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Chicago Butchers

tim

By tim
in The Heartland: Cooking & Baking

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tim

tim

Posted
Posted

I have been talking to all of the likely sources of caul fat in Chicago with no luck. (Peoria Packing, Bobak)

I would appreciate any ideas?

Tim

tavogels

tavogels

Posted
Posted

Is this the same thing as leaf lard? If so, I was talking to one of the butchers at Mike's Meat Market in Villa Park and asked if he could get me some. He said they don't display it in the case, but with some notice they could get it for me (they get the whole pig and butcher it there). In fact, he said they sometimes feed the kidney fat to the birds!! I realize that may be further than you'd like to go, but they are very willing to accomodate at Mike's. Nicest butchers I've ever dealt with.

LAZ

LAZ

Posted
Posted
Is this the same thing as leaf lard?

Leaf lard is the pure fat from around the kidneys of a pig. Rendered, it's used as shortening for baking.

The caul is a thin, lacy, fatty membrane that encases the internal organs of an animal. Pork caul is used for wrapping pates and things like that.

LAZ

tim

tim

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
Try a large Supermercado where they have on-site meat cutters. Ask what day the whole hogs arrive and place your order in advance.

Maggie,

I am not from Chicago. Do you have the name, address and phone of a likely supermercado?

Thanks,

Tim

dls

dls

Posted
Posted
I have been talking to all of the likely sources of caul fat in Chicago with no luck.  (Peoria Packing, Bobak) 

I would appreciate any ideas?

Tim

Grant Park Packing has caul fat, leaf lard, and everying else from the pig. A pork wholesale operation that is open Saturday morning for retail customers. On Lake street a little west of Halstead.

They only sell in 20 lb. packs (get a few friends together or freeze what you don't immediately need). As I recall, the price is about $.90/lb for the CF and $.45/lb for the LL.

  • 1 month later...
tim

tim

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Hi,

I am running out of sources for caul fat. The only source that carries caul fat was Paulina Market. My son purchased two pounds and it turned out to be thinly sliced skeletal fat. We called and they explained that they could not get REAL caul fat.

It is also not available from Niman at this time.

Years ago, I went to my local slaughter house and asked for pig diaphragms. Now, I am told that they cannot sell the diaphragm to me, but they don't know why. Does anyone know of regulatory problems with selling pig diaphragms?

Are their local slaughter houses or butchers that break down pigs in St. Louis, Chicago or in between?

Thanks for your advice.

Tim

  • 4 months later...
dansch

dansch

Posted
Posted

So, I just relocated up to Chicago from Charlottesville (Virginia, that is) and while I'm loving city life so far, I'm having a hard time finding good beef. Ok, well, perhaps that's disingenuous. I can find lots of beef. I can even find things we didn't have back in Charlottesville like real dry-aged prime beef (Fox & Obel), great homemade sausages (Gepperth's), etc., but I can't find what I want: grass-fed local beef and local heritage breed pork.

Now, I'm not trying to stoke the grass-fed/corn-fed flame wars, I'm simply looking for recommendations. Back home I had direct access to local farmers who treated their animals well, gave them space to roam (even the pigs... berkshire hogs that are given a hundred acres to roam develop great flavor and intramuscular fat). I also had an organic butcher who sourced most of his stock from local family farms.

Googling, making phone calls, asking around has led me nowhere. Do I need to drive to Wisconsin and buy in bulk? I'd be ok with that, but still need a recommendation.

Please send me what you've got. I really do love the taste of grass-fed beef and prefer to support local farmers who treat their animals and land well...

