Organic meat, please! I realize it is a source issue, but our WFs rarely has organic options in the butcher department. "All natural" is abundant, whatever that means, grass-fed, but rarely organic.
Veal, foie gras ( I don't care what your opinion is on this subject), whole hog cheeks and or head, venison liver and venison in general and a more readily available whole hog or whole lamb (although I do get these direct from the farmers).
WedgeMom: best place to get "real" veal is an Italian butcher. If you can find one!
whole foods sells what they call veal, but as Julia Child used to say, it's really "baby beef." Real veal has only consumed mother's milk. If veal is any shade darker than palest pink, it's eaten other food than milk.
I am lucky enough to have several places around me where I can get local and humanely raised meat. So I look for that, which is rare in standard supermarkets. However another issue is that grocery stores seem to me to cater to the grilled chicken breast crowd, which is probably the majority of people. I just wish I could find more cuts that are good for long, slow cooking--bone-in pork shoulder, full brisket with the fat cap still on, pork, lamb, or beef cheeks, tongue. Or, as many have mentioned, whole fresh duck. Sure, it might be difficult to get a steady supply, but that makes it just the kind of rare treat those who are really into food and shop to see what looks good at the market will buy.
It looks like there's plenty of interest out there in meats and cuts we haven't seen in some time. Perhaps shoppers need to be more insistent about greater availability. That said, think about finding a really good butcher shop and becoming a loyal patron.
At Whole Foods, which is the only "market" where I buy meat (usually directly from the farmers), I would like to see more cuts with the bones in. bones add untold amounts of flavor to the finished product. I get tired of being told they can't sell steaks or short ribs with the bones in!
Top quality meat: grass-fed beef that has been properly hung, rare-breed pork, etc. Love the idea of game, but isn't it illegal to sell wild game in the US? Has to be farm-raised, if I recall correctly.
tri tip is THE most underappreciated cut of meat I know, and it regularly unavailable at major reputable butchers. It should not be expensive or go the way of flank steak which is obscenely expensive.
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I have to order mine from http://www.hudsonvalleyfoiegras.com/foiegrasmarket.html
The stock price is good...but the shipping is a killer. Unless you boost up the order with other stuff.
Along with duck fat; good lard--not the hydrogenated stuff on the shelf that's very bad for you.
whole foods sells what they call veal, but as Julia Child used to say, it's really "baby beef." Real veal has only consumed mother's milk. If veal is any shade darker than palest pink, it's eaten other food than milk.
Shoppers need to get educated!