While sitting at the hair salon earlier this week, I was browsing through a back issue of Phoenix Magazine. In it was an article about a new pork butchery called The Meat Shop that opened in the last year just a couple blocks south of downtown Phoenix.
After getting over the disappointment of just now hearing about this pork-focused shop that opened a year ago practically in my own backyard, I immediately began to make plans to visit the next day. My friend Carole and I already had plans to take the afternoon off to drive out to Queen Creek to visit our beloved butcher, The Pork Shop. However, despite feeling guilty about cheating on our porky East Valley lover, we opted to stay in town and visit The Meat Shop instead.
The Meat Shop sells pork from Duroc and Yorkshire pigs they raise on their own family farm in the West Valley. It’s very clear that a lot of passion and dedication goes into their products – and that they are grappling with the increasing popularity of their products as they try to meet demand while staying committed to the family-focused, high-quality nature of their operation. If you stop by their store, don’t be surprised if their bacon is sold out – it’s often already spoken for before it even arrives at the store (but that shouldn’t stop you from trying because it’s definitely worth it – you can order some in advance to ensure your place in line).
The Meat Shop sells a few kinds of bacon. Of course there is traditional bacon (featured above) which is cured, smoked and cooked. This bacon has a nice meaty flavor with a perfect fat/lean balance. It’s perfect for breakfast on its own or on a sandwich such as a BLT or breakfast sandwich (which is how I used it earlier today – see photo below). Because it’s pre-cooked, it doesn’t need more than a few minutes in the skillet or oven.
One of the more interesting bacon-related products they sell is Irish bacon. This form of bacon has both loin and belly in each slice (see photo below) and is really hard to come by in the United States – I first encountered it at a restaurant in Boise which has unfortunately since closed, and over the years I’ve had numerous people ask me if I know of any butchers in the U.S. that sell it. Until walking into The Meat Shop yesterday, I had yet to find a butcher that carries Irish bacon unless specially requested. So that was a very exciting discovery and I’m really looking forward to experimenting with it over the next few days – I’ll definitely let you know how it goes!
Central Phoenix has a few good butchers, but no one focused solely on high-quality pork, and it’s great to have another option in the Valley in addition to The Pork Shop. The Meat Shop doesn’t have quite as diverse of a selection as The Pork Shop when it comes to specialty flavors of bacon and sausages (the drive to Queen Creek will still be worth it for their Pork Sticks, if nothing else), but The Meat Shop does take special orders and will do their best to accommodate whatever needs/interests you may have. So for fresh, quality pork in town, it doesn’t get any better than The Meat Shop.
The Meat Shop is located at 202 E. Buckeye Road in Phoenix. To place an order or for questions, call 602-258-5075. Their hours are Monday through Saturday from 8 am to 5 pm. You can also find them at the Downtown Phoenix Farmers’ Market.