Steve Dawson, the man behind Fat Butcher, steps out from behind the counter of his Lawrenceville butcher shop to recommend his favorite meaty treats.
At the Fat Butcher, we love when chefs can make something out of the less popular cuts. While we all appreciate a ribeye here at the shop, preparing beef tongue, lamb neck, pork belly, or, better yet, making bacon out of lamb belly is so much more fun and satisfying. It is great that customers are embracing whole-animal butchering and supporting local farms: local tastes better. If you’re getting meaty at home, modern equipment like sous vides and pellet smokers make it less scary to pick up a giant pork tomahawk or a whole picanha roast to cook for a BBQ.
With the right tools, YouTube, and a five-minute conversation with your local butcher, you can create some really excellent dishes at home these days. We are here for it all.
Station: Pork Shank Tagliatelle
4744 Liberty Avenue
More than a few of us at the Fat Butcher have worked with Curtis Gamble at Station because he is an amazing chef. He’s super innovative when it comes to preparations and techniques. We love the Pork Shank Tagliatelle (especially since he’s using our pork bones to fortify everything) and his Footprint Farm chicken dish whose secret bird-butchery wizardry I cannot divulge. This chicken dish has black garlic sausage (think mortadella) romanesco, sourdough, and pickled fig panzanella, bread sauce, and chicken demi. So hot right now.
Morcilla: Half-Roasted Duck
3519 Butler Street
Morcilla, Justin and Hilary Prescott Severino’s Spanish cuisine restaurant in Lawrenceville, has a really nice Half-Roasted Duck on the menu in autumn. Also, you can’t go wrong with their Braised Elysian Fields Lamb Shank. We are a huge fan of their seasonal menus.
Taiwanese Bistro Cafe 33: Pork Intestine Szechuan Hot Pot
1711 Shady Avenue
This dish is so well done with its chewy and crunchy textures swimming in a numbing oily mess. It is a sleeper hit for sure.
Bridge City Brinery and Stunt Pig Food Truck
When it comes to sandwiches, we love Bridge City Brinery, and everything from Stunt Pig.
Story by Steve Dawson / Styling by Anna Calabrese / Photography by Dave Bryce
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