Artisan Butcher Meats

The Producers Behind the Counter

Good meat used to come from someone you knew — a butcher with an apron and a few hooks behind him, who could tell you where the lamb came from and which farmer raised the pigs. That trade has thinned out in most American towns, replaced by shrink-wrapped trays and ground beef of unknown origin. The producers in this collection are what's left of the older model, scaled for shipping rather than walk-in trade: small houses that handle one craft well and refuse to compromise it for volume.

Broadleaf, based in Los Angeles, has been importing Australian Wagyu for more than three decades and grades each cut on the Japanese marbling scale — MS3 through MS9 — so a tomahawk arrives with its score on the label rather than a generic "premium" tag. Blackwing Quality Meats, out of Antioch, Illinois, raises certified-organic Angus and grass-fed bison the way ranchers did before feedlots reshaped the industry. Brooklyn Cured runs a small charcuterie operation in New York that smokes its own bacon and ages salami flavored with bourbon and sour cherry, or rye whiskey and orange zest — recipes you'd expect to find on a downtown tasting menu rather than a mail-order site. Fermin and Covap, both based in the dehesa pastureland of western Spain, send acorn-finished Iberico ham aged on the bone, the centuries-old method that produces Spain's most prized cured meat. Each producer earns their place because of one specialty, not because they fit a house brand.

Fresh Cuts, Steaks, and Roasts

The fresh side of the collection covers what a serious home cook reaches for when the occasion calls for something more than the grocery counter. Wagyu shows up in two registers: Broadleaf's Australian Wagyu (MS3 through MS9, including bone-in tomahawk ribeye, NY strip, and filet) and American Akaushi from HeartBrand in Texas, which is leaner than Japanese A5 and works well as a weeknight steak that won't overwhelm a plate. Butcher Counter by igourmet handles the USDA Choice and Prime steakhouse cuts — cowboy ribeyes, porterhouses, and chateaubriand roasts trimmed and portioned the way a downtown chophouse would receive them from a wholesale distributor. Blackwing's organic Angus and grass-fed bison cover the leaner side, and the bison in particular is worth noting: lower in fat than beef, with a slightly sweeter flavor, and a favorite among cooks who want red meat without the heaviness.

Beyond beef, the catalog includes fresh pork roasts and chops, lamb racks, French and New Zealand poultry, and a small selection of game — wild boar, pheasant, duck — that rotates with seasonality. Fresh meat ships overnight on dry ice or gel packs in insulated containers, and most cuts arrive vacuum-sealed and ready to either cook immediately or freeze for later. The USDA recommends using thawed fresh meat within 3 to 4 days refrigerated, or storing it frozen at 0 degrees Fahrenheit for up to a year without quality loss.

Cured, Smoked, and Aged

The charcuterie side of the collection is where Spanish, French, and American traditions sit side by side, each one rooted in a different climate and a different technique. From Spain come the Iberico hams from Fermin and Covap — bone-in acorn-finished shoulders and legs aged anywhere from 24 to 36 months, alongside Iberico chorizo and lomo (cured pork loin) that draws its flavor from the same pasture-raised pigs. France contributes the cooked and smoked side: Chateau Royal makes lamb merguez seasoned with North African spice, boudin noir blood sausage, and game sausages spiked with cognac or apple jack. Fabrique Delices, founded by French butchers who relocated to California, handles classic French charcuterie like duck rillettes, pork pâté, and country-style terrines.

From the American side, Brooklyn Cured and a handful of other small-batch producers make salami in styles you'd find at a Brooklyn or Brooklyn-adjacent salumeria — bourbon and sour cherry, rye and orange, fennel and red wine — paired with house-smoked bacon and dry-cured chorizo. Most cured products are shelf-stable until opened thanks to the water-activity reduction built into the curing process, after which they should be refrigerated and used within a couple of weeks. The flavor depth in any of these is what separates real cured meat from the supermarket version: aging concentrates protein and fat into something almost wine-like in its complexity, and the variation between a 24-month Iberico and a young French saucisson is as wide as the gap between two different cheeses.

Also Worth Exploring

For cooks shopping the fresh side and looking to season what they buy, the rubs, spices and seasonings collection includes Maldon finishing salt, Yuzu Kosho rub developed for Wagyu, and the kind of pantry-grade spices that make a difference on a serious steak. Anyone building a board around the cured selection should also look at the artisan cheese counter, where the Iberico finds its match in aged Manchego and the salami sits well next to a sharp Cheddar or a creamy Brie. And for sending fresh or cured meat as a gift rather than ordering for the home kitchen, the business gifts collection assembles meat-forward boxes with corporate-ready presentation.