Butchers really get my goat

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Bribie G

Adjunct Professor
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I love goat meat but it's very rare outside capital cities. I've asked several butchers but their eyes either glaze over or they simply say "never heard of any round here, mate".

Last week Aldi, nationally, had goat leg on special in all their stores. I rocked up to our local in Taree and it was all gone. The girl said they were amazed at the uptake, the shelf was stripped in half a day. So there is an unmet demand and butchers are no doubt scrambling to meet this and make some dollars.

as if

Local Butcher's response? Typical glazed look accompanied by body language that indicated they would rather not talk to this annoying person.

RANT:

Is it any wonder that local butchers are a dying breed with their set in stone range of .. for example ... rump steak, sirloin steak, porterhouse steak, T Bone steak, diced steak, mince, now **** off.
They also seem to be abandoning a lot of the old favourites. A few weeks ago I asked a young butcher for calf liver. Never heard of it.
Pork rashers? What's a rasher? You mean ribs? No, rashers of belly pork without the bone. Never heard of it.
Boned out leg of lamb? Sorry mate the guy who can do that isn't in today.
Aldi have butterflied legs all the time.

/RANT
 
You need a better butcher. We've been going to ours for 20 years. First it was Bill, then he retired and sold the business to his apprentice (well... was his apprentice... had been with him for 15+ years at the time) Rob.

Now Rob has his son working there as an apprentice.

They have all the old favourites. Don;'t even bat an eyelid when I ask for some of the more unusual cuts. Rob loves it. Gives him a chance to practice some cuts he doesn't get to do often. Anything they don't have ready, they will cut from a carcass in the coolroom or order in. Most of the time when the missus goes in there she will ask for something in the display and he will go and cut some much better ones fresh for her. She will even put up with being called Luv or Darl.

They smoke their own hams and chickens. Make their own bacon. Brine their own corned beef....

Mind you... if you get Old Jack, who has been with the business since before anyone can remember, he must be 80 at least, it can be a bit interesting. He's more than a little deaf so it does turn into a bit of a meat lottery. No one really minds though.

You obviously just have crap butchers up your way.
 
Your so right in lot of cases with butchers. Go and ask for a mutton or hogget leg! Even ask for the whole mutton or hogget sheep.
 
Our local fruit/veg/deli place have goat packs just about every time I go there. I absolutely love it in curries and other slow cooked/pulled meat dishes.

So sweet, juicy and tender. Probably my favourite meat to slow cook with.
 
Probably doesn't help their business a great deal that 80% of their opening hours coincide with everyone else's working hours. Where I lived in Sydney before the move south, there were 3 butchers within easy reach, but all were open from 9 to 5 during the week and from 9 to 12 on Saturdays. One even mentioned to me that they did over 50% of their business on Saturdays. Not sure if they were dumb, lazy or there's some crazy council rule that didn't let them open outside the traditional hours.

That and not selling goat
 
We are blessed with quality butchers around my way. Looking for something different? Come back in 15 mins and we will have it prepared for you. I try to never get meat from the supermarkets, only really happens when the butchers are shut (which I agree is a problem but not one isolated to butchers).
 
Blind Dog said:
Probably doesn't help their business a great deal that 80% of their opening hours coincide with everyone else's working hours. Where I lived in Sydney before the move south, there were 3 butchers within easy reach, but all were open from 9 to 5 during the week and from 9 to 12 on Saturdays. One even mentioned to me that they did over 50% of their business on Saturdays. Not sure if they were dumb, lazy or there's some crazy council rule that didn't let them open outside the traditional hours.

That and not selling goat
Click to expand...
More likely that there cost of staying open isn't justified by the additional turnover whereas the supermarkets can absorb it. Don't think that they just stay open to keep their customers happy. It has long been a tactic to squeeze the smaller operators. Case in point would be the deregulation of shopping hours in Perth around 3 years back and what that has done to the specialty shops since it cam in.
 
I'm surrounded by decent butchers which are open 7 days and decent hours
 
A bit OT, but at least we can still get meats/etc outside of normal working hours.

Having just gone through the whole mortgage sitch again along with some other loans, banks really should be open for longer than 9-4:30..

It really grinds my goat.
 
Got a great halal butcher near me open 8-5, seven days a week. Plenty of goat fillets, goat leg, goat curry, whole goat.

Obviously no pork and I'm taking a risk that every time I shop there, Stepahanie Bannister cries but I can cope.
 
sponge said:
A bit OT, but at least we can still get meats/etc outside of normal working hours.

Having just gone through the whole mortgage sitch again along with some other loans, banks really should be open for longer than 9-4:30..

It really grinds my goat.
Click to expand...
Get a good mortgage broker. They can save a lot of running around.
 
Further OT, I wish car yards were open all day Saturday instead of late Wednesday night (WA).
 
tavas said:
Get a good mortgage broker. They can save a lot of running around.
Click to expand...
I just like complaining. Starting to show my age..
 
manticle said:
Got a great halal butcher near me open 8-5, seven days a week. Plenty of goat fillets, goat leg, goat curry, whole goat.

Obviously no pork and I'm taking a risk that every time I shop there, Stepahanie Bannister cries but I can cope.
Click to expand...
Not HALAL??? Where do you get off funding ISIS like that?
I can't believe anyone would pollute their mouths with that poison.
Un Australian.













Yeah, whatever.

Love goat. My local butcher does 1/4s for $10.50 kg. Yummy stuff.
Mind you old mate does free range lamb for $14 kg and pork for $17 kg.
Other old mate does happy cow for $10 kg.

Hmmm, love it.
Need to find some chickens though.

Where has my chicken gone?
 
The opening hours ***** me too, as I will only buy pork if I get it from a butcher who knows their stuff.
 
I have to get my goat meat down in Airgead's territory, when I'm down in Hornsby or Cha-woo.

I miss the old Halal butcher in Fortitude Valley, often stocks camel as well.

mmm cammmellllll :icon_drool2: :icon_drool2: :icon_drool2:
 
A lot of the problem with your modern butchery, particularly the ones in shopping centres that are part of large chains, is that the bloke in the apron behind the counter is probably not a butcher. They are a meat salesperson. Probably never held a knife in their lives.

The one real butcher in the shop (if there is one and they aren't all back at the central warehouse) works out the back prepping the meat for the counter. Probably comes in at 4am to prep it all before opening and is gone by 10am. Never talks to a customer.

The bloke behind the counter just sells it to you and knows SFA about what he's selling. I once (in a fit of weakness) went to a butcher in the local westfield and asked the bloke selling me the meat his recommendation for cooking what I'd just bought. His reply - "Wouldn't know... I'm a vegetarian". Asking someone like that whether they stock something not in the counter, or asking them to tunnel bone and butterfly a lamb leg is a pretty pointless exercise.

Edit - Bribie - Where's your favourite place for goat round us? I tend to pick it up at the local Indian supermarket or there is a halal butcher (shhh don't tell anyone) in Asquith. I have gotten Rob to order it in for me a few times but tend to just pick it up at the Indian place when I'm stocking up on other stuff.
 
Bribie G said:
I have to get my goat meat down in Airgead's territory, when I'm down in Hornsby or Cha-woo.

I miss the old Halal butcher in Fortitude Valley, often stocks camel as well.

mmm cammmellllll :icon_drool2: :icon_drool2: :icon_drool2:
Click to expand...
Great Ocean Foods in Coffs does game meats
http://www.greatoceanfoods.com.au/game-meat-and-game-birds
I believe they have camel from time to time

I think Hunter Valley Chicken & Game get theirs from the same source
http://hvcg.com.au/
 

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