Butcher shops have dwindled to endangered-species status, but a new generation of store owners is bringing them back—with a passionate commitment to locally raised meat, lesser-known cuts and chef-inspired recipes.

Tanya Cauthen, owner of Belmont Butchery, found her calling three years ago while watching the Food Network: “Alton Brown said, ‘Ask your local butcher,’ and I thought, We don’t really have one.” She’d recently left restaurants and was looking for her next step. Cauthen opened her shop in 2006. There, she teaches customers cooking techniques for meat, like how to make a bourbon-and-green-peppercorn pan sauce for hanger steaks. The shop’s charcuterie program, headed by Chris Mattera, might be one of the best in the country, offering everything from a pig’s-liver mousse with truffles to hot dogs.

Plus:

Amazing Lamb Recipes

6 Unusual Cuts of Meat

A Carnivore’s Cookout

Maverick Butchers:

• Maverick Butchers: Avedano’s in San Francisco
• Maverick Butchers: Fleisher’s in Kingston & Rhinebeck, NY
• Maverick Butchers: Belmont Butchery in Richmond, VA
• Unfamiliar Meat Cuts: A Guide to Butcher Favorites

Published November 2008