Local butchers weigh in on how to spot great cuts and discover new ones

Ever stand in front of the meat counter feeling flummoxed? You’re not alone. Selecting the right cut can be intimidating, especially when many portions are fetching higher prices than ever before.

Local meat shops are here to help. Greater Baton Rouge is home to several specialty butchers that break down their own cuts and offer tasty options that suit a range of budgets and cooking styles.

Once you master the basics, they say, you’ll be off and running.

“One of your best rules of thumb is, the uglier the steak, the better it’s going to taste,” says Tramonte’s Meat and Seafood Market owner Mike Tramonte. “Some people don’t realize that all that fat you’re seeing is what makes it taste good.”

Beef

When picking out steaks, try to buy at least an “Upper 2/3 Choice,” says Cobin Leindecker of Chris’s Specialty Foods. “The grade falls somewhere between Choice and Prime,” he says. “It’s the perfect middle ground and price point where you can still get an excellent steak, but you’re not paying a high-end price.”

Steak night doesn’t have to mean ribeyes, strips and filets, says Iverstine Butcher owner Galen Iverstine. His favorite current cut, and one he cooks for his family at home, is the bavette, or sirloin flap. The flat cut resembles a thick flank steak. “It’s really easy to cook and has incredible flavor,” Iverstine says.

Pork

When picking out pork chops, opt for a thick cut and as much perimeter fat as possible to ensure a juicy result, advises Iverstine. And don’t overcook it. It’s safe to cook pork to an internal temperature of 145 degrees and for its center to be slightly pink.

Look beyond chops and experiment with pork skirt steak, also known as secreto, he adds. The cut cooks like beef skirt steak but is sold at a fraction of the price.

Chicken

Contrary to popular belief, it’s impossible to tell the juiciness of chicken, or any cut of meat, by touching it through its packaging, Tramonte says. “I see people do this and it’s fairyland,” he says. When it comes to cuts of chicken, white-meat breasts dry out faster than dark-meat thighs. Or try cooking a whole bird for a juicier result.

Lamb

Lamb is a popular item at Chris’s, Leindecker says.  The meat shop sells racks of lamb that can be kept intact or sliced into lamb lollipops. Order them “frenched” when you want the bones completely clean of meat for a pretty presentation. Chris’s also sells boneless, butterflied leg of lamb netted and ready to cook. “You want to look for good marbling, similar to the way you pick out beef,” Leindecker says.

This article was originally published in the June 2026 issue of 225 Magazine.