(Just need to vent)
Here in north Georgia I am having a harder time finding good, fresh cuts of
meat. The supermarkets are carrying mostly prepackage meats in a "solution"
to enhance flavor (and shelf life). The ones that still butcher in the store
seem unwilling to do special cuts like leaving more fat on. I have been
trying to get the local stores and processing plants to do a whole bbq
shoulder and the reply I have gotten more than once is "they don't come that
way". I am thinking, "they don't come as one piece off the pig?" I talked to
one man that ran a local processing plant and he said that my best bet would
be to buy from a bbq restaurant supply. I can't afford to buy in bulk.
Thanks
I feel better now
ag

On the opposite end of the spectrum of the prepackaged, brine soaked meat is
the so called "prestige" cuts of meat displayed in most stupidmarkets that are
all dried out .

On Fri, 23 Jan 2004 22:24:02 -0500, "AG" > wrote:

>(Just need to vent)
>Here in north Georgia I am having a harder time finding good, fresh cuts of
>meat. The supermarkets are carrying mostly prepackage meats in a "solution"
>to enhance flavor (and shelf life). The ones that still butcher in the store
>seem unwilling to do special cuts like leaving more fat on. I have been
>trying to get the local stores and processing plants to do a whole bbq
>shoulder and the reply I have gotten more than once is "they don't come that
>way". I am thinking, "they don't come as one piece off the pig?" I talked to
>one man that ran a local processing plant and he said that my best bet would
>be to buy from a bbq restaurant supply. I can't afford to buy in bulk.
>Thanks
>I feel better now
>ag
>
Do you have Oriental markets in your area? They usually do very well
on pork and poultry, but really screw up beef unless it's flank or
skirt. That's where I get my ribs and butts [fat cap on], deboned
but I take the bone separately [for free].

Harry

> Do you have Oriental markets in your area?

no - but there are some not too far away. I will check them out.

Thanks

I found out yesterday that my father-in-law's uncle farms pigs. He
slaughters for other parts so there is a good chance I can get shoulders
from him.

Have you tried Costco or Sam's Club?
~Konrad
http://www.teddybearbbq.com

> >Have you tried Costco or Sam's Club?
> Also Smart & Final if they are in your neighborhood.

Most of these places are within an hour's drive. So I will check them out.
It would just be nice to find something in town.

I have found the kinds of cuts I want during other times of the year
(Memorial day to Labor day) but this time of year folks in Calhoun don't do
much Q'n. Most folks in Calhoun don't seem to do much Q'n at all.Of course,
this means that even my worst attempts get rave reveiws by many of the
locals. ;-)

AG > wrote:
> (Just need to vent)
> Here in north Georgia I am having a harder time finding good, fresh cuts of
> meat. The supermarkets are carrying mostly prepackage meats in a "solution"
> to enhance flavor (and shelf life). The ones that still butcher in the store
> seem unwilling to do special cuts like leaving more fat on. I have been
> trying to get the local stores and processing plants to do a whole bbq
> shoulder and the reply I have gotten more than once is "they don't come that
> way". I am thinking, "they don't come as one piece off the pig?" I talked to
> one man that ran a local processing plant and he said that my best bet would
> be to buy from a bbq restaurant supply. I can't afford to buy in bulk.
> Thanks
> I feel better now
> ag

Most of the super cheap places don't even bother advertising, the only way
to find out about them is from friends and co-workers. But they're out
there. I just discovered two of them last year, and I've been living here
for ten years.