It’s Tuesday. You’ve got 30 people coming to your home on Saturday for a big graduation celebration after the ceremony. A month ago it didn’t seem like a big deal. Now, it’s a full-blown emergency, and you’re overwhelmed. Who do you turn to? Continue reading “Easy Entertaining with Butcher Boy”
Food Tag: Chicken
Highlighting our Fall Favorites
Fall days were meant for comfort food, and what’s more comforting than a perfectly prepared beef, pork, or chicken dish? We’ve got you covered. These cuts lend themselves to a variety of cooking methods including smoking, roasting, and crockpot preparations for those busy days. Don’t miss our latest Fall Favorites Shopping Guide for more information on our customer favorites. And check out our Cooking and Grilling Guides for valuable preparation tips to ensure a perfect result every time.
Here’s what our customers tell us are their favorites for fall:
Beef Brisket – Whether you choose a lean flat cut (best for quicker preparation) or a rich full packer, beef brisket is always a delicious crowd pleaser.
Check out this easy smoked brisket recipe from Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner.
Boneless Pork Butt – Perfect for pulled pork, this cut yields tender and delectable meat that can be used in a variety of recipes. Just remember “low and slow.”
Here’s a great smoker recipe from Serious Eats for perfect pulled pork.
Want to come home to delicious pulled pork after a busy day? Let your crockpot do the cooking. (Recipe from The Seasoned Mom)
Bone-In Center Cut Pork Roast – As impressive as a prime rib and just as delectable, this cut is surprisingly easy to prepare. Check out this simple smoker recipe.
Want to savor the smell of roast pork coming from your kitchen? Here’s a top-rated oven recipe from Food and Wine.
Beef Short Ribs – Marinating these succulent cuts of meat in a Korean-inspired perfect mix of sweet, sour, and salty makes for a delicious bite in this grilling recipe from Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner.
Want a great slow-cooker alternative? These slow-cooker short ribs from Taste of Home are sure to please.
Baby Back Pork Ribs – Classic and delicious, there’s nothing like spice-rubbed pork ribs fresh from the grill and served up with your favorite barbecue sauce. You can’t go wrong with this prize-winning recipe prepared on the grill.
Don’t forget our amazing selection of shanks, roasts, and oven-ready specialties for easy, quick, and delicious meals.
Seasoned & Stuffed Roasts: Choose from delicious options such as Honey Apple Pork, Garlic Pepper Pork, Stuffed Top Sirloin, and Stuffed Pork Roast.
Shanks: Veal Osso Buco is the ultimate comfort food with a hint of extravagance – ask for a veal hind shank at our butcher counter and try this recipe from Giada De Laurentis for a delicious dinner. For another incredible restaurant-inspired meal try braised lamb shanks, slow-cooked and served alongside a creamy risotto. Or, pick up some beef shin bones with meat and try this take on classic beef and barley soup.
House Specialties: Our stuffed chicken breasts feature a variety of savory stuffings. Beef and pork options include Braciole, Meatloaf, Stuffed Flank Steak, Beef Pinwheels, Stuffed Pork Chops and Pork Pinwheels.
Perfect Sides: Our kitchen prepares delicious vegetables, classic sides, and much more. Don’t miss out on our fresh homemade applesauce, a perfect addition to your fall table.
Sizzle & Smoke: Mastering Outdoor Cooking
For a lot of people, there’s nothing like outdoor cooking. From the beckoning aroma of food sizzling on the grill to the casual vibe of gathering with friends and family, moving meal prep from the confines of the kitchen just seems to make everything taste better. That’s true, whether you’re using gas, charcoal, or wood smoke. Whether you already are a pro at the basics or you’re looking to perfect your methods, we can provide some reminders and help you take your skills to the next level.
Step Up Your Grilling Techniques
The most common way to grill is through direct heat. That’s when you cook the food directly over the flame. It gives your meat those familiar grill marks, and is the right method for foods that cook quickly, because if you have to keep it on the grill too long to ensure it’s cooked through, it will dry out.
Indirect heat requires grilling adjacent to the heat course. Cooking on the hot grates and letting the heat circulate around the meat is less intense – more of a slow and steady approach. It works best on large cuts of meat, such as whole chickens, roasts, and briskets, that need more time to cook perfectly at lower temperatures.
