers that sell good quality hormone free meats. Amish communities are a good bet and we stock up. Many organic stores that sell meat do so from the freezer case and many cuts are wrapped in paper and you can not see the meat.

Where exactly?

Kennyz wrote:I suspect you have a Whole Foods nearby. Any reason that does not meet your requirements?

For the reason mentioned in my post. I do end up at whole foods sometimes but they can not give you a definite answer of whether the cattle was grassfed their whole life or just the last months. Also I would like to be able to go in and get exactly the cut I want the way I want it, its hard to do that at WF! Plus being great as it is, I still have a hard time completely trusting Whole Foods when it comes to meat!

theskinnyduck wrote:

Kennyz wrote:I suspect you have a Whole Foods nearby. Any reason that does not meet your requirements?

For the reason mentioned in my post. I do end up at whole foods sometimes but they can not give you a definite answer of whether the cattle was grassfed their whole life or just the last months. Also I would like to be able to go in and get exactly the cut I want the way I want it, its hard to do that at WF! Plus being great as it is, I still have a hard time completely trusting Whole Foods when it comes to meat!

I've heard other reports from people who say they've had trouble getting straight answers from WF, so I guess I'm just very lucky in that my interactions with people behind the meat counter have always ended with what I felt was solid, honest info. And they cut to whatver specs I give them. In our area, the Whole Foods stores source their beef from a company in Missouri called American Grass Fed. It's raised on pasture from birth.

If you prefer a more old fashioned butcher, you could use Holzkopf, which gets beef from Tallgrass.

Holzkopf
6155 N. Broadway
773-764-0714

theskinnyduck wrote:they can not give you a definite answer of whether the cattle was grassfed their whole life or just the last months.

The difference between "corn-fed" and "grass-fed" beef refers to those final months. Nobody starts beef on grain and switches to grass. So-called "corn-fed" beef is fattened on grain just before slaughter.

Kennyz wrote:

theskinnyduck wrote:

Kennyz wrote:I suspect you have a Whole Foods nearby. Any reason that does not meet your requirements?

For the reason mentioned in my post. I do end up at whole foods sometimes but they can not give you a definite answer of whether the cattle was grassfed their whole life or just the last months. Also I would like to be able to go in and get exactly the cut I want the way I want it, its hard to do that at WF! Plus being great as it is, I still have a hard time completely trusting Whole Foods when it comes to meat!

I've heard other reports from people who say they've had trouble getting straight answers from WF, so I guess I'm just very lucky in that my interactions with people behind the meat counter have always ended with what I felt was solid, honest info. And they cut to whatver specs I give them. In our area, the Whole Foods stores source their beef from a company in Missouri called American Grass Fed. It's raised on pasture from birth.

If you prefer a more old fashioned butcher, you could use Holzkopf, which gets beef from Tallgrass.

Holzkopf
6155 N. Broadway
773-764-0714

Holzkopf's Meat Market Closes Suddenly After 10 Years On North Broadway

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2017082 ... h-broadway