Paulina Market

Don't panic!

This talk of Delicatessen Meyer has reminded me of something I've known about for a couple of weeks, and meant to look into further, but it just hasn't happened; maybe an actual journalist would like to delve into this one. Anyway, if you've been to Paulina Market since their winter break a month or so ago, you know that they expanded, turning some of the back work area into more floor space, and installing more cases of various kinds of goods.

Well, the reason all this has happened is that it has new owners. Paulina is the one old German business in the area that, in the 80s and early 90s, successfully escaped the ethnic-business-for-one-ethnic-group trap and became an all-purpose quality meat market while still retaining the wide range of German items which it had always made, and now they seem to be making another transition, adding a wider range of yuppie goodies to compete with the likes of Whole Foods while retaining the meat quality and variety which, frankly, has no competition in the immediate area and little genuine competition anywhere in the city. So far there seems to be no sign that they've reduced or eliminated anything about the old Paulina, only added more items to increase the range of things you can get there. (As far as personnel goes, most of the faces seem the same, though it looks like maybe a couple of them retired and a couple new folks have been hired.)

So while any change is potentially worrisome, no change in the face of neighborhood change is the real danger, and it appears that the new owners of Paulina are intelligently figuring out how to expand its appeal without losing the things that have made the essential meat market in Chicago for serious cooks-- or just people who know there has to be something better than Oscar Mayer bologna out there.

Paulina Market
3501 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60657-1103
(773) 248-6272
http://www.paulinameatmarket.com/

I'm still very frightened.

On a Paulina tangent: I have a friend from New Bedford, MA who grew up on endless varieties of authentic linguisa sausage. I have seen that Paulina makes one, but I am no connoisseur of this variety, and wouldn't know a good one from a soulless imposter.

Has anyone who knows the difference ever had Paulina's linguisa?

I'm afraid that items such as their wonderful veal and mushroom muffins may be the first casualties.*

* similar to leberkase but individual size, and fresh from the oven every Friday afternoon

Christmastime at Paulina Market

I'm afraid that items such as their wonderful veal and mushroom muffins may be the first casualties.

All is well, it seems. Veal muffins are still proudly displayed with the cured meats and sausages.

Shamefully, we only went to Paulina the very first time (in the seven years we've lived in the city proper) just before Thanksgiving. It was painful in only one respect - the realization that we'd been missing some serious good eating for so long!

Since I can't comment on the "old" Paulina (as it were), I'll just take a second to rave about the "new" - the staff were incredibly helpful and the selection was mind-blowing. We were there to buy a pheasant and a ham for Thanksgiving dinner. They're one of the only places in the city to sell a complete assortment of game meats, and we were not disappointed.

The three pound pheasant we got there was incredible - we ended up apple-smoking it on the Weber and it was best poultry we'd ever had. And the ham was just as good. We're repeat customers of Paulina for sure - I'm so glad a true old-school butcher still exists in town, and that we're not missing out on it anymore.

$20 for $40 Worth of Fresh Meat and Homemade Sausage at Paulina Meat Market
http://www.groupon.com/chicago/

Limited quantity available. Deal expires at Midnight

I

Artie wrote:$20 for $40 Worth of Fresh Meat and Homemade Sausage at Paulina Meat Market
http://www.groupon.com/chicago/

Limited quantity available. Deal expires at Midnight

If you don't see the deal when you go to the Chicago page, then look on the right or try this link: http://t.co/olZqYUo

SOLD OUT!!!
#$%U&#$%^&#$%^&*$%^&*&*() !!!!!!

Thanks for the heads-up on the Groupon deal!

A bit of a bump here as I couldn't figure out where else to post this:

I made the trip to Paulina Market mostly to get charcoal, but also hoping for lamb ribs (struck out ) and anything else that could tickle my fancy.
I found a nice piece of St. Agur amongst other things.
Curiously enough, as I unwrapped the St. Agur at home for a sampling I caught an unmistakable whiff of smoke. I thought it had simple come from the plastic the cheese was wrapped in, reasoning that they would keep the wrap in the back of the shop where they do their smoking. Surprisingly the cheese itself also has a subtle smoke to it. This is not altogether a bad thing, but certainly a surprise and, I would think, a concern for the proprietors.
Does anybody else have tales of unexpected smoke from Paulina Market products.