An experienced grill master knows how to manage two heat zones. Keeping direct heat and indirect heat sides of your grill gives you flexibility to cook various foods at once. For instance, you can sear your veggies or burgers over a flame, then move them to the cooler side so that they stay hot but don’t burn while other items continue cooking.
Have you heard of the reverse sear? Home cooks are discovering this method, and word is slowly spreading that it’s a near perfect way to grill a steak with tender, flavorful results. The trick is the two-zone combination of direct and indirect heat. Start the steak on the indirect side, low and slow, to bring the meat up to temperature and cook evenly to your taste. This technique calls for patience because it will take longer than traditional grilling. The last step is to hit the steak with a high flame on the direct heat side, to give it that charred crust, without burning because you know the inside is already done.
Smoking 101
An alternative to a gas or charcoal grill is a smoker. The main differences between the two are the cooking time required and cooking temperature. But those loyal to smokers know it’s not as simple as that. Smokers use the smoke from burning wood to slowly cook and infuse the meat with flavor.
Choosing the right smoking wood depends on the meat you choose and the flavor profile you’re aiming to match. First, decide on chips versus chunks versus small logs. Wood chips are best for short cooking times, for things like fish and smaller cuts of meat, because they burn up quickly. Wood chunks and splits are good for hours of cooking time. Larger cuts of meat such as pork shoulder, brisket, and ribs fall into that category.
Fruit woods provide mild, sweet flavor. Choose apple or cherry wood for poultry, pork or fish.
Hard woods add more intense flavor. Hickory gives beef and pork some spice, while maple gives a sweeter smoky flavor best for pork and poultry. Oak is one of the most popular woods and its milder flavor goes with just about anything you want to cook. The most concentrated, bold flavors is mesquite, and works best on large cuts of meat.
Beyond Burgers: Upping Your Culinary Game
Hamburgers and hot dogs are standard summer cookout fare, but you could kick things up a notch with some variety in your grilling menu. Check out our Summer Order Guide for a look at all the marinated beef, chicken, pork, and sausages we offer to please a hungry crowd. When you want to throw steaks on the grill, but aren’t sure which cuts are best for cooking outdoors, we can help you decide!
Don’t forget the power of herbs and spices in the cooking process. Marinades, rubs, and glazes are another way to give your outdoor meal a punch. Marinades are a combination of spices, oil, and some kind of citrus or vinegar. Using them helps tenderize your meat. Butcher Boy has a wide variety of flavors to choose from, conveniently made fresh so you don’t need to mix the ingredients: steakhouse, teriyaki, sweet bourbon, lemon pepper, garlic ginger and cajun are just a few of the options you’ll find here. Like the name implies, dry rubs are made with only dry ingredients. The flavors infuse the meat when it’s rubbed onto the surface.
Do you feel ready to take on the challenge of the grill? Remember that Butcher Boy is your one-stop shop for pre-made side dishes, desserts, and beverages. We’ll help you find the perfect wine, local brew, and non-alcoholic options to go with your menu.
Flavor Your Summer with Marinades
A good marinade can give beef, poultry, fish, and vegetables a kick of flavor. If you’re looking to maximize the benefits of marinating, check out these tips before you fire up the grill.
Marinating helps tenderize the meat and infuse flavor. Some of the best cuts of beef to marinate are flank steak, London broil, kabobs, and sirloin tips. Most recipes for marinating meat and poultry recommend a minimum of six hours or up to 24 hours. Always marinate your meats in the refrigerator. Leaving it at room temperature for long can allow dangerous bacteria to grow and lead to foodborne illness. Recipes will also advise you to discard the used marinade once it has soaked in, but you can brush on a new, bottled sauce or marinade while you’re grilling for added flavor.
Every marinade should include an oil, but make sure it’s one with a high smoke point, such as canola or safflower oils in your marinade if you’re grilling. Oils help the flavors absorb into the meat and high smoke point oils are flame — and grill — friendly. High smoke point oils include peanut, canola, avocado, or sunflower.
Start with pre-marinated meats and leave all the prep work to us. You can mix your own marinade, or buy the bottled stuff, but Butcher Boy has more than 15 types made in-house for a delicious, fresh homemade taste.
