Where's the Beef
Eating “good” meat has become a popular trend in the past few years. If you’re going to be consuming less meat, the thinking goes, then when you do indulge, it should be the best meat you can find. But what, exactly, is “good” meat?
The answer depends on who you are and what you value. Perhaps animal welfare and climate change are important to you, so you’re looking for meat from animals raised on pasture as part of a regenerative management plan. Maybe it’s health, so you’re looking for meat that’s lean and raised without antibiotics or hormones. Maybe you want to know your farmer and know your food, so local is key for you. Or just maybe the most important thing to you is flavor and tenderness, so lots of marbling and juiciness hits your hot spot.
No matter what kind of meat gets you inspired to heat up the grill or pull out the roaster, you can find your own version of “good” meat at many of the local meat markets across the Valley. Here are four you should try.
Arcadia Meat Market
3950 E. Indian School Rd. #130|
Phoenix, AZ 85018|
arcadiameatmarket.com|
The most recent addition to the growing number of butcher shops in the Valley, Arcadia Meat Market in Phoenix is a new venture and adventure for owner Nick Addante. Previously, he flipped houses and partnered in other small businesses, but his entrepreneurial spirit combined with his passion for healthy, sustainable eating led him to build his first store, one dealing with perishable products, no less.
Open since January, Arcadia specializes in whole-carcass butchery and local meats from regenerative and humane Arizona ranches and farms. Except for cheese from California and Italy and seasonings from Jacobsen Salt Co. in Oregon, everything in the store, including the wine, pickles, olive oil and bread, is an Arizona product. The beef mostly comes from Arizona Grass Raised Beef in Chino Valley, the chickens from Top Knot Farms in Benson, and the pork from Chiricahua Pasture Raised near Willcox and E&R Pork in Tucson. The lamb is also Chiricahua Pasture Raised.
When he first opened, Addante says he was buying chickens from Mary’s in California because they were the only company he could find using non-GMO feed. He reached out to Top Knot. They had no objection to using non-GMO feed, but the expense was going to make the price of the chickens too high. He connected them with Chiricahua Pasture Raised, who had a less expensive source for feed, and new collaborations were born. Top Knot now raises chickens with non-GMO feed, and Addante can meet his customers’ desire for local, GMO-free, pastured poultry.
The shop has been so busy in its first few months that Addante has hired two full-time butchers: Dustin Dahlin, who with his culinary background, also makes value-added products like chicken-liver mousse, and Saul Marquez, who has been cutting meat for years, and is an expert in custom butchery. The meats are dry-aged in the cooler in the back, and the team makes their own sausages and jerky.
As a way to give back to the community, Arcadia encourages their customers to donate five dollars for a pound of ground beef that will be provided to an area charity of the month. It’s part of the company’s commitment to provide trust, transparency and support to local farmers and ranchers as well as to their customers and community.
Arcadia Meat Market is located near the corner of 40th Street and Indian School Road in Phoenix. Closed all day Tuesday and Wednesday morning.
The Meat Shop
202 E. Buckeye Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85004
themeatshopaz.com
It’s a tiny space in an industrial neighborhood south of downtown Phoenix, but The Meat Shop has established a reputation for providing quality cuts of beef, pork, lamb, chicken and goat to a wide variety of customers. According to manager Allyson Robertson, “We have great customers from all over the Valley. Because we can do so many things special order, we can accommodate almost anybody. Just call ahead.”
The shop is owned by Beth and Tim Wilson, who raise and slaughter swine at their farm in Palo Verde. Tim Wilson was a farmer in Iowa, but when he moved to Phoenix he opened a welding shop. He decided to get back into farming, and the welding shop turned into a meat market. They just celebrated their 10th anniversary in the retail meat business.
Like the other shops in town, they dry-age their meats, which are mostly sourced from small ranches around the state. Their poultry is from Ridge View Farms near Chino Valley, and they also carry farmed wild game meats from Durham Ranch in Wyoming. Recently they’ve started making their own rubs. In addition, they sell local honey from Red Mountain Cattle Company. If you want to buy meat in bulk, they offer boxes and packages at a slight discount, as well as halves and quarters.
