I go to the 4H fair every year, and buy a hog and a cow, then get it processed locally. I know the local farms that the meat came from, i am supporting 4H, and the local processor, which always has a "deal of the week" sale going on if I need some thing special.

They do emu/ostrich, buffalo/beefalo, goat, lamb, turkey, chicken, poke, and moo.

as for my extra special things

http://www.cajunsausage.com/

and

http://www.cajungrocer.com/

Mostly from Costco, where I go once every two or three months to stock up. (This has been made possible by my recent purchase of a chest freezer, which would seem very impractical for a single woman, but my roommate was hogging up the freezer and it was driving me nuts!)
The rest of my meat comes from local northern NJ pork stores, where I’ll buy sausages, pork belly to make my own bacon, etc.
If I could, I’d buy all of my meat at the farmer’s market in Union Square, but it’s a tad too expensive, so it’s more like an occasional treat. I’ve been getting most of my produce there though.

I’m not so lucky. No farmer’s markets, no local ranchers, no ethnic markets, no Abbruzze in the North End. So the choices are two grocery store chains (horribly expensive and the pork is injected with a 10% solution of water, sugar and sodium phosphate……NASTY)or Costco. I have never had anything but great meat from our Costco. Of course, we catch our own fish.

I’m lucky, I love only about 1 block away from a small independent grocery store that cut there own meat. His meat is always fresh and will cut to order your steaks, etc. He has the best steak tips (sirloin) and I can get two pack for under $10 and it feeds a family of 5.

About 80% of both meat and poultry consumed in our household is from a couple of farmers’ markets in our area. I buy from different stalls for particular meat products. Probably 15% is from small grocery stores or ethnic markets with a butcher counter in back. For example, I always go to the Turkish market lamb. The other 5% is from the grocery store if it’s snowy or icy weather and I can’t get to my usual places to shop.

As Lucky Bishop I also frequent Abbruzze’s market in the North End of Boston, great sausage there. I also buy from Sulmara on Parmenter Street, great veal there but not cheap by any means. Depending on the time of year I buy some bulk pork and beef at Blood Farms in Groton Ma. Most of my poultry is purchsed at a supermarket, unless I know that the local butcher is getting it from a local source. I found the longer you know and do business with the local small shop owner the product and service is worth the extra cost. One butcher shop on Salem St in Boston stopped me when I was walking by to tell me he had some nice fresh local rabbit 5 to 6 pounders at a super price, he was saveing them for his regular coustomers. I bought 2 and thanked him for keeping me in mind. Chow Jim

Stew Leonard’s has started selling select beef for their "Signature" tenderloins. There is very little I will buy from their meat or fish departments anymore, at least in Norwalk. Meat cut to order goes slimy in a day, and I have more than once had fish that is about to turn. I think the reason is that there is enough volume that they can push the cr*p through without having to worry about people coming back. It is a pain in the butt to shop there, and the last thing you want to do is go back again.

Lobsters, when on sale, are a bargain there.

Costco for ribs, Stew Leonard’s for everyday beef, chicken and duck, Biancardi’s of Arthur Avenue for the really good stuff (particularly veal cutlet and Italian sausage), Jameson Farm (Pittsburgh area) for lamb and Heritage Farms (online) for turkey. The latter only once/year since they’re ferociously expensive — and worth it.

Nothing at the typical supermarket meat case.

quote:

Originally posted by Iconic

btw..I’m getting ready to buy a whole hog, I’m tired of buy ribs with hardly any meat on the bone from the grocery stores.

You’d.better.know.where.your.hog.came.from…You.can.end.up.with
skinny.meat.even.if.you.buy.it.from.the.farm.
Sometimes.farmers.don’t.feed.their.livestock.as.well.as.they.should.
It’s.hard.to.make.a.profit.on.a.small.farm.

Most of our beef comes from River Rock Farm in Brimfield, MA — they have a stand at the Brookline Farmers Market in the summer, and they deliver to your home the rest of the year. For pork, we buy half-hogs from Winrose Farm in Greenfield NH, supplemented by purchases from Abbruzze’s Butcher Shop in the North End. Haven’t found a good local source for chicken, so we get Bell and Evans from the supermarket. In a pinch, we’ll buy a steak or some lamb from Whole Foods.

I buy most of the meats (pork & beef) I eat from a local butcher. Quality matters. I will occasionally buy ground chuck/round/sirloin from local grocery store; but not that often. Don’t do poultry. [xx(]

I.go.out.back.and.shoot.it….or.wring.it’s.neck.
And.sometiimes.I.go.to.Krogers.

Wherever I can get Organic….
Wish I still could get the Wolfes Neck Beef from Maine…..

whatever meat or poultry i buy i purchase at keller’s farm store.
they raise their own cattle and poultry.