A Cut Above

While not all of us here are out-and-out carnivores, we can’t help but be fascinated with the butchering trend that’s been sweeping the foodie nation. With consumers being more interested than ever in the origins and cuts of their meat, butchers are innovating their practices with new and interesting approaches to animal protein beyond the types of cleavers used. Here’s a look at the latest ways meaties can get down with their local butchers.

Meat Vending Machine: While, for some of us, vending machines still throw us back to our dormitory days when a giant Snickers bar and bag of Sun Chips qualified as a legitimate meal, others of us know that vending machines are now being used to sell everything from books to caviar. In fact, late night revelers in Northern Spain can saunter up to famed butcher shop Izarzugaza and buy anything from a pre-made delicious snack (perfect for those looking to avoid the morning hangover) to a few simple slices of savory jamón serrano from such a machine. While the doors of the store may be shuttered at 2 am, the shop’s new branded vending machine is open 24/7 and is stocked with seasonal items. Besides serving up a dose of meat at all hours, the vending machine is reportedly the first in the world to recognize multiple languages – so, while locals can buy their sausages in Castilian, tourists are welcome to shop in English.

Craft Beer Cuts: Some would argue (and, yes, our dads are definitely those doing the loudest shouting) that nothing goes better with a good cut of meat than a cold one. And it would seem that the good folks at Samuel Adams agree with us. The beer brand recently joined forces with artisan butcher Jake Dickson, founder of NYC’s artisanal meat purveyor Dickson’s Farmstand Meats, to create special cuts of beef to complement Samuel Adams Boston Lager. The collaborators are slated to reveal the Samuel Adams Boston Lager Cut later this month. Meanwhile, while you’re waiting to fire up the grill, can you please put your tongue back into your mouth?

Butcher Leather Goods: As the nose-to-tail eating trend is gaining momentum, some forward-thinking folks are taking it a step further by wearing what they eat. Williamsburg’s Marlow & Sons has long made our mouths water and our wallets weep with their local, grass-fed meat butchered in sister store Marlow & Daughters. Now, owner Andrew Tarlow’s wife Kate Huling is giving fashionistas a reason to embrace the restaurant’s “waste not, want not” motto. Huling designed a new elegant line of bags that is made from the skins of the animals butchered at Marlow & Daughters. And, since the prices are pretty darn reasonable for one-of-a-kind leather goods (starting at $40 and going up to $350 for the kind of bag you can toss half your life into), you might even see them slung on some vegetarian shoulders as well.