# Buying meat in the local butchers Vs the supermarket



## homeowner

I often hear from people that they prefer shopping in their local butcher than a supermarket and I dont get it.  

I have tried it a few times for sausages, everyday meat like pork chops or chicken fillets and for larger items like meat for a sunday roast and I cant see the advantage.  

My main problems are these:
1. Sausages are typically small and packaged in some celophane, the same sort of sausages you see in alot of butchers.  There is no indication of sell by date so you have no idea how long they have been sitting there and there is no ingredients indicating % pork.  
Dunnes (simply better brand) and tescos (finest brand) sausages in my opinion are far superior than any sausages I have bought in a butchers and you get more in the packet for roughly the same price and you know when you have to eat them by.  

2. Chicken fillets and pork chops are the same price as tescos and dunnes as in the butchers give or take 10c here or there but again no sell by date in the butchers and you dont know how long they have been sitting there in the open all day.  The same ones are put back in the open the next day. At least in supermarkets they are packaged and covered.  I have tried meat from both places and cant tell the difference, especially with chicken fillets which are generally pretty tasteless.  For all I know they come from the same factory. 

3. For joints butchers put the price per kilo not per joint, but I dont know unless I ask what a particular joint weighs and I would feel embarassed to ask and then walk away if I thought it was too expensive.

In general I end up spending far more in the butchers than the supermarket and I feel I am in control in the supermarket whereas I feel I am dependant on the butcher to feed me information while other people are waiting to be served.

If anyone has some tips that would be much appreciated.


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## Abbica

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

The reason why you think dunnes own brand, tesco sausages etc are better is because they are less healthy, way more added salt etc etc than butchers sausages, they have more meat, less slurry so to speak, hence can be a bit more expensive. 
I wouldn't worry about sell by date in the butchers, everything is way more fresh in the butchers, anyway, you can just ask how long in the fridge but in general, if I am not eating something within 2 days, it goes in the freezer anyway. I would never buy supermarket mince, the taste is unbelievably different, butchers equals better quality, better cuts if you ask for them etc instead of cellophane quess work!  

Agree with you on the joints though per kilo, remember once I was having a dinner party, asked for fillet of beef for 7, price was fluctuating, all the butcher could hear off me was ahhh, oohh thats better, ahhh €70, ohhh, €35, ahhh, €60.. it costs €53. very expensive but would be embarrassed to walk away seen as it is my local butchers and they know me.


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## RMCF

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

Well I often buy my meat in the supermarket when doing a big shop, but sometimes if I don't need to visit the supermarket I go to my local butcher and I do find that their meat is better quality than the big retailers. 

Admittedly it is slightly more expensive.

I appreciate too that the likes of chicken fillets from the butchers will also have water pumped into them, but they don't seem to have as much, as they do taste better and are a more natural colour.


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## truthseeker

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

I prefer to buy meat in a butchers rather than a supermarket.

The main reasons for me are:
Quality - the quality of the meat in my local butchers is far superior to the quality of the meat in any supermarkets. I also like that my local butcher can tell me exactly where the meat has come from - in some cases he can tell me the farm it has come from. Sausages - these are not a good comparison for meat quality, the contents of sausages varies widely, Id be far more inclined to judge quality on his t-bone steak or roast joints. Chicken fillets similar - bland no matter where you get them unless they are organic. I do notice a massive difference in water content between chicken fillets and pork chops from the supermarkets - much higher from the supermarkets.

Packaging - I hate the amount of cellophane and plastic trays you end up with from buying meat in a supermarket - I just think its a waste.

Knowledge - my butcher gives me tips on how to prepare and cook meat to its best advantage, which I find extremely useful. He also tells me what will freeze well, what meat tastes best served with what etc...

Amounts - I can buy 1 sausage off the butcher if I need to, whereas I am restricted to an entire package from the supermarket.

Im unconcerned about the meat being in the refrigerated units in the butchers, so long as there is proper stock control this shouldnt be an issue, they do not put meat back out that is out of date etc...you are only as good as your last sale, and if a butcher sells something off he will find he loses business very quickly, by contrast Ive had off meat from a supermarket - dont forget many supermarkets can repackage the sell by date info on meat so you cant really trust it.

