Sometimes, the best way to get the best recipes is to just talk to your butcher.
It’s an age-old adage that Matt Moore, author of Serial Griller and South's Best Butts, plus grandson of a butcher, took to heart. In his new book, Butcher on the Block: Everyday Recipes, Stories, and Inspirations from Your Local Butcher and Beyond, Moore shares stories, family recipes, and expert tips from the people behind the counter who sell the meats, poultry, fish, vegetables, and trimmings.
The book is divided into 3 sections:
Butchering Primer: A quick prep of what a home cook might need to begin butchering at home, including step-by-step photographs of how to break down a chicken, fillet a fish, prep a bone-in pork chop, and slice up a beef tenderloin.
Butcher Profiles: Behind-the-counter access and specialty recipes from renowned butchers and butcher shops around the world, including Hing Lung Company in San Francisco, Cara Mangini, author of The Vegetable Butcher, Red’s Best in Boston, Maison Mallard in France, and Tommie Kelly, the butcher at Moore's own local Kroger.
Moore's Recipes: Grilling, barbecue, and all-around cooking to further your own butchering techniques—or to just cook what you get from the butcher. Moore covers it all, from appetizers, sides, and salads, to meaty mains, vegetables, desserts, and drinks.
For additional details, read this Q & A with Matt Moore below:
How did Butcher on the Block come to be?
As my last two books focused on BBQ and grilling, I wanted to find a way to combine those two subjects without being limited to just one cooking method. With both time and thought, the idea started with my beginning, to my own family roots in the art of butchering. As the first line of the book reads, this is not a book about butchering. Rather, it is about the butcher.
Did your family history inspire this book?
My grandfather and uncle, both first generation Lebanese immigrants, were WWII veterans, who then served after the war at our family grocery store and butcher shop in Valdosta, Georgia. Writing this book provided such a personally meaningful experience to go back in time and revisit so many of those memories, including a posthumous feature on my grandfather including my favorite recipes.
How would you encourage folks to connect with their local butchers?
Just about everybody has a butcher in their family tree—my grandfather’s story was a portal to understanding the rich history of butchers in my local community. A trusted butcher is vital to daily life—just like a doctor or mechanic. Striking up a friendship provides not only a connection to the community, but some delicious food to boot!
What makes this book unique? What do you hope readers will take away from the book?
Think of this as a travel show, but in book form. I’m inviting you to sit right seat in the air, on the road, or get behind the counter to explore unique cultures and personalities. This is just as much a Saturday morning, cup of coffee read as it is a weeknight friendly reference for a quick meal at home. By approaching this book through the lens of the butcher, we uncover different cuts, methods, and techniques that can improve and expand your culinary repertoire. Butcher on the Block features an array of ingredients to satisfy any diet while also promoting nearly every cooking method to either reinforce or expand your culinary horizon.