Hey Canucks in Toronto. Favourite Butcher / Meat Source for Butt's, Briskets


 
D

Darrell

TVWBB Member
Many of our American brethren use Sam's or Costco for their Pork Butt's and Briskets.

I tried the local one in Toronto, and didn't have any luck. I found a better selection at Highland Farms.

Anyone out there got a hidden gem they wish to share?

I've never seen a Tri-Tip anywhere, and I look everytime.
 
Darrell, I have had good luck in the past with European Quality Meats on Baldwin Ave in the Chinatown/Kensington Market area. I haven't been yet this summer but they have had a good selection in the past, I have gotten a whole brisket from them but it was pre-trimmed. I can't remember what the cost per pound was but it wasn't too unreasonable. Tri-tip has been elusive for me, my brother says that he thinks Meat on the Beach carries it but I haven't confirmed this. Being it's in the beaches, I assume it'll come at a premium price.

I get most of my meat from Charlie's Meats in the No Frills on Neilson Rd in the east end. It's not far from where I live and they have ribeye roasts for $3.58 per pound all the time. Pork shoulders are $1.58 per pound, spares are around $2.50 per pound, baby backs are around $5 per pound and beef ribs are $2.08 per pound. They carried brisket up until recently but when I questioned them as to why they stopped they said "we'll bring them back in the winter, in the summer nobody wants to barbecue tough meat"....

At Charlie's the shoulders are all about the 4 pound area (bone in). I'm assuming they cut the complete shoulder in half and sell the corresponding sections. I'll have to double check next time I'm in there. Until today I thought that all shoulders were equal, but the meat is different depending on which part of the shoulder you're pulling/slicing.

I hope this helps a bit. Save some meat for me!
 
Thanks Chris, that's a good suggestion.

I thought of another vendor I have had success with. Alba Foods Cash&Carry on Bertrand in the Warden & Eglinton area. I got a very good Blade Roast from them (slow roasted for 14hrs)Mmm good. Great souvlaki. Prices were reasonable. Best part was they carry 20lb bags of Maple Leaf lump charwood @ $12 / bag.
 
Have you tried this guy? I haven't yet, but supposedly really nice, expensive though. Apparently it's his own cows.

Cumbrae's Naturally Raised Fine Meats
Address: 481 Church St. (at Wellesley St. E.), 416-923-5600.
 
Darrin, my brother has used an organic meat purveyor, I think it's called Fresh From the Farm. He raves about it, I think you can place orders over the phone and then go pick them up. I'll look into it for you guys.

Found the link: http://www.freshfromthefarm.ca/

Prices are listed on the site which is cool, with most organic foods you pay a premium.
 
Chris. Thanks again. That's a great tip. Freshfromthefarm's supply areas are where I grew up, and my ancestors first settled. Talk about going back to your roots.
 
Sorry to our USA friends for making this a Canuk thread. Any sorry to you Chris (webmaster).

Chrisopher-thanks for the tip- great website, I'm tempted to try.

I'm buying most of my brisket from either Globe or Eddystone meats, and ribs from this guy on Bloor/Ossignton( sorry forget he name). Both Globe and Eddystone have full packer briskets from usually 9-18lbs, a lil expensive at $2-$3/pound, but decent quality. Also you fellow canuks( sorry again Chris ) but htere is a local (Toronto) forum with a good buch a guys with great info and experience at http://www.voy.com/134185/

One of these days, all us amateur smokers in Toronto will have to get together.

Cheers big ears.

Darrin
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Darrell:
IF BBQ began south of the border, then where does it end? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think that BBQ began long before we were south of the border. We might have perfected one manifestation of BBQ, but, where does it end??

NOWHERE, because it keeps spreading and it ain't gonna end.

Great Q'ing to you!
 
Darrin, $2-$3 per pound doesn't seem too far fetched. I think the only one I've done so far was within the same price range. My father is a big fan of brisket, but I can take it or leave it. I don't really think it's worth the amount of worry it causes. Give me ribs and then you're talking.
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That said, I'd like to experiment with brisket some more. I used the Midnight Cook brisket rub in the cooking section and it needed something. Unfortunately I saw Chris' comment about needing some cayenne after it had already been rubbed and put on the smoker.... Ah well, practice, practice, practice....
 
I finally found a packer style brisket at Highland Farms. I had to ask the head butcher, and he had to consult with someone. They went to the back and pulled out a brisket. 4kg; 9#. They charged too much, but I was so pleased to have found one, I paid it without haggling.

Did it on Saturday over-night. It cooked for 14.5 hours, to internal temp of 176 measured in the point. It rested only about 40 minutes because we were hungry.

The Flat cut was good, but it was a drier than I expected. It tasted like spicy well-done beef. The point was falling apart tender and moist / delicious. I thought everyone brags about the flat? Did I goof the cook?

