Every second Friday at 5:20pm I do a column on CBC Radio Active talking about some of the best dishes in Edmonton, and this week I focused on a place helping you to make your best dish at home- The Butchery by Rge Rd.
Use the link below to have a listen to the audio from that column.
If you’re still on the fence about trying a local butcher shop, now is the time to dip your toes in the water. I mean, just look at these Delmonico steaks I got from The Butchery and compare the colour and marbling to whatever you’re buying from the regular grocery store.
The Butchery by Rge Rd opened in 2020 in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, and has quickly become where I get most of my meats. The quality just cannot be beat, and as someone who doesn’t spring for steaks all that often, when I do, I want the best.
You’ll find a whole lot of great stuff here, and the more I look around the more I end up buying. It’s a bit dangerous, but at least when I buy more than I intended it’s not like it goes to waste. Besides, there’s nothing better than having a few great steaks or hot dogs in the freezer for emergency grilling.
Yeah, that’s a thing.
Speaking of hot dogs, the ones at The Butchery are legit the best in town. There are other good ones, but none that quite nail the texture, fat ratio, and flavour quite like these. Partially it’s because of the high speed chopper that cuts the meat into a fine emulsified texture that is silky smooth, and partially it’s because these dogs are made with in-house dry aged meats.
Better tasting meat makes a better tasting hotdog. It’s simple.
You can get the regular dogs which are great, but if you have a couple extra bucks jingling around in your pocket you can go for the wagyu dogs, which really amp up the flavour. Sometimes (like right now) they even mix some whitetail into the dogs which gives them a slightly different and more mild flavour. Really interesting.
There’s so many things that you should try when you check this place out, but if you’re new to butcher shops, here’s what I would reccomend for a starter pack.
Ground beef is something I have found very difficult to get in good quality in Edmonton, and The Butchery has a few different varieties to suit any budget. They’re all between $5- $7/lb, so not far off the grocery store prices and a far better product. Go in, look around a bit, get a couple pounds of beef, a few hot dogs, and a couple of the ridiculously good fresh sausage rolls up at the counter. Your investment will be relatively low, and you get a good taste of what this place has to offer.
Bacon Bits
- Grab one of the daily sandwiches. They are made with the house-made sandwich meats and charcuterie and feature homemade spreads and bread from the wood fired oven. The smoked roast beef, mortadella, and andouille sausage are favourites.
- Look around the freezer and sometimes you find a real gem. On my last visit I found a single wagyu steak at 30% off. There’s also stocks, soups, bolognese, Rge Rd’s famous gouda perogies, and so much more in there.
- If you’re unsure of anything, ask. There are some really good chefs there to help you decide on a cut you may not have tried before, how to cook any cut you want to try, and will even package it differently based on how long it will be unitl you eat your meat.
Oh, and here’s how those Delmonico steaks turned out. I always take the steaks out the night before and salt them. Then I leave them uncovered on a wire rack in the fridge overnight. Then dry them off and put them in a super hot cast iron pan and get a good sear on both sides, then cook until desired temperature. Use a thermometer ffs- you don’t want to ruin that beautiful steak. Baste with butter and herbs at the end.
It’s belly time.