Our most popular flavor is the steakhouse for beef tips. Coming in second is lemon pepper chicken. Italian-style Francesco also is a favorite. Other popular varieties in our butcher case are sweet bourbon, burgundy, teriyaki, and cajun, garlic ginger. And don’t forget buffalo wings! We also offer barbeque baby back ribs. If you’re not sure how long to cook them, follow this guide for grilling time and method.
Add a tossed salad, maybe some sauteed or grilled veggies, and rice or baked potato, and you have an easy meal for summer. Stop by for all of your lunch or dinner menu needs. What are your favorite summer flavors for the grill?
Game Day Favorites: Meaty Snacks, Main Dishes & More
Football’s biggest game of the year is right around the corner. True, our home team won’t be playing, but it’s still a great excuse to gather with friends and family while you enjoy food and drinks. Have you decided what’s on the menu? Along with traditional chips and dips, your guests will devour all the more substantial game day foods. But heartier doesn’t have to mean more work. All of these ideas can be made ahead of time, and you won’t have to miss the game day fun stuck in the kitchen.
Chili is a no-brainer favorite at any watch party, but if you’re looking for something a bit different, try this meatier version using stew beef as the base. For a chili you can set and forget, check out this one for your slow cooker. If you do stick with the classic ground beef variety, put a twist on how you serve it and make it a Fritos® pie, which isn’t a pie at all, but a clever way to create individual, convenient servings.
For a beefy snack everyone will want a piece of, try meatball stuffed bread. Think meatball sub meets pizza. You can even make it football-shaped. And don’t be intimidated by the process – it’s extra simple when you use prepared dough.
Similar in concept, buffalo chicken Wellington puts a new spin on basic boneless tenders. It can be sliced and shared.
Your crowd is sure to expect wings. Use your favorite spices or rub…or try a new marinade, such as the one in this recipe for sweet and spicy drumettes or something with a Caribbean flavor. Want to skip ahead? Butcher Boy carries a wide selection of marinated chicken wings prepared in-house – simply open the bag and pop them in the oven or air fryer.
Another finger food favorite, pigs in a blanket, gets raised to a new level with kielbasa as the star ingredient.
Carnitas is a fantastic versatile dish. Slow cook a boneless pork shoulder and shred it. Then let your guests make pulled pork sandwiches or add it to nachos, or set it out with all the fixing for tacos.
Butcher Boy carries a wide selection of beverages to complete your game day feast. Choose from a variety of wine, beer, and soft drinks. You also can pick up dessert or prepared foods to make planning your party even simpler. Tell us which dishes are the big winners in your house!
Winter Comfort Food: Weeknight Meals, Sunday Dinners, and Seasonal Slow Cooking
A good meal can warm up the coldest winter days and nights. It’s the perfect time of year for roasting and braising in the oven – the best cooking technique for some cuts of meat. To help you decide what to put on the menu and how to prepare it, we’ve put together a handy guide for Oven Roasting and Braising – bookmark or print a copy and bring it shopping with you for easy reference.
Oven roasting
A whole chicken is easy to prepare with the simplest of ingredients and the leftovers can be used throughout the week to add to salads, soups, or sandwiches.
Slow roasting
Beef roasts don’t have to be reserved for holidays or special occasions. Slow roasting is the key to enhancing and getting the most out of the flavor beef has to offer. Similar to prime rib, a ribeye roast will come out juicy and tender.
Pork is a delicious alternative when you’d like something other than beef or poultry. Bone-in pork roast is a Butcher Boy favorite, as well as seasonal favorites like our pork pinwheels stuffed with spinach, mozzarella, and breadcrumbs. We prep them for you!
Braising
Create one of the most decadent dinners with wine-braised short ribs. Braising takes a few steps and might be best prepared on a day when you have more time, but the process is simple. In the recipe above, simmering the beef in red wine and Guinness brings out the flavor. At Butcher Boy, you can purchase all the ingredients in one stop – let our staff help you choose either bone-in or boneless short ribs, along with the perfect bottle of red wine, and bottle of Guinness. We have more tips on braising and additional recipes to try on our website.