Thanks to all for the suggestions. I'm going to try out the Freshfromthefarm.ca suggestion. I'll keep you posted how it turns out.
 
Darrell, this is why I'm not a huge brisket fan, a lot of prep/anticipation for a hit or miss product. First off, I think the majority of folks measure temps in the flat. You'll get a more consistent temp reading there because the point has more fat and can throw your readings off. Some people foil their brisket with a bit of juice once it hits 160° or so, I believe this helps to retain moisture and speed up the cooking. I have read some posts here that say it can end up tasting like pot roast though.... I'll have to double check if it's taken out of the foil again or if it stays in there until it's carved.... Also, I think that once the brisket hits 190° or so in the flat, the connective tissues in the muscle fibres break down and this is when the brisket is the most tender. In my first attempt I took mine off too early because of a long plateau at 160°, while it was juicy, it was still on the chewy side.... Next time I'll be more patient and make sure the grate temps stay as close to 225° as possible.

Also check out this thread that's on the go at the moment: http://tvwbb.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1780069052/m/9940033953

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Vernon - I think you and I are thinking of different borders...

Chris - Sure enough - Brisket temps measured in middle of flat, not the point. I just shoved the thermo in the centre of the big meat mass. Beginner Lesson Learned. Plus I didn't foil at all. My smoke rings weren't as thick as illustrated here either.
 
I rubbed that brisket the night before and let it sit in the fridge until I threw it on the smoker. Chris has a tip somewhere that said if you throw it on cold, you can get a better smoke ring... As you can see it wasn't a consistent thickness either which worried me, I didn't want half dry brisket.
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Ah well, live and learn.
 
Just saw your post Darrell otherwise I would have replied sooner. I buy ribs and brisket at St Lawrence market but for my butts I go to Grace Meats, corner of College and Grace in Little Italy. The ones I buy are bone-in and usually in the 10-11 pound range, priced around 2.30/lb which seems pretty good to me, especially because they are already nicely trimmed. I always order mine a day or two beforehand just to make sure. Number is 416-534-7776. Also, there's an article in The Star today sez that Royal Beef on the Danforth sells Tri-tip for about 6.50/lb.
 
J.M. who do you buy from at St Lawrence market and what are the prices like there? I have bought some skewers from Upper Cut Meats, they have some spicy chicken ones that I love. I havent been in a while, I'll have to check it out again.
 
I don't have a favourite place, Chris, I tend to just wander around and check out what looks good, whether there is anything I want on special and if not, who has the best prices. Brown Bros and Witteveen Meats are always worth a look but I recommend you do the whole circuit before you decide. Prices don't really vary that much. Last time I bought side ribs I paid around $3.90/lb. Brisket point was around the same. Don't know about pork shoulder because I get my butts from Grace. You probably already know that if you happen to get hungry while you are there, the veal and eggplant sandwich from Mustacios (downstairs) cannot be beat.
 
Update on two places.

Eddystone Meats - Jane/Finch area. Don't mind the neighborhood. The store is nice, and the butchers are knowledgeable. They had a dozen or more guys in view slicing up sides of beef. Asked about brisket, and got the first informed response ever from a butcher. "Do you mean the point or the double brisket" and proceeded to retrieve one in the cryovac, fat cap attached, point & flat. $4/lb. Very nice. And very Italian. They brought out an expresso, while I waited. Nice Touch.

Fresh From the Farm. (store pickup is north of Danforth) Good people. Good meats. Not certified organic but close enough (see the website). Not as cheap as the supermarket, not as pricey as organic meat from a butchershop. They were interested in helping find cuts of meat. Duck was great. I want to try a fresh turkey from them, and they carry Elk meat.
 
I never realized it was so hard for you guys to find a good supplier, here in Brantford we have tons of local butchers that cut anything anyway. Once you find a guy who's personality you like you have a butcher for life.
 
Glad you're not having problems.

I hope to benefit from other's experience, and share my own. A perfect store for me would:
1) have stuff like Brisket, Tri-Tip, Boston Butts in stock
2) be nearby
3) have fair/good prices. Why is brisket $4 / lb, when a Grade AA rib-eye is also $4 / lb.

I think the scarcity is the result of a couple things. Some of it is inexperience - I'm relatively new to this, and I have to change where I shop. Less Grocery stores, more butchers & ethnic shops.

Many Grocery stores stock the retail cuts only (ground beef, steaks and small roasts). I've not had a positive / informed experiences when I asked the meat counter clerks or their supervisors at the grocery stores - sometimes I seemed to know more about the topic then them, even when I used the official Canada food agency terms. Maybe your grocer experience is different.

Some of it is location. Big cities have more choices, but are sometimes hard to locate &/or access. You may have to visit a quite a few stores before finding one that suits. In Toronto, the better ones I've found were well off the beaten path (industrial areas).
With city traffic thats a lot of Saturdays to invest in searching for a butcher.
 
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