Im not a bit embarrassed to ask the butcher to weigh things and take a bit off because its more expensive than I thought - sure you have to do that ina butchers - they expect it.

I have a long standing relationship with my butcher which I dont have in the supermarket where staff change frequently and there seems to be far less specialist knowledge.

And finally, my butcher will do odd bits for me that I just cant have done in the supermarket, if I phone him on saturday morning and ask him to bone, roll and stuff a chicken - he will do so and itll be ready for me to pick up later on when Im out and about - you dont get service like that in the supermarket. He will also source specific items for me that may not be on show or in stock - I only have to ask.


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## PyritePete

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

+1, its all about service that you dont get in a supermarket.


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## Celtwytch

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

When I want a joint of meat, only one from the butcher's will do.  I made the mistake of buying a joint of beef from the supermarket once, and it was as tough as old boots.  Now I always buy it from my local butcher, and it tastes perfect every time.  The chicken fillets he sells are much bigger than the prepackaged ones in the supermarket, and the sausages are far tastier.  He also does some interesting bits and bobs, like chicken wraps or chicken fillets with assorted fillings.  

As others have said, you cannot beat the personal service you get in a butcher's shop.  Don't ever be afraid to ask questions, or to say that the joint of meat he's weighing costs a bit more than you'd like to pay.  In fact, you can even specify how much you'd like to spend, and the butcher will indicate how much meat that will buy you.  Plus you don't have to buy the entire slab of meat you see in the fridge - the butcher will happily cut a piece of any size for you.


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## Rois

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

Only buy meat about once a week, but I always go to my local butcher.  I don't have a large budget, but there is no comparison between the meat I buy in the butcher's and supermarket meat.  

As mentioned already the butcher will do little extras for you as well i.e. trim off any fat, or dice chiken etc.  I also know that the beef and lamb comes from his own farm and are always fresh and tender.  

As an added bonus he fills up a bag of marrow bones for my dogs at no charge. 

Same goes for the local fishmonger - I would never hesitate to ask him how best to cook the fish etc.  

I also prefer to support these small local shops.


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## Caveat

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

+ 1 to truthseeker.

However I will say that rashers are the one thing I rarely buy in a butchers.  I find 'normal' rashers in a butcher far too salty and a bit basic for want of a better word.  I usually buy those hickory or maple cure type ones in the supermarket.

For steak alone though it's well worth a visit to a good butcher - proper, inch thick well hung sirloin with grey/purple flesh and yellow (yes, yellow - remember yellow?) fat as opposed to the supermarket bought water sodden bright pink sterile specimens that look like some sort of lab sample.


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## Mpsox

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

Personnaly speaking we never buy meat in the supermarket, only from our local butcher. There are a number of reasons for this

Quality is far superior to anything you get in a supermarket. Sausages taste like sausages should and not preservatives and salt

There is a clearly identified farm to butcher identification in my local butchers, mainly because they farm some of the meat themselves or if not, they identify the local farm it comes from,  and they kill it all themselves. You won't get that in supermarkets and remember some "Irish" labeled meat in supermarkets may not be Irish, but may simply have had some sort of post processing done in Ireland. Much of that imported meat may be substandard, for example, the IFA ran a campaign last year against the importation of Brazilian beef on the grounds that it failed to meet EU standards. 

Your local butcher will also do things there for you if you ask him. For example, our one does lovely stuffed chicken breasts, if they are not in the shop fridge, they'll make them up there for me. They'll cut fresh chops/steaks in front of you if you ask them. Why be embarrased?, they're glad to do these things, it's what makes them money at the end of the day


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## liaconn

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

I find meat in the butchers is much cheaper than supermarkets. Particularly chicken fillets which are nearly twice as dear in Tesco (You get 10 for €11 in many  butchers and they are usually much bigger). Butchers will also mince some lamb or pork for you if they don't have any on display. Superquinn refused to mince steak for me the one time I asked them.
Truthseeker, do you mind me asking which butcher you use?


