Your online butcher

I recently read Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser and I must say that it even shocked me (a person that has been around meat since I was young). The book discusses various topics such as how the cattle are raised that go into the fast food and supermarket chains around the nation. You will be absolutely shocked, my first piece of advice before talking about anything else involving meat is that you read this book. It also delves into other topics such as how they are contributing to the decline of local restaurants, family farms, etc. Highly recommended, fun read, very informative.

Well if it isn't what is for dinner, you are missing out. The picture at the introduction to the online butcher should show where my preferences lie, I'll take a steak over a chicken breast any day. The first thing you need to know about beef is that E-coli(Escherichia coli) is a always a threat, even more so in some meats than others (especially pre-packaged hamburger as it is often taking in meat from many different cows and processed centrally). The only way to guarantee that e-coli is destroyed is to cook meat to 160 degrees Fahrenheit (70 Celsius). 160 and above is considered "well done", personally I like my meat rare - medium-rare yet I get it straight from my father's shop so I have absolutely no worries about possible E-coli infection.

The online butchers wine pairing: Red. It depends on the dish but I'd certainly recommend a red wine over white wine. I typically have merlot but a nice shiraz or cabernet sauvignon will work better depending on the richness of the flavors.

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Lamb is my favorite type of meat along with my father's and grandfather's (a long line of butcher's). Your online butcher highly recommends it.

It is very tender and flavorful meat, the younger the lamb the more tender and more expensive the meat. As a general rule, the darker the meat the older the animal. A baby lamb (6-8 weeks old) will typically have meat that is bright pink while regular lamb is pinkish-red. To be considered a lamb, a sheep must be younger than one year old.

There are three main cuts of lamb: Forequarter, loin, and hindquarter.

Forequarter - Includes the most connective tissue and such as it comes from the front of the sheep. As a result it is tougher and is typically used in braising, stewing, barbecuing, and slow roasting.

Hindquarter - Includes the hind legs and hip, this is typically where you get a "leg of lamb" from, a "saddle of lamb" is the hip and the two loins. I usually eat this medium rare, it can be served safely anywhere from rare to well done.

Loin - Area which lamb chops typically come from (the shoulder chops are usually considered inferior). The rib chops will include the rib bone, the loin chops will only have a chine bone.

The online butchers wine pairing: Without a doubt cabernet sauvignon, get a nice glass of cabernet sauvignon to go along with your loin chops and you will be in absolute heaven.

When you say "it tastes like chicken" it is because of the relatively neutral taste and texture of commercially produced chicken, unless you find a supplier of free range chickens this is what you get.

Chicken is a relatively inexpensive meat and as a result it is one of the most consumed meats worldwide. There are approximately 24 billion chickens in the world, more than any other bird.

Up until the 50's most chickens were sold whole including the organs, leaving the evisceration process to the local butcher. As a result of industrial evisceration, chicken you find in a supermarket has over a 99% chance of containing e-coli based on a USDA study. Whole chickens can still be bought and eviscerated locally by a butcher but I can gaurentee you that it will not be something you can get in a supermarket.

Over 1.1 million Americans are sickened by undercooked tainted chicken each year according to Consumer Reports. Cooking chicken thoroughly to kill E. coli and Salmonella is absolutely essential to the health of you and those that eat your food.

Raw chicken/eggs will leave traces of Salmonella behind that will survive for a while on counter tops, etc. As a result you should always use latex gloves when preparing chicken, wash your hands before and afterwards, and decontaminate any surfaces that have come in contact with the raw chicken.

The online butcher's wine pairing: I'd suggest a nice chardonnay with it but if you are just preparing chicken breasts a light bodied white wine such as pinot grigio may be a better choice.

For some great chicken recipes, I found a nice lens on Pesto

Well if you happen to read this the day I publish you will be reading about turkey on Thanksgiving day, the best holiday. The online butcher loves food, and nothing is better than getting stuffed then watching football with family.

Turkey is typically sold either as "whole" in which the head, feet, and feathers are removed. For Thanksgiving and Christmas it is typically very easy to find fresh whole turkeys of various sizes at a supermarket or preferably a local butcher shop. It is also sold sliced as a sandwich meat or ground as a healthier substitute for ground beef.

Turkey is generally a much healthier and less fattening choice as compared to red meats. It is often served with side dishes such as stuffing that are high in carbohydrates and alcoholic beverages, adding to the effects of tryptophan to make people sleepy after a large meal.

The online butcher's recommendation as a wine pairing: Pinot Grigio for turkey alone, Cabernet Sauvignon at Thanksgiving to match the strong flavors of the stuffing, cranberry sauce, etc.

Pork is one of the most widely used meats there is, ranging from salami to bacon to ham to spare ribs to sausage to pork chops. It is very versatile, relatively cheap, and offers a good flavor. It is typically either cooked from fresh meat or cured over time (ham or bacon). Pork is the most popular meat in the world, coming in at a staggering 38% of the world's daily protein intake.

The online butcher's choice of wine pairing: With pork chops I'd recommend a heavier white wine such as chardonnay but with most other cuts I'd prefer a light red such as a light cabernet sauvignon or a fruitier shiraz.