Butcher Boy’s guest blog this month focuses on techniques for cooking double-cut bone-in pork chops. Several customers have contributed their recipes, inspiration, and their enjoyment of great food to our series. Follow #RealPeopleRealFood on Instagram for our latest posts and updates from blog contributors.
May’s guest blogger is Toby Metcalf. Toby graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology with a degree in Hotel Management. In his own words, he has “…done every job there is within the Food & Beverage side of things. My training gave me a love for cooking; it is my joy and therapy.”
Cooking is about your passion and willingness to learn.
A spacious, beautiful kitchen with endless counter space and top-notch appliances is something many yearn for. That spacious, beautiful kitchen will not make you enjoy cooking or even get you out of a cooking rut; your passion and willingness to learn will. I am writing to encourage you to harness your cooking passion.
Just like sports, the finest and most expensive equipment will not compensate for a lack of ability or passion. I know home cooks and chefs that can step into any environment and create a banquet; it’s not the kitchen, it’s their passion. They love to cook: it is their hobby, their therapy, and their love of giving to others. Embrace your food-joy and hone it.
Getting started is the hardest part: dust off your cookbook collection, speak with your friends, stop by Butcher Boy’s wonderful meat counter and speak with one of their helpful butchers. I have always loved Butcher Boy’s steak tips, Club Sirloins, and roasts; let’s talk about another gem: double-cut bone-in pork chops.
Their thickness allows for a wonderful crust outside and a moist and tender middle. I had not seen chops like this in a grocery store before and was somewhat intimidated: should I sear on the grill or stovetop then finish in the oven, constantly turn and move around the grill? I wanted to get it right, so I asked. “How do you prepare these?” I asked. With a smile, the Butcher said: get your grill as hot as you can and lay the chops bone side down for 9 minutes; the heat will travel up the bone and cook the center, lay on side 1 for 4 min then flip for another 4. From my years on the hot line, I have always cooked by feel, and this method has always served me well. As you get comfortable with “cooking by feel,” use a thermometer and pull at 145 degrees Fahrenheit. After removing, I let them rest for 5 minutes before plating. Magnificent.
Once I became comfortable with the procedure, I chose to put my take on this technique and replace my trusty grill with a treasured cast iron pan (a rainy night may have forced the issue). I utilized what I had learned and started the chops bone down, then on each side, turning and basting with butter, fresh rosemary, and smashed garlic. Again, cooking by feel and allowing time to rest. Wonderful. I recommend washing these down with your favorite Pinot Noir or Red Zinfandel.
After enjoying these wonderful chops, save the bones for stock or add them to a simmering tomato sauce: add flavor while maximizing your food dollar. Confidence comes from cooking and your wiliness to learn and trying new things. The next time you’re browsing that wonderful meat case, try something new and ask a friendly butcher for advice — enjoy your food.
Cheers,
Toby
Burgers are usually a quick family favorite. Butcher Boy has the freshest ground beef for the best-tasting hamburgers. 
Up your weeknight game with 
True to my own style of cooking, I have developed a more modern recipe for Schweinebraten with a mushroom gravy. I use a pork butt with only a bit of fat still on. I dry rub the roast with a spice mix of caraway seeds (pulsed in grinder), marjoram, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Generously rub spices over the entire surface, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
After cooking is complete, let the roast rest on a cutting board and remove vegetables. Strain the pan juices and set aside. Cut baby bella mushrooms in quarters and sauté on medium-high heat with 4-6 tablespoons butter until just tender but still firm. Add pan juices and reduce until slightly thickened. Slowly add a corn starch slurry to thicken. Slice roast and serve with vegetables and gravy.
For many of us over the past year, an evening to celebrate a special occasion with dinner out on the town has been put on hold. In the meantime, we still need to celebrate, perhaps now more than ever. No matter your culinary talents — or lack thereof — any home cook can upgrade an ordinary night in, to give a birthday, anniversary, Valentine’s Day (hint hint), or any big announcement or milestone the recognition it deserves.
Butcher Boy’s guest blog series is an opportunity for us to feature some of our customers, and to share their recipes, inspiration, and enjoyment of great food. Follow #RealPeopleRealFood on Instagram to see new posts in this series.
As I share on my website, I grew up in Andover, went to college in Maine and law school in Boston, and spend a lot of time in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. My family and I love all things New England including its natural beauty and rich history. I try and include interesting pieces in my postings about the many wonderful things in New England, and have in the past posted about the tradition of the local farmer’s market, the Ammonoosuc River that runs off of Mt Washington, and visits to Whitefield, Littleton, Bethlehem, and Sugar Hill, New Hampshire. My hope is to include more posts about interesting places to visit throughout New England when travel is safer.
This year more than ever, we want to highlight the small businesses and charitable organizations in our community during the season of giving. These businesses employ our friends and neighbors, contribute to our local economy, and provide a vast array of goods and services. And in a year with overwhelming need and disruption, the charitable organizations in our community have stepped up efforts to provide food, housing, programs, and necessities to individuals and families, adapting their distribution and fundraising efforts to find new ways to continue meeting those needs safely.