Thanks for the help,

-Dan

Bret Beall

Bret Beall

Posted
Posted

Heartland Meats produces local grass-fed beef. They will presumably be at the opening day of the Chicago Green City Market on Wednesday, May 16, which starts at 7am. Their contact information (and please forgive any formatting problems):

patsondgeroth@softfarm.com

815-538-5326

Sondgeroth, John & Pat

204 East U.S. Route 52

Mendota, Illinois 60643

John and Pat Sondgeroth's farm has been in the family for 100 years. As fourth generation farmers, the Sondgeroths have continued the tradition of raising cattle on their fully integrated livestock farm. The special Piedmontese breed of cattle found at Heartland Meats is known for its distinct combination of leanness and tenderness, which exceeds the nutritional recommendations of the American Heart Association. The Sondgeroths raise their cattle without hormones and feed them with all-natural, non-GMO corn that they also grow on their farm. With their own federally inspected processing plant, John and Pat are able to directly control their product and hope to produce healthy and delicious beef for another 100 years.

www.heartlandmeats.com

The Chicago Green City Market is at the south end of Lincoln Park, just north of LaSalle. http://www.chicagogreencitymarket.org/

Enjoy!

Bret

Bret S. Beall, MS, PhD (Cand), CEO

Global Organic Designs Lifestyle Services

www.god-dess.com

germuska

germuska

Posted
Posted

I am pretty sure that Heartland also participates in the Evanston Farmers' Market, which is open on Saturday AM.

And this LTHForum thread has been used to announce a few opportunities to buy Wettstein organic meats in Oak Park during the off-farmers-market season. I imagine they'll be more focused on markets for the summer, but you may want to use the "watch this topic" feature at the bottom of the page (you have to be logged in to sign up to watch threads.)

allenkelson

allenkelson

Posted
Posted

You can also buy "local" meats just east of Lake Geneva on WI 50 at Lake Geneva Meats (take I-94/US 41 to WI 50) about an hour's drive from the North Side. There you can get local pork, beef, and buffalo. Just east of them there's a mushroom farm with some interesting pickings, and just east of them, a pick-your-own berry farm, all on WI 50.

Googling, making phone calls, asking around has led me nowhere.  Do I need to drive to Wisconsin and buy in bulk?  I'd be ok with that, but still need a recommendation.
dansch

dansch

Posted
Posted
Heartland Meats produces local grass-fed beef.  They will presumably be at the opening day of the Chicago Green City Market on Wednesday, May 16, which starts at 7am.  Their contact information (and please forgive any formatting problems):

I had spotted them on the website for the Green City Market (which appears to be less than 2 blocks from my new abode), but their website indicates corn-fed beef. Don't get me wrong, I'll happily buy their meat at the market, I've just really learned to love the taste of grass-fed.

-Dan

dansch

dansch

Posted
Posted
You can also buy "local" meats just east of Lake Geneva on WI 50 at Lake Geneva Meats (take I-94/US 41 to WI 50) about an hour's drive from the North Side. There you can get local pork, beef, and buffalo. Just east of them there's a mushroom farm with some interesting pickings, and just east of them, a pick-your-own berry farm, all on WI 50.

Very cool. I'll have to check that out sometime soon. I'm going car-less in Chicago, but have to travel to Wisconsin pretty frequently and will be renting ZipCars. I'll have to stick a cooler in the trunk and stock up... even though I'm living in an apartment, I brought my chest freezer.

-Dan

nsxtasy

nsxtasy

Posted
Posted
I can even find things we didn't have back in Charlottesville like real dry-aged prime beef (Fox & Obel), great homemade sausages (Gepperth's), etc.

You can also find both of those items (and more - smoked meats, etc) at Zier's, in Wilmette. Great, great butcher (as are F&O and Gepperth's).

They sell Tallgrass Beef at the various locations of Foodstuffs.

ronnie_suburban

ronnie_suburban

Posted
Posted
I can even find things we didn't have back in Charlottesville like real dry-aged prime beef (Fox & Obel), great homemade sausages (Gepperth's), etc.

You can also find both of those items (and more - smoked meats, etc) at Zier's, in Wilmette. Great, great butcher (as are F&O and Gepperth's).

They sell Tallgrass Beef at the various locations of Foodstuffs.

Yeah, I linked directly to their "where can I get it?" page. I should have specified that.

=R=

"Hey, hey, careful man! There's a beverage here!" --The Dude, The Big Lebowski

LTHForum.com -- The definitive Chicago-based culinary chat site

ronnie_suburban 'at' yahoo.com

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