They smoke hams, bacon and sausages in-house and, according to Beth Wilson, “All of our bacon is popular. The rashers are unique, and we make them cured and smoked or cured only. People love our sausage. Our porchetta, which is pictured on our website, is a specialty item, especially around the holidays. We also do a Norwegian Ribbe Roast, which can’t be found anywhere else. People who have decided they just can’t eat pork anymore will try our pork chops and fall in love.”
The Meat Shop is located on Buckeye Road between Central Avenue and 7th Street. Open daily, closed Sundays.
The Meat Market
37636 N. Tom Darlington Dr.
Carefree, AZ 85377|
themeatmarketcc.com
The Meat Market in Carefree is a bustling place. On a recent Friday afternoon, a line of customers waited patiently and socialized as butchers Nate Hardy and Dom Ruggiero cut steaks and wrapped brats. During a break in the action, owner Roni Terry took the time to explain how the shop came to be. With 15 years in the restaurant business, “I had the opportunity to work with phenomenal chefs,” she says. “They taught me about the importance of pasture-raised meats.” It was hard to find a place to buy good meat, so she decided to open her own shop in 2016.
A mutual friend introduced her to Hardy, a grocery store butcher who wanted to expand his repertoire beyond cutting boxed meat. Their philosophies meshed, and he’s been with Terry since the beginning. Ruggiero was most recently the executive chef at Chelsea’s Kitchen in Phoenix and, in his role at the Meat Market, he’s responsible for the charcuterie program and runs the smoker, in addition to meat cutting.
Most of the meat comes from Chiricahua Pasture Raised. The pork is a new breed, Idaho Pasture Pig, a genetic blend of three heritage breeds: Duroc, Berkshire and Kunekune. The pigs thrive on grass in a pasture setting and deliver high-quality meat. “We sell a ton of pork, especially pork chops, and sausage is our second-best seller,” says Terry. “We make everything in-house.”
In addition to the grass-fed beef, also from Chiricahua Pasture Raised, the shop carries prime Black Angus cuts. Terry explained that because they buy whole grass-fed carcasses, they sometimes run out of the most sought-after cuts like rib eyes and strips. They started bringing in the Black Angus to augment the supply, and it’s proven to be a popular addition to their offerings. All the beef is aged on-site at least two weeks, the pork and lamb for a week.
Even though Carefree is a second home to many winter visitors, giving business a spike during the cooler months, Terry says business has stayed steady throughout the summer. She attributes that to word of mouth in the community. She hopes eventually they’ll be able to add a market space for cheeses, produce and larder items, but in the meantime, they’ll keep doing what they do so well.
The Meat Market is located on the corner of Tom Darlington Drive and Cave Creek Road in Carefree. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Von Hanson’s Meats & Spirits
2390 N. Alma School Rd.
Chandler, AZ 85224
vonhansonsmeats.net
If you can’t find good meat in your second hometown, then you might want to start your own butcher shop. That was the story for Martha and Eugene Neese, owners of Von Hanson’s Meats & Spirits in Chandler. The Neeses built a second home in Ahwatukee to spend the winters away from the bitter cold in their home state of Minnesota. Even though the weather was beautiful, grilling a good steak was out of the question. “We would buy steak at the grocery store and then it would be so bad, we would have to throw it away,” says Martha Neese. “We started eating lots of salad.” They would fill their luggage with frozen meat from their favorite local Minnesota butcher shop when they headed to Arizona, but eventually the airlines started charging for excess weight, so that solution became unworkable. At that point, they approached Von Hanson’s, a Minnesota institution, and asked if they would partner in a shop in the Valley.
Fourteen years ago, the only non-Minnesota outpost of Van Hanson’s opened in Chandler, bringing high-quality meats not only to the Neeses, but to their customers as well. They carry Certified Angus Beef along with pork and chicken, barbecue sauces and spices, lump charcoal, wine and beer, prepared foods and dog treats. “Our signature product is our sausage,” says Martha Neese. Most of it is made in their in-house smokehouse, although some products come from Minnesota. They also offer wild game processing during hunting season.
“We’re proud we can offer good-quality meats at reasonable prices, and we focus on great customer service. Our butchers like to educate people,” says Martha.
The market is located on Alma School Road between Elliot and Warner in Chandler, and they’re open seven days a week.