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## paddyc

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

I have 2 good butchers near me, lots of different offers on every few weeks- 10 large chicken fillets for €10 was there about 2 weeks ago.


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## Tomodinhio

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*



homeowner said:


> I often hear from people that they prefer shopping in their local butcher than a supermarket and I dont get it.  I have tried it a few times for sausages, everyday meat like pork chops or chicken fillets and for larger items like meat for a sunday roast and I cant see the advantage.
> 
> My main problems are these:
> 1. Sausages are typically small and packaged in some celophane, the same sort of sausages you see in alot of butchers.  There is no indication of sell by date so you have no idea how long they have been sitting there and there is no ingredients indicating % pork.
> Dunnes (simply better brand) and tescos (finest brand) sausages in my opinion are far superior than any sausages I have bought in a butchers and you get more in the packet for roughly the same price and you know when you have to eat them by.


Disagree, apart from superquinn i find my local butchers sauages to be a lot nicer then the supermarkets. This i am sure depends on the butcher you go to. Sell by dates dont enter into it cause i normally freeze most of my meet and take out what i want the night before. I am sure however the butcher can inform you about most of your concerns re sell by date, % of pork etc.



homeowner said:


> 2. Chicken fillets and pork chops are the same price as tescos and dunnes as in the butchers give or take 10c here or there but again no sell by date in the butchers and you dont know how long they have been sitting there in the open all day.  The same ones are put back in the open the next day. At least in supermarkets they are packaged and covered.  I have tried meat from both places and cant tell the difference, especially with chicken fillets which are generally pretty tasteless.  For all I know they come from the same factory.



Also have to disagree, i get 12 good qulaity chicken brests in my butchers for 12 euro, thats a bargain at 1 euro a breast. They are completely left in the open... well i have had no side affects as of yet.




homeowner said:


> 3. For joints butchers put the price per kilo not per joint, but I dont know unless I ask what a particular joint weighs and I would feel embarassed to ask and then walk away if I thought it was too expensive.



Can't coment as i have never actually bought a joint from the butcher.



homeowner said:


> In general I end up spending far more in the butchers than the supermarket and I feel I am in control in the supermarket whereas I feel I am dependant on the butcher to feed me information while other people are waiting to be served.
> 
> If anyone has some tips that would be much appreciated.



If you feel that the supermarket offers you better value then go to the supermarket. Personally i find the butcher great value. I'm sure different butchers offer different values so it could pay to check out a few to see if they beat your supermarket. Also dont be affraid to engage your butcher in conversation regarding his products, im sure he'd be happy to tell all about his meat. Maybe try go during quite times so you dont feel pressured by other customers.


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## homeowner

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

Maybe its just butchers near me that arent very good.   Some of you mentioned about sausages.  Can I ask if they are pre-packaged or are they loose.  All the butchers near me they are the same brand in almost all of them from some farm/factory (?)  down the country, its not like they are made by the butcher themselves and the quality is very bad.  I live in Dublin by the way, perhaps its different in other places. 

I have never seen 10 chicken fillets for E10 or anything like it.  

I didnt know you could phone the local butcher and ask him to do things like bone a chicken and prepare it for you - thanks for that tip!

I am not a big meat eater to be honest and I have a very good tesco and dunnes near me, maybe other branches have inferior meat so people's local butchers are better.

Thanks anyway for the replies, I'll give the local another shot and make a special request for something to be stuffed to see how I get on.

BTW if anyone can recommend a good butcher in Dublin city centre or anywhere south or west dublin can you let me know.  I have been to Downey's in terenure and got some really nice venison but they are too expensive for weekly shopping.


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## Caveat

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*



homeowner said:


> ...Downey's in terenure and got some really nice venison but they are too expensive for weekly shopping.


 
Staying in the _general_ area, I'm sure there are a few good butchers in Ranelagh - again, might be pricey though.  However, we used to go to one years ago - sorry no idea of the name - just off main street. He was good and not expensive.


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## huskerdu

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*



homeowner said:


> BTW if anyone can recommend a good butcher in Dublin city centre or anywhere south or west dublin can you let me know.  I have been to Downey's in terenure and got some really nice venison but they are too expensive for weekly shopping.



If you are anywhere near Stillorgan, go to Fenelons in the shopping centre. 
The meat is very good quality and the prices are much better than supermarkets. It also has a very good fish counter which is very rare these days. 

The place is staffed by real butchers who will give you proper advice and 
prepare you any cut you want.


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## NorfBank

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

Our local butcher is a master butcher (does this mean anything btw - is there a butchery association that awards this title?) and his beef. pork, lamb is superb (from his own farm) but the chickens he sells are not free range.

Is this common for other butchers or do people care? Would they be happier to buy non free range from local butcher than free range from supermarket.

Tesco for example have corn fed free range birds for about €6. This must be impossible to beat for a local butcher.


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## Celtwytch

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*



NorfBank said:


> Our local butcher is a master butcher (does this mean anything btw - is there a butchery association that awards this title?) and his beef. pork, lamb is superb (from his own farm) but the chickens he sells are not free range.
> 
> Is this common for other butchers or do people care? Would they be happier to buy non free range from local butcher than free range from supermarket.
> 
> Tesco for example have corn fed free range birds for about €6. This must be impossible to beat for a local butcher.


 
I have never actually checked if our butcher sells free range chickens, but I do know that he was selling free range turkeys for Christmas (and for a lot less than any supermarket seemed to be doing).  By the way, our local butcher is a Craft Butcher, so I presume there is some sort of association that gives these titles.


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## truthseeker

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*



liaconn said:


> Truthseeker, do you mind me asking which butcher you use?


 
Liaconn - I use Tommy Redmonds up beside Supervalu in Firhouse, next to the hairdressers on the block that China House is in. Been using them since they took over there and never disappointed - did not really like the butchers that was there before them. Very helpful guys, very good quality meat, good prices etc... a lot of my friends locally use them as well.
They also do fresh fish on thursdays and fridays but i usually miss it cos i tend to do my meat shop on a saturday and its all gone. He offers some very good deals on things and is always willing to offer a bit of seasoning, cut whatever way you like, trim things etc....

I do think Superquinn do a lovely sausage - but probably only because I usually only get to have little tastes off the people doing the tasters!!

Actually Caveat - I agree on rashers, I like the maple ones myself, but I do love the butcher streaky bacon.

Ive also used the organic butchers in Terenure, beside Marios (cant think of name) and the meat was lovely - but it was pricey, mind you, I wouldnt be helping myself to wild boar ribs too often


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## irishmoss

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

Recently I bought round steak in a dublin supermarket @ 10.99 per Kg as opposed to €15.00kg in two different butchers in Westmeath!! I think that is a whopping difference , no difference in quality!


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## Corcaigh abu

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

I think that generally the meat is the same but the traceability is something that reassures customers.  My local butchers have won awards for their sausages and i for one would vote for them.  As an asthmatic who reacts to preservatives in food i have NEVER had a reaction to butcher sausages but have from the so-called brand name sausages - full of E numbers and salt.  Butchers meat goes off quicker but i think that can only be a good sign of its lack of preservatives.  Go on the local butcher!


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## MandaC

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

I never buy those pre-pack meats in the Supermarket as I would rather eat cardboard.  I cant believe anyone can prefer the taste over proper fresh meat.

I dont eat chicken fillets at all, think they taste of nothing and always buy my meat from local farm/local butcher.  As people have said, there is a much better service.

I always try to buy free range and/organic and don't mind paying extra.   There comes a point where you have to question what shortcuts were made to produce food for a low price (eg, 3.99 for a chicken or whatever) and if it matters to you if shortcuts in quality and more importantly animal welfare, have been taken.  It does to me and I eat less meat than I ever did, but better quality and always ethically farmed and as near as possible to the original source as possible.


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## Rois

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

Have to agree about chicken fillets - they are very tasteless on their own, even the free range ones - but marinade them in milk for a few hours then oven cook and the flavour really comes through.

As an alternative to minced beef, I often buy turkey mince (from the supermarket as butchers don't normally sell it) and it works great in bolognaises, chillis, burgers etc, with a much more distinct taste and way less fat than minced beef.

Also, don't be worried about asking your butcher for bones - they're more than happy to give them away (as they have to pay for disposal) - and use them to make your own stock or as a heavenly treat for dogs - as opposed to paying for cooked ones in a pet shop - the raw ones are better for the dogs in any case.


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## truthseeker

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*



Rois said:


> Have to agree about chicken fillets - they are very tasteless on their own, even the free range ones - but marinade them in milk for a few hours then oven cook and the flavour really comes through.
> 
> As an alternative to minced beef, I often buy turkey mince (from the supermarket as butchers don't normally sell it) and it works great in bolognaises, chillis, burgers etc, with a much more distinct taste and way less fat than minced beef.
> 
> Also, don't be worried about asking your butcher for bones - they're more than happy to give them away (as they have to pay for disposal) - and use them to make your own stock or as a heavenly treat for dogs - as opposed to paying for cooked ones in a pet shop - the raw ones are better for the dogs in any case.


 
Great tip about the milk marinade - will try that.

I also buy turkey mince - used to buy it from the supermarket but freshness was hit and miss (had at least 2 occasions when it was smelly out of the packaging) so told the butcher and now he provides it for me - he actually freezes 1lb bags of it so you can just take it home to your own freezer.


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## annR

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

I ventured into a local butcher some time ago and asked him where the chicken came from . . .and he said Germany.  I've never gone back - there is another butcher I go to sometimes but I've never asked them where their meat comes from as they're always really busy and I'm usually buying a fair few different things when I'm there and it would take ages for the guy to tell me all the information I would like.  Why can't they have it up on a sign or something?  At least in the supermarket you can see on the packet where it comes from.


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## liaconn

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*



truthseeker said:


> Liaconn - I use Tommy Redmonds up beside Supervalu in Firhouse, next to the hairdressers on the block that China House is in. Been using them since they took over there and never disappointed - did not really like the butchers that was there before them. Very helpful guys, very good quality meat, good prices etc... a lot of my friends locally use them as well.
> They also do fresh fish on thursdays and fridays but i usually miss it cos i tend to do my meat shop on a saturday and its all gone. He offers some very good deals on things and is always willing to offer a bit of seasoning, cut whatever way you like, trim things etc....


 
Thanks Truthseeker. I've used them a couple of times but it's great to know that they will do things like joint a chicken (as I would probably end up jointing my hand as well!)


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## Claire1956

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

If you are willing to pay the extra for the free range products, don't be shy about asking where the product comes from - it's your money that's paying the bill!!

All of the free range producers label their product clearly as they want to promote themselves and why they are different (it's also a regulatory requirement). So if there is no label clearly declaring that the product is free range you need to be willing to ask some hard questions and don't be fobbed off because you know your butcher a long time etc.

For a fact I've seen chickens being sold as free range when they were clearly not, and if they are cheap with no label, I would lay any wager you wish that it isn't free range.


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## truthseeker

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*



liaconn said:


> Thanks Truthseeker. I've used them a couple of times but it's great to know that they will do things like joint a chicken (as I would probably end up jointing my hand as well!)


 
Sounds like me in the kitchen - Id recommend trying the t-bone steak too, its very yummy!!


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## Kine

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

Butchers are definitely > Supermarkets for both quality and price.

I usually do a fairly large shopping trip (every 3 weeks or so) and found as soon as I started buying meat from my local butcher, I literally *halved* my meat bill. And got better quality to boot.


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## bullbars

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

I have had some dealings with supplying beef to the market and can tell you butchers take more of an interest in the animals they use. Tesco/dunnes/Squinn dont care what breed or diet the animal is. They pay by weight and weight only. Butchers offer full traceablity. Supermarkets advertise tracebility but thats back to batch numbers not specific animals.


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## NorfBank

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*



annR said:


> Why can't they have it up on a sign or something?  At least in the supermarket you can see on the packet where it comes from.



I thought most do, mine has name of farm (local) and abbatoir (local too). If they didn't, I would worry why they didn't.


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## Latrade

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*



Kine said:


> Butchers are definitely > Supermarkets for both quality and price.
> 
> I usually do a fairly large shopping trip (every 3 weeks or so) and found as soon as I started buying meat from my local butcher, I literally *halved* my meat bill. And got better quality to boot.


 
Agreed, when buying in bulk from the butchers there's a massive savings. 

The main thing, apart from taste, is the water content. The chicken fillets, steaks and the size of the mice packets often look better value in supermarkets, but I found due to the amount of water, you ended up poaching them rather than frying them. I haven't had that problem with any of the meat from the butchers, very little water content.


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## liaconn

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*



Latrade said:


> Agreed, when buying in bulk from the butchers there's a massive savings.
> 
> The main thing, apart from taste, is the water content. The chicken fillets, steaks and the *size of the mice packets* often look better value in supermarkets, but I found due to the amount of water, you ended up poaching them rather than frying them. I haven't had that problem with any of the meat from the butchers, very little water content.


 
Please don't ask me round to dinner at your place


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## justin_case

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

generally speaking, butchers would source their meat from farmers they know and traceability is key when purchasing meat these days. Meat coming in from emerging markets like Brazil etc. is not subject to the same strict measures  as that of the cattle reared in Ireland/EU. 
For us, if were cooking burgers, the steak burgers bought in the butchers is the only way to go.

(no cattle were killed in the making of this comment)


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## Latrade

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*



liaconn said:


> Please don't ask me round to dinner at your place


 
I do a mean mice packet stew. You don't know what you're missing.


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## dora819

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

I'll be honest. my local butcher that has 'won awards' sells meat that i wouldnt feed to a dog. i've seen him freeze meat, to take it out the next day and sell as fresh. you can buy a lovely succulant chicken on saturday but come sunday its putrid!! no thanks, i'll stick to the supermarkets!!


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## MandaC

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*



Latrade said:


> I do a mean mice packet stew. You don't know what you're missing.



Stewed mouse! No way!


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## Sue Ellen

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*



MandaC said:


> Stewed mouse! No way!



Beat me to it - I'd prefer mince


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## MandaC

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*



Sue Ellen said:


> Beat me to it - I'd prefer mince



I've never had minced mouse - must be a delicacy!


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## Chocks away

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

I once had Prawn Mousse with minced Jalapenos sprinkled on top. Guess that doesn't qualify


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## Latrade

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

Pah, call yourselves carnivores. If it can bleed, it can be eaten.

Maybe mice stew is a local thing. It's grand except you have to watch for the whiskers and small ribs bones.


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## Kine

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

Well, considering the amount of reodents my cats bring me I could deffo make a few stews!

OR even a blackbird pie 

Actually, a quick question in relation to mince...if, for example I'm heating it on the pan and as happens, after a while there's quite a lot of liquid after coming out, is this *all* fat, or would some of it be water as well?


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## truthseeker

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*



Kine said:


> Actually, a quick question in relation to mince...if, for example I'm heating it on the pan and as happens, after a while there's quite a lot of liquid after coming out, is this *all* fat, or would some of it be water as well?


 
Some of it would be water as well. Try turkey mince to see a difference, you get some watery liquid, but not as much (less fat), but there'd always be some water in meat.


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## Caveat

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*



Kine said:


> Actually, a quick question in relation to mince...if, for example I'm heating it on the pan and as happens, after a while there's quite a lot of liquid after coming out, is this *all* fat, or would some of it be water as well?


 
A fair bit of liquid will always come out of mince. The amount and what it mainly comprises of just depends on the quality and where you get it.

Supermarket basic mince - generally high water content as well as high fat content.

Minced steak from a butcher - much less water but still a fair bit of fat.

Lean steak mince - less fat obviously etc.

There will always be at least some water/moisture and always at least _some_ fat.

If you check recipes that use mince they nearly always mention 'draining off the excess liquid' - so that's how 'normal' it is I guess. If it's good mince don't drain all the liquid though as it will have good flavour - 'liquid' from cheap mince is horrible.

I'm no butcher or chef but that's my take on it anyway.

_Edit: crossed with TS_


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## Latrade

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*



Kine said:


> Actually, a quick question in relation to mince...if, for example I'm heating it on the pan and as happens, after a while there's quite a lot of liquid after coming out, is this *all* fat, or would some of it be water as well?


 
Already answered I know. The answer is to fry in smaller batches rather than the mince all at once. It's easier to drain off and ensure that the meat gets fried rather than poached.


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## frash

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

If it's good quality mince meat from a butcher then you will get very little water.
If it's from a supermarket then you'll get a lot more water in my expericnce.


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## zag

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*



MandaC said:


> I've never had minced mouse - must be a delicacy!



Heston Blumenthal (he's mad, he is) did chocolate mouse on a stick for one of his Christmas feasts.  It was dormouse.  I'll see if I can find a link anywhere in case anyone's feeling adventurous.  Some of the people at the dinner couldn't eat it at all once they realised it was an actual mouse inside the chocolate shell, but others managed.

His programs are generally very interesting/funny as he tries to work out how to replicate some old dish or some crazy invention.   I wouldn't be rushing down to his resto for the tasting menu as I have a feeling I wouldn't be able for a fraction of what he makes so it would be a huge waste of money.  But still, it's interesting.

z

p.s. found some links - http://www.channel4.com/food/on-tv/heston-blumenthal/feast/about-heston-s-christmas-feast_p_1.html &


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## Caveat

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

TBH I would absolutely love to try some of his stuff, just for the experience.


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## MANTO

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

I wouldnt mind trying Stuart Little on a stick....


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## MandaC

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

Just to follow up on this.  I bought a free range St. Sever chicken in Superquinn today.   It was expensive at 13.00, given that they had specials on their own range for larger chickens for 5.49.  I left the chicken in behind the butchery counter and asked if they could joint it for me and I would collect it later on.  Came back, collected chicken, which was rewrapped.  Got home, chicken just more or less randomly hacked with bits of bone stuck everywhere.  Some poor guest is going to get a chicken wing as a portion.   

One more reason to visit a proper butchers if you want somebody who knows what they are doing.  I would rather they said they did not know how to do it, rather than ruin it.


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## thesimpsons

*Re: Buying meat in the butchers*

I worked in meat dept of big supermarket years ago - uggggg never touch their meat since.  At the end of the day we had to open packages and turn the meat over so the nice pink side was now facing out.  I lasted one day in that job.

Mince should always be used usually quickly after mincing.  The tearing of the meat by the mincer ruins the quality of the meat.  I now  buy round steak at the butcher and then get him to mince it for me.  No hidden water or extras that way.


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## irishgirl88

*butchers vs supermarkets*

You must be going to the wrong butchers.
I work in a butchers, and we are legally obliged to put the sell by and use by dates on all our products, as well as where the meat has come from. 
The reason people say they prefer butchers to supermarkets is because a butchers is part of the community. If somethings too expensive you say oh no not this week is there any special offers on. There usually will be. 
Supermarket butcher counters dont have the same level of expertise, nor do they have the quality of meat that you would get from a butchers.


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## riddles

*Wild Boar Sausages*

I was up in Belfast and got some wild boar sausages in a market there.  Does anyone know if they can be sourced in the midlands, they were very tasty.


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## Hillsalt

I buy most of the meat from either of 2 butchers in Galway city centre. The quality of meat is far superior to the likes of Dunnes. My kids prefer sausages from the butchers. 

However I do have major problem with the 2 butchers where I but meat and that is the standard of hygiene. I often see the staff handle money and meat with the same hands regardless of whether they are wearing gloves or not. 

It has come to to stage where I am bringing lots of coins in my pocket so that I can pay exact change and I also bring my own bag. I even bring wipes to clean my hands after i leave. I am on first name basis with the butchers concerned. The meat is excellent and we haven't been poisoned so maybe I am over reacting? This was the norm when I went to the butcher with my Dad in the 1970's.

This never happens in Dunnes on the odd occasion when i buy meat there but the standard of meat is not as high.


Sorry for veering off topic.......


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## truthseeker

Hillsalt said:


> I often see the staff handle money and meat with the same hands regardless of whether they are wearing gloves or not.


 
Would you not say it to the butcher? 
I must watch mine next weekend and see what the glove/money/meat handling situation is - I cant say Ive noticed it before. 

Then again - you will be cooking the meat at a high temperature so presumably bacteria-wise its ok - although money is dirty and not necessarily with bacteria - just ordinary dirt as well, which Id rather not be eating, although I no doubt do on a regular basis!!


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## Leo

truthseeker said:


> .. although money is dirty and not necessarily with bacteria - just ordinary dirt as well


 
Money is laden with bacteria, and is a very common source of cross contamination. The floor is likely to be cleaner!


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## truthseeker

Leo said:


> Money is laden with bacteria, and is a very common source of cross contamination. The floor is likely to be cleaner!


 

I actually mistyped that - I meant money is dirty and not necessarily JUST with bacteria!!!

I used to work handling money, the smell and dirt of your hands of the end of a day handling money would make you sick - its probably the dirtiest thing people handle on a daily basis.


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## maureen

I find Superquinn meat fine, sausages are best around. My local butcher is awful, meat fatty and chicken fillets even fatty.( even his veg is just about gone off). I worked in a shop years ago....and they had small meat section, the guy in charge used to wash the bacon to make it look fresher and not dried out, he never washed hands and even on occasion drop it on the floor, the old dears swore by his meat....


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## truthseeker

maureen said:


> I find Superquinn meat fine, sausages are best around.


 
I used to work in Superquinn, they had their tricks to keep the meat looking fresh also.


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## Caveat

maureen said:


> ...the old dears swore by his meat....


 
What you don't know..etc

Do you think restaurants are any different?


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## truthseeker

Caveat said:


> Do you think restaurants are any different?


 
I used to work in a restuarant as well - not in this country - it wasnt pretty.

One day a very nice man quite seriously asked me what Id recommend, I looked him right in the eye and said 'another restaurant'. He thanked me, tipped me 10 dollars, and left.


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## Purple

I buy chicken and pork in the supermarkets as I like to buy Irish and it's hard to find a local butcher that stocks Irish chicken or pork.
If anyone thinks that a local butcher is any less likely to use the tricks of the trade to keep the meat looking good they are kidding themself.


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## Ancutza

I once worked in Swaziland.  The local butchers had a dirt floor and one chiller cabinet.  As the guy behind the counter cut up your fillet steak he was aiming careful kicks at little yellow chicks which were running all over the place in the shop.  Fillet steak was the cheapest thing you could buy as the Swazis (for reasons of superstition) wouldn't buy any meat that didn't have a bone in it.  We ate like kings for 4 months!! That was the best butchers shop that I ever bought meat in!.


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## Subtitle

Latrade said:


> Already answered I know. The answer is to fry in smaller batches rather than the mince all at once. It's easier to drain off and ensure that the meat gets fried rather than poached.


Bought a mincer from Lidl yonks ago and only use my own now. The difference is unbelievable. Totally different texture, no water and better taste. Plus I only mince stewing steak from my butcher for beef mince. 'Tis gorgeous.
I mince pork as well and the taste is divine. Preminced pork from the supermarket is rancid to the tastebuds after mincing your own.
Lidls mincer was 50 quid well spent IMO


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## SlugBreath

The SuperValu supermarket in Mount Merrion sells game. Picked up a pheasant yesterday. Also on sale were venison steaks, mixed game for pies etc. Definitely different to the rest.


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## truthseeker

Hillsalt said:


> However I do have major problem with the 2 butchers where I but meat and that is the standard of hygiene. I often see the staff handle money and meat with the same hands regardless of whether they are wearing gloves or not.


 
OK - watched my local butchers at the weekend to check out the gloves/money handling situation.

They are handling money bare handed. But when they are getting meat out of the counter, they put their hand into a bag and use that to pick up the meat - so theyre not handling the meat bare handed - from the counter. When they are cutting something thats not in the counter (like a t-bone steak) they are wearing metal type gloves to do it. 

If you get them to do something to meat (like bone and roll something) they wash their hands before working on it.

So I think its ok.


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## irishmoss

Subtitle, what cuts of pork to you buy to mince?


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