Our Meat, Your Box

Meanwhile, turkeys aren’t the only meat hanging out in our walk-in! We’ve also got a hind quarter aging in there, getting ready to be stuffed in your box, MEAT BOX, that is. You heard right! We’ve now got meat boxes available for everyone who likes to hoard their nutriments. Save cash, time, and gas by buying bulk: four different options to choose from, so there’s bound to be a box that fits your meaty desires! Whether you’re throwing a party, or just rest easier knowing you have steaks in the freezer, this is the way to go. Plus, we’re including house recipes for the cuts you’ve yet to try, that may turn out to be your new favorite dish! Click here to pre-order your box today!

THE MANHANDLER — 25lbs for $205
2lbs Chicken Leg
4lbs Cowboy Steaks
4lbs Bacon
5lbs Country Style Pork Ribs
5lbs Sausage
5lbs Ground Beef

THE BUTCHERETTE — 22lbs for $155
3lbs Lamb Roast
3lbs Porterhouse Pork Chops
3lbs Eye of Round
3lbs Sausage
5 lbs Ground Beef
5lbs Bones

THE HOUSEWIFE — 27lbs for $190
2lbs Honeymoon Steak
2lbs Hot Dogs
3lbs Breakfast Steaks
3lbs Bacon
3lbs Pork Loin Roast
4lbs Chicken Breast
5lbs Ground Beef
5lbs Bones

THE GRILLER — 20lbs for $160
2lbs Porterhouse Steaks
2lbs Tri Tip
2lbs Skirt Steak
3lbs Pork Ribs
3lbs Sausage
3lbs Marinaded 1/2 Chickens
5lbs Ground Beef

No Substitutions, please.
All boxes must be pre-ordered by Friday at 5pm to receive a box the following Friday!

Look Who's Coming to Dinner!

There’s more food goings on at Avedano’s than you can shake a meat stick at (and we sell those, so shake them all you want)!

It’s turkey time, and we’re carrying three great birds this year:

The tried and delectably tested all-natural Major’s Ranch Turkeys ($5.95/lb.); these 100% all-natural gobblers are air chilled after being raised on an almond farm in local Atwater, CA. These were the favored bird last year, so get ‘em while you can!

We’ll also be supplying turkeys from Mary’s (http://www.marysturkeys.com/), straight out of Sanger, CA to your oven. This year Mary’s is providing either a certified organic turkey (4.25/lb.), or an all-natural heritage bird ($7.50/lb). It’s true, Heritage turkeys still exist, and thanks to efforts by Slow Foods and the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, these hardy and flavorful birds can still make it to Thanksgiving dinner!

Whatever you choose, you’ll baste with the best! We only get so many birds in, so make your orders sooner and get the size that’s right for your holiday guests.

Herd of Us?

We're online again! We fell off the blogwagon, but only because we've been so busy creating new house made treats! Porchetta is a must for anyone who hasn't yet reveled in it's deliciousness. Wait. There's more. The Tuscan pork and Lardo are waiting to be spread upon crackers, sandwiches, and basically anything edible. And while you're in the shop salivating over all that: Trick and Chooch sausages fresh every Tuesday (or if you want to watch us make them, come grab a panini Monday night)!

In other news: Last Friday marked the first arrival of a whole goat, broken down by hand at the courtesy of our good friend, Dave The Butcher. Yet another reason to come to the shop and witness all the great new products we offer. I hope you're hungry!

P.S. We're going to be on The Today Show! They'll be filming this Monday, and in the words of Melanie, "You should come down and give us a hard time."

Link to Dave

For those of you who missed our own Dave the Butcher the other night on KTVU, check him out here.

Ok. Get ready

Just a reminder that this Sunday the 28th of February, Avedano's will host a class led by Riccardo Ricci - a renowned Italian butcher working with the famous Dario Cecchini. Riccardo will take the class through breaking down and cooking a pig, allowing the participants to taste many of the unique Italian delicacies he has perfected. A few spots remain open for this class, so give us a call or come by to sign up!