Slow Cooking
Chili is a crowd favorite for game days – or any day of the week – and this recipe for chunky beef chili from the team at Beef, It’s What’s For Dinner is a delicious alternative to the traditional version we’re familiar with. Instead of ground beef, stew meat slow cooks to tender perfection on the stove or in a pressure cooker.
The countertop slow cooker is a winter go-to, but if some of your standard recipes are getting a bit boring, try ‘Slow Cooker Recipes to Warm Your Winter’ for fresh inspiration.
Stovetop Comfort
How about a new spin on chicken and dumplings – with pierogies? We carry locally-owned Jaju Pierogis that would be perfect for this recipe. Homemade from a treasured Polish family recipe, Jaju offers various flavors to satisfy any of your cravings.
What are some of your favorite, savory winter meals? Let us know, and don’t forget to visit us for all of the ingredients, including fresh bread, produce, prepared side dishes, and desserts.
Fix It And Forget It, From Slow Cooker To Table
Sometimes life gets so busy with home and work that we appreciate taking a break from cooking duties. But when you still want to put a rich, hearty meal on the table, it doesn’t have to be take-out. Enter the slow cooker, which does so much more than stews and pot roasts!
Some cuts of meat are ideal for preparing in your slow cooker because of the way the low, slow heat breaks them down to be fork-tender. Among them, beef chuck, pork shoulder, short ribs, chicken thighs, and brisket. Even though the slow cooker does most of the work, there are tried and true techniques to make the most flavorful, juicy, meat-that-falls-apart meals.
It’s a good idea to brown the beef first. A quick sear or caramelization will ensure a rich flavor. This extra step also will prevent excess grease in the finished meal.
A little seasoning can go a long way. Slow cooking doesn’t produce a lot of liquid, and flavors can become pretty strong as a result. Start with a little seasoning, then add more before serving if necessary.
Avoid overfilling the slow cooker. That’s because the steam will have trouble escaping, which will create more unwanted liquid, and the meal will end up being steamed.
It’s tempting to peek, but whatever you do, keep the lid on. Consistent temperature as the meat cooks is the key to success. You don’t want the heat to escape or the temp to fluctuate.
Are you a planner? Prepare your slow cooker meal the day before. The flavors will only be better the next evening.
If we’ve inspired you to give your slow cooker a regular place on the kitchen counter, give these recipes a try.
Food Network slow-cooker Cuban pork party sandwiches: Whichever kind of bread you choose – Brioche buns or Slider rolls – will work perfectly.
Beef Short Ribs with Ginger-Mango Barbecue Sauce: Classic and full of flavor, this is the easiest way to get fall-off-the-bone tenderness.
Slow cooker lamb chops: Impress your friends and family with a meal that takes little hands-on effort.
Hawaiian-Style Pork Ribs: After slow cooking, if you prefer, you can put the ribs under the broiler in the oven to get those charred, caramelized edges.
Savory Brisket: For best results, place the meat fat side-down in the slow cooker.
Butcher Boy’s Signature Brisket Recipe. The brisket recipe our customers ask for.
Lemon Chicken Thighs: The buttery sauce is perfect for spooning over rice and vegetables.
Freezing Temps? Stay in and Cook This Winter
We’ve shared some easy weeknight recipes that we think live up to the cozy vibe of winter. But when you’re home on the weekends, or are hunkered down while a snowstorm blows outside, or simply have a day off, you may find yourself with extra time to spend on the more complex recipes you’ve been wanting to try or the meals that take longer to prepare. Now’s the time to finally dig into those Pinterest boards you’ve been compiling or pull out the new cookware you scored over the holidays.
This recipe for the ultimate beef stew gets better the longer it simmers and will make your whole house smell great.
Do you love Greek lemon soup? Give this homemade version a try for something that’s truly authentic.
When pasta is on the menu, dress it up with a flavorful bolognese. This classic Italian sauce is slow-cooked and you can make enough to freeze what’s left over to save for future meals – perhaps lasagna next time.
A dinner of braised lamb shanks could become the new family favorite. Slow-cooking turns this inexpensive cut of meat into fall-off-the-bone tenderness.
If you’re willing to get started early in the morning, this layered brisket dinner will make it worth your while. It’s hearty for a cold winter day. If you don’t have all day, our signature braised brisket recipe can be prepared in an afternoon.
