Where do you get your specialty cuts?

[kylemendes]

I've been calling butcher shops and my favorite restaurants as well to see where they get their meats from. I want a quality natural supplier of pork jowel, intestines, backfat, etc. Basically I'm an extreme foodie obsessed with Charcuterie and since coming here, I can't find a place to provide these things. Anyone have a butcher that has a way for getting the rare cuts?

[Lauren]

I order my meat from Blue Valley Meats (formerly Thundering Hooves). I know they have pork jowl and backfat. I'm sure they could arrange to get intestines for you. Another option is Heath Putnam Farms (formerly Wooly Pigs). He used to sell at the University District farmers market but I'm not sure he still does.

-----
Heath Putnam Farms
1402 Lake Tapps Parkway SE, Suite 104 PMB 337, Auburn, WA 98092

[bourbongal]

Also along these lines, you could try Skagit River Ranch. They sell frozen meats at the U District Farmer's Market but if you call their farm store you could probably arrange for fresh specialty cuts.
http://www.skagitriverranch.com/
If you can make bacon better than what they already sell, that would be a feat!

[bluedog67]

Bill the Butcher? I am sure if you ask in advance you can get whatever you need, as he sometimes sources whole animals.

[kylemendes]

I've heard they have good stuff. Still waiting for the downtown Edmonds one to open. Supposedly it's "coming soon" and has been for over a year

[kylemendes]

looks like double D Meats in mountlake terrace where i used to live won the 2011 best butcher award. However, I did see pork jowl on Bob's Quality Meats price list online. I'm calling swinery and even Better Meat in Ballard.

[BallardFoodie]

If you are in West Seattle, the Swinery did, at one point, break down whole pigs (my sister helped out the former owner for a second).

-----
The Swinery
3207 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116

[Thiggy78]

I'd call the Swinery. I'm usually disinclined to by organ meat (any meat really) that's been frozen. As I last heard it, they get 2 lambs and a pig in every week and break them down in house. They're also willing to source special items. You can regularly acquire hearts, tongues, kidneys and livers (bovine, pig, lamb) that are fresh (never been frozen). I've seen pigs ears and definately belly and backfat. I suspect they use the intestine for sausage, but I've found that if you ask, they'll go out of their way to get it for you. Ultimately I'm not sure on your request because I've never asked for it there. I know a number of the 'butcher shops' around town keep some of this stuff in the freezer but do not regularly stock it in the cooler...the swinery does...sort of a specialty of theirs.

-----
The Swinery
3207 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116

[kylemendes]

The swinery sounds inviting already. I'll give them a call. DD Meats in Mountlake Terrace is a good butcher shop too, but I don't recall them having those items in stock.

[lavaca]

You could probably assemble an entire pig from Uwajimaya's selection

Failing that, try A&J or Don and Joe's.

-----
Uwajimaya
600 5th Ave S, Seattle, WA

[paulj]

Same for 99Ranch. But they probably don't meet the OP's criteria of 'quality natural'. Come to think of it, I haven't seen jowel. Snout, ears, tail, bung, stomach, feet (long, short, front, back), button bone, etc, but not jowel. I have seen whole heads in Hispanic oriented markets.

[kylemendes]

Yeah i don't know about 99 ranch. If I was to go to an Asian market, I'd try H mart in Alderwood or Boo Han on 99, since they have the same farm meat that Portage uses.

-----
Boo Han
22618 Highway 99, Edmonds, WA