High end meat and fish: where to buy?

[cinghiale]

Butt + ribs, I think he meant. In quantity.

Edited March 19, 2007 by cinghiale (log)

[mrbigjas]

aaaah, i was imagining, if dry-aged means aged in a dry room, and wet-aged means aged in it's own juices, then butt-age means... oh god

[mrbigjas]

ok on a slightly more serious note: dagordon may have mentioned the meadow run farms chickens they sell frozen at fair foods. i know we've discussed it; not sure if he posted about it here and i don't feel like reading this whole thread again.

what i do know is this: those chickens rock the house, even though they're frozen. i bought one, defrosted it, and didn't even do all those things that people do to chickens like brining or pre-salting or anything. just roasted it as is with the usual herbs and butter and olive oil and salt. and it was fantastic. the dark meat was flavorful, the breast wasn't dry (maybe a leeeetle rubbery from being frozen, but eminently edible)... great stuff. probably about the best chicken i've bought here in town, like, ever.

i was reminded of this today when i bought a rotisserie chicken from a local place up here and it was all pasty, as if it had been brined and then overcooked -- you know how birds can be dry and moist at the same time? how it tastes ok but feels like you're eating papier mache? it had that going on. and it was... i feel like it was about average for a rotisserie chicken that you buy. i mean, there was nothing notably wrong with it, except that it sucked so badly compared to what i had last week.

anyway, the only complaint i have about those chickens is that the giblets (besides the neck) aren't included. and that i can't get them fresh. if you ever say to yourself, gee, a normal 4-lb chicken costs $6, could a $13 one be worth it? try it once and see. this is good.

[wkl]

mr james - what size are the whole birds? 2-3lbs or bigger?

[mrbigjas]

i think they're generally from 3-4 pounds. the one i bought was about 3 2/3 pounds.