Hi,

Why not call them? If you are in a smokey environment, you don't notice these issues. They might move the cheese to somewhere else.

Regards,

Of course. I did. They seemed slightly concerned.

I think there is a general smell of smoke when you enter Paulina at all times. I'm sure it seeps into some of the food items that are not smoked directly. That's one of the things I love most about the place.

They seriously need to find a new beef steak purveyor...at least with their choice grade strips...bone in or out. I got taken for the third time in the last few months, again today, with one of the chewiest pieces of steak you can experience. This was what looked to be a decently marbled 22 ounce, 2 inch thick strip, cooked rare plus on a Weber gas grill. I've been cooking steak for 46 years. I have good knowledge of beef cuts/butchery and not looking for tenerloin mushiness but.... I literally have jaw fatigue from chewing this one and now I recall my other recent ones were the same. Improperly cooked round cuts are more pliant.

Even more perplexing is that in the last year, there is often available at many other meat purveyors, much choice steak that both visually and taste wise is closer to prime, than ever before. I have my own theory on why this is happening but it's certainly the opposite at Paulina. I've been a customer of many years and they continue to have fantastic (and of course pricey) lamb, salamis, liver sausages and other cured meats but now...definitely not steaks. With their many customers and hefty price point I am surprised on this.

Saturday late morning Paulina was very (very) busy stuffed to the gills, both product and people. Unlike some crowded spots everyone seemed happy, could have been the multiple free samples and generous pours of wine, and no one was walking immersed in texting bumping into others. I ran into someone I had not seen in ten years and the lengthy wait gave us ample time to catch up.

I am by no means a Paulina regular, but everything looked terrific, raw product, smoked, cured, all top notch.

On to the meat of the matter, the reason for my visit. Floating around the internet a few days ago I saw a picture of duck pastrami from Paulina which simply screamed eat me I'm delicious. Internet don't lie, and you can quote me on that, because it was in fact delicious. Light smoke/cure ringed with delectable duck fat. I had it on a toasted bialy with slivered onion and mustard, but could happily eaten every slice unadorned.

Paulina Duck Pastrami, don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful

I posted about Paulina's duck pastrami on 'Best Things I have Eaten (Lately)' from Thanksgiving. Your pic, Gary, is even better than mine.

jnm123 wrote:I posted about Paulina's duck pastrami on 'Best Things I have Eaten (Lately)' from Thanksgiving. Your pic, Gary, is even better than mine.

Thats where I saw it! Thank you for posting about Paulina's duck pastrami.
------>link

Paulina is also the only place in the city I've found nitrate pink salt for curing meats. I also got a nice pork belly there for making home smoked bacon:



It was a nice piece of meat, somehow more substantial feeling than a regular belly. The fat was more firm, less pasty for lack of a better word.

eating while walking wrote:Paulina is also the only place in the city I've found nitrate pink salt for curing meats.

The Spice House should also have it.

Darren72 wrote:

eating while walking wrote:Paulina is also the only place in the city I've found nitrate pink salt for curing meats.

The Spice House should also have it.

Yes, they definitely do.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Darren72 wrote:

eating while walking wrote:Paulina is also the only place in the city I've found nitrate pink salt for curing meats.

The Spice House should also have it.

Yes, they definitely do.

=R=

Pink salt used to be much harder to find . . . in addition to Spice House, Savory, and other like stores, many (if not most) grocery stores carry it these days.

Darren72 wrote:

eating while walking wrote:Paulina is also the only place in the city I've found nitrate pink salt for curing meats.

The Spice House should also have it.

The Spice House has nitrite curing salt (Prague powder #1) but I don't think they sell the curing salt that contains nitrate (Prague powder #2).

HI,

I have seen pink salt at Cabela's along with an array of sausage making supplies.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:HI,

I have seen pink salt at Cabela's along with an array of sausage making supplies.

Regards,

As does Bass Pro Shops in Bolingbrook, if that's more convenient. They have cure #1 as sold by LEM; I've got 15 pounds of pork loin curing right now, on its way to becoming Canadian bacon later this week.

FYI,
Dave

Paulina Meat Market Looks To Expand, Could Add Sandwiches, Fish To Menu

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2017062 ... cond-floor