The meat men cometh

There are certain times in a home cook’s life when it is imperative to have a relationship with the guy behind the meat counter: the holidays, for example, when the elegance and largesse required by big family dinners are satisfied by a neatly trimmed standing rib roast, rack of lamb or crown roast of pork. Experimenting with a new recipe is another occasion when the ingredients list may have the weekend chef hunting for loose Italian sausage or pork tenderloin precisely butterflied. Then, too, there is the blessed arrival of grill season this month, a time when a steak cut to a certain thickness makes the difference between a solid dinner and an exceptional one. Indeed, the meat counter is the place in a supermarket where customers, especially foodies, search out interaction. “It’s really about giving people exactly what they want,” says Calvin Lindsley, owner of Calvin’s Bocage Market. “I consider these guys a dying breed since you’re seeing so many big box stores selling meat trimmed offsite.” Click here to find out where you can meet these meat men.