You know we love a good steak on the grill, but there are ways to get that seared flavor on the stovetop, too. Try this recipe for strip steaks with roasted veggies.
As always, we want to help you find all the best and freshest ingredients for whatever you want to cook at home. We can help with choosing the perfect cuts of meat, give some preparation advice, or offer substitutes to suit your preferences when the recipe doesn’t exactly match your tastes.
Winter Weeknight Meals To Warm You Up
With the holidays behind us, this is the season to hibernate… and that means more meals at home. It’s a great time to cook, try new recipes, find new family favorites, and sharpen our skills in the kitchen. Comfort foods are the best for chilly winter evenings, and some of them are easy to prepare even on weeknights after work.
Meatloaf is one of them. If your own basic recipe needs an upgrade, try this version, wrapped in bacon and covered in a tangy sweet sauce.
If soup is what you’re in the mood for, try something warm, filling, and quick-to-make like this Asian long noodle soup with pork tenderloin.
Sausage and peppers are a popular combo for the grill, but when the temperatures keep you inside, there’s no reason not to enjoy those familiar flavors. Potato and pepper sausage bake is the perfect winter substitute. Choose your spice level with any variety of sausage you prefer, or give your family options by including several of the types of sausage you can get from Butcher Boy.
You can elevate a simple chicken to a bistro-style dinner with lemon truffle butter (it’s easier than it sounds), starting with a spatchcock chicken that’s ready for use and can be on the table in under an hour. We carry a Bosari Citrus seasoning at Butcher Boy that works perfectly in place of the Garden citrus spice blend in the recipe.
You can find all your ingredients at Butcher Boy, including fresh, in-house ground beef, bone-in and boneless chicken, vegetables, and the perfect crusty bread to accompany any delicious winter meal. And don’t forget dessert!
What’s your favorite comfort food? Let us know!
Grill & Smoker Inspiration To Up Your Midsummer Dinner Game
It’s August! We’ve reached that part of the season when it feels like summer is slipping by and we need to catch every minute of sunshine, swimming, playing, and lounging outside that we can. That includes, of course, maximizing the opportunity to use our grills, smokers, and fire pits — and soaking in those moments by dining al fresco in the comfort of our patios, decks, and backyards.
If you’ve been cooking and eating outdoors for as long as the weather has cooperated over the past few months, you might have started to run out of ideas to keep summer menus interesting. We’ve put together a boost of inspiration to help get you out of the same-thing-every-week cycle.
Pork is one of our favorites, and while we love a good tenderloin on the grill, a shoulder (also known as a butt) is fantastic for feeding a crowd during a weekend day spent hanging out with friends. Smoke it low and slow for amazing flavor. All it takes is time and patience. Shred it for barbeque sandwiches or tacos. Use the leftovers for rice bowls, pizza, or nachos. Pick up a boneless pork butt at Butcher Boy…and choose from our wide variety of spices and dry rubs that will help you smoke it to perfection.
A whole chicken is delicious when you roast it in the oven, but grilling it brings the flavor to a whole new level. The best way to do it? Butterfly the bird by splitting it and removing the backbone so you can flatten it out. It’s called spatchcocking, and the benefits for grilling mean the breast and legs cook evenly in a shorter time. Does the process sound too complicated? Don’t worry, because we have the chickens split and ready to go for you to put right on the grill! It’s a great alternative to boneless chicken you might grill more often.
But even when you’re in the mood for burgers, you don’t have to stick with convention. Check out this list of the best burger recipes from Food & Wine magazine. From pimiento cheese to pickled slaw and fried shallots, there’s something here for everyone’s taste to give a basic cook-out favorite a bit of zing. To make prep even easier for the grillmaster, buy our 100% ground beef patties, made in-house. A ten-pound box gives you 32 5-ounce burgers. They’re packaged in four stacks of eight to use as many or as few as you need for your family and guests. Bring a box along to the next cook-out you’re invited to.
Is your garden ready to harvest? Toss a few of those sun-ripened veggies, like zucchini, summer squash, cherry tomatoes, or peppers on the grill, or mix up a simple salad of freshly-picked tomatoes and cucumbers with olive oil and herbs for the side. Even easier? Pick up your favorite prepared sides from Butcher Boy while you’re here.
What are your favorite summer meals on the grill and in the smoker?