Getting on a first-name basis with your local butcher is one of the secrets to true success in life. A good butcher is not just a resource, but also something of an unofficial best friend. After all, who else is there to save you from bland grocery store meat and give you the inside scoop on the prime cuts of beef? Beyond that, a truly great butcher can provide tips on how to cook your purchase and suggestions on what to try out next time.
Say sayonara to the supermarket and try out one of these Hudson Valley butcher shops instead. Once you go local, you’ll never look back.
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Nestled on Spring Street in Beacon, Barb’s has become something of a local icon, and for good reason. Barb, the math teacher turned butcher, has been serving up top-notch cuts of meat since 2014 and shows no sign of slowing down. Beef, pork, and lamb come from Meiller Slaughterhouse in Pine Plains, while poultry and eggs are sourced from John Fazio Farms in Modena. For shoppers who are hungry right now, Barb’s also serves scrumptious burgers, sandwiches, and fries. Don’t forget about Fido! Pick up something from the butcher shop’s doggie to-go menu, which includes bites like smoked pigs’ ears and frozen beef scraps, to treat your furry friends.
69 Spring St, Beacon
845.831.8050
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Don’t let the name deceive you. Hudson Valley Sausage Company may be known for its homemade sausages, but it excels at meat of all sorts. On the dog days of summer, pick up some soppressata for an antipasto platter or grab sausages for the grill. For special occasions, a hearty beef roast or smoked ham does just the trick. Ask the team behind the butcher shop counter for recommendations if you’re in the mood to try something new.
16 Commercial Ave, Highland
845.691.9312
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For over 25 years, Frank’s has been a mainstay in the village of Marlboro, serving up everything from French toast and bacon to apple turnovers and tortellini salad. Yet it’s the meat that is the true showstopper. The in-house sausages, which come in flavors like Sweet Italian, Hot Italian, and Cheese & Parsley, have the power to transform an otherwise basic dish of sausage and peppers or stuffing into something extraordinary. Thin chicken cutlets and prime New York strip steaks are also available at this butcher shop.
4 Western Ave, Marlboro
845.236.7393
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There’s no denying that Jacüterie is a Hudson Valley staple. The team crafts European-style charcuterie from Herondale Farm in Ancramdale. Meat is exclusively sourced from New York State farms, while salami is stuffed, tied, and aged for five weeks in the custom curing chambers. Shop online or at local markets and stores for specialty bacons, delicious sausages, and the small-batch Charcutier’s Reserve line. Reserve specialties include saucisson provençal, soppressata, chorizo castellano, and more.
Ancramdale
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Marbled Meat Shop focuses just as much on education as it does on meat. In addition to selling grass-fed beef and lamb, heritage pork, and pastured chickens, all of which are free of antibiotics and growth hormones, Marbled is one of the few butcher shops to also craft vegan delights like plant-based pastrami. The shop is all about education, and aims to help customers and inquisitive eaters learn more about how the Cold Spring spot sources and prepares ingredients and cuts.
3091 Rte 9, Cold Spring
845.265.2830
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Meat Things is one of the newer additions to Hudson Valley’s collection of butcher shops. Founded in early 2021, this pop-up shop sources assorted meats from local farms and makes sure nothing goes to waste. Sample pates, country-style meatloaves, and holistic bone broth. Products and cuts are based around the philosophy of whole-animal sustainability. The store’s products are always fresh and, in true Hudson Valley fashion, can be found at Woodstock Market and Kingston’s Farmer’s Market.
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The Quaker Creek Store might not sound like much, but it’s a lesson in not judging a book by its cover. In reality, the Goshen butcher shop is a one-stop shop for all things meat. Shop from house-made sausages, pick up a cut-to-order Black Angus steak, or bring home a pound of freshly ground beef, pork, or veal. With nearly every meat cut and style available, the store caters to party planners, home cooks, and restaurant professionals. For hunters, it also offers butchering and preparation services to turn a fresh catch into dinner.
767 Pulaski Highway, Goshen
845.258.4570
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It’s not a shop, but Raven & Boar still deserves a shout-out for its top quality meat and charcuterie products alongside the region’s best butcher shops. The East Chatham farm has a quiet, but strong presence throughout the Valley, supplying restaurants both in the region and into NYC. As for shopping the gourmet goods, locals can pick up sausages, pork chops, ribs, salumi, and more from farm stands and markets.
East Chatham
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Woodstock Meats is the community butcher that you need in your life, even if you don’t know it yet. For over 60 years, the upstate shop has been doling out prime cuts of meat for local eaters. Since winter 2016, the store has featured pasture-raised, all-natural, antibiotic-free classics that are butchered in a nose-to-tail style. For the freshest pickings, stop in on a Monday or Thursday, which is when the animals hit the table.
57 Mill Hill Rd, Woodstock
845.679.7917