Riccardo has already been hanging out at Avedano's and worked with us to create a batch of "Tonno del Chianti," which will be featured in the class. We're currently putting this delicious shredded pork on sandwiches. After trying, I'm recommending it as my new favorite panini.

Lots of good reasons to visit this weekend. Looking forward to seeing you there.

You've got to see...You've got to try

You've got to see:
This coming Wednesday - the 24th - KTVU (channel 2) features our very own Dave the Butcher. Maybe you've already seen him on a Tuesday or Friday breaking down a whole animal carcass. If not, you certainly know Dave's handy-work. He helps keep the case well-stocked throughout the week and prepares many of the special orders that bombard Avedano's around the holidays. He's an excellent butcher (certainly the best I know), a hard worker, and a real character. Find out more about Dave and what he does this Wednesday after the 10pm news - around 10:30.

Now, you've got to try:
This Saturday Avedano's will begin selling Dario Cecchini style porchetta made by our newest employee and former Dario disciple, Chris. (See post Cutting and cooking a pig from nose to tail for more info). Porchetta is a savory boneless pork roast that will make a perfect snack after being heated in the oven. I can attest after packing it up this afternoon - it looked and smelled delicious! Come by this weekend to check it out. And as always, Julio's fresh and tasty tacos all day on Sunday.

Part II

Success! Tia's recipe worked perfectly. It was relatively easy to prepare, but also contained the right amount of impressive notes - like smashed potatoes and fennel pollen. Here's a few observations and suggestions that can help you make it even better:

1) The fennel pollen on the steak added a nice, intriguing floral aroma but it might be hard to track down. It's not essential - salt and pepper will suffice.

2) The smashed potatoes were the most difficult and time consuming portion of the recipe, but they add to the final presentation. And I also liked the crispy texture. If you're not feeling up to the task, just mash them.

3) I don't own a grill, which means I always cook on the stove top or in the oven. I pan seared the ribeye for a few minutes on each side in a smoking hot cast iron pan and then placed it in a 350 degree oven. Overall it took about 12 minutes to cook and came out medium. Cooking to temperature is always the most difficult part of getting a steak right. Good luck.

Finally don't worry about it being perfect. Just enjoy your date or whatever company you keep because that's always the key to having fun.

Best recipe to impress your date

It's Valentine's Day this Sunday. Are you scrambling for ideas? Haven't made dinner reservations? I asked Tia, co-owner of Avedano's and head chef at San Francisco's Sociale, to share a fun, impressive, but not too complicated recipe to prepare for your special Valentine. It's one Tia often makes at Sociale so it's bound to be a success. Here's a steak that really says, "I love you."

This post comes in two parts. Today's installment will be the list of ingredients and preparation instructions. Tomorrow I'm actually going to put this recipe to the test for my girlfriend (because we both work on Valentine's Day) and see if it properly woos her. I'll let you know how it goes so you'll be all set for Sunday. Wish me luck.

Tia's recipe is for "Grilled Ribeye with gorgonzola smashed potatoes and arugula salad." I purchases most of the ingredients at Avedano's earlier today. I had Dave cut me a sweetheart steak (basically two Ribeye steaks cut to look like a heart, which will be available this weekend) and found some organic red creamer potatoes, wild arugula, a meyer lemon, and thyme finishing salt. The recipe also requires olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper, fennel pollen, gorgonzola, and fresh horseradish.

For the potatoes: boil 6 organic red creamers until pierced easily with a fork and set aside in the fridge for a few hours. When you're ready to start cooking, slice the potatoes in half and place 1 tablespoon of gorgonzola in the middle. Smash the potato in wax paper with the flat of your hand. Set aside until the last minute, then fry the potatoes on both sides in saute pan on medium heat, seasoning with kosher and thyme salt.

For the steaