Our old-world trade

This weekend I got to cook a whole hog for a friends wedding. Congratulations to Wes and Caitlin of Weslin Farms/Saxapahaw Country Club on getting hitched! I also apologize to everyone for forecasting rain in my previous newsletter. Honestly though, if you are getting your forecast from a butcher shop’s weekly newsletter, you need to look at some choices you are making. It was a beautiful Saturday and everyone got fed.

Did you know we are the only shop in the state and frankly, one of the few in the whole country, that works with exclusively whole animals? There are many incredible shops in the country (sadly fewer every year) but hardly any of them are dealing with two to three farms and working with only whole animals. We do not buy trim for sausage, we don't bring in extra filets and export racks to pad our case and we don't offer a bunch of cured items to fill a niche. We bring in a handful of pigs, cows and lamb every week and we do everything in the shop with those animals. It's an old-world trade and we can't imagine doing it any other way. Sometimes it poses some issues when everyone wants flat irons or ribeye chops, but we think it's worth it to know every single animal and being one call away from getting answers from a farmer.

The system we work with doesn't make sense when we talk to other butchers and they can't imagine working singularly with whole animals. Sometimes we question the sanity of it but after a decade, we have it mostly sorted. 

See y'all!