Meat market
When searching for cookout meats, grab the freshest in town
By Angie Theado |
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When planning a cookout, the most important ingredient is, of course, what is going to be placed on the hot grate of your grill. Three markets come to mind for fresh cuts of meat, and the one nearest to you can fuel your grilling dreams.
Weiland's Gourmet Market
3600 Indianola Ave.
www.weilandsgourmetmarket.com
Photo: Christopher Atwood
In no particular order, let us start with Weiland's Gourmet Market at 3600 Indianola Ave. Serving the public's need for farm-fresh, custom cut, quality meats for almost 50 years, they feature a variety of poultry, pork, lamb, beef, and housemade sausages at budget-friendly prices. The beef cuts are from a label called Swift 1855. They are a Certified Black Angus Premium Beef of a very high quality grade (top 2/3 USDA choice) and are reasonably priced. Only 10% of the cows that are butchered for this product are labeled 1855, characterized by a perfect marbling within the muscle. The fat will enrich the flesh during cooking, keeping it moist. Also offered are Ohio-raised pork products from Sandusky, along with naturally raised Gerber Amish chicken, fed an all-vegetarian diet with no antibiotics or hormones, from Kidron, Ohio, and free-range turkey from New Carlisle, Ohio.
Carfagna's
1405 E Dublin-Granville Rd.
www.carfagnas.com
Photo: Christopher Atwood
"Italians do it best," they say, if they happen to be Italian - and I am. You can't prove them wrong at Carfagna's, where their specialty is butchery and imports. With 71 years of experience, they do everything right by habit. I got the chance to talk to Sam Carfagna. "We try to find the highest quality meats with the best value for our customers," he said. "Sometimes I have to go coast to coast for that."
Working hard to keep prices low and quality high, this custom butcher shop offers a lot, including Gerber chicken, a tremendous variety of cured meats, house-made sausage, and a new jalapeno sausage patty with a high-melting-temperature cheddar cheese especially for grilling. We purchased and smoked the shop's beef brisket, and it was succulent, the moist threads of the flesh parting with every stab of the fork.
You want a shin of veal or a bovine heart? This is a butcher shop that keeps quality high, the prices low, and the variety vast.
The Hills Market
7860 Olentangy River Rd.
www.thehillsmarket.typepad.com
The Hills Market opened their doors in 1993 in order to serve the public up north. Their meat department is known for their beauteous Ohio beef and custom cutting. If you see an 'Ohio Proud' sticker, that product came from Ohio - and buying locally means more than a reduced carbon footprint; it also means fresher products. Per exemplar, the Boliantz E. R. Packing Company, located in Ashland, Ohio. They buy all natural beef, lamb, and pork from Ohio farmers, then butcher and package it. USDA-approved and inspected, you can find them on the shelves at The Hills. The market also sells free-range turkey from Bowman & Landes, a company based in New Carlisle. The Hills Market focuses on local community and welcomes gorgeous, well-marbled, Ohio raised livestock.
Originally Published: June 1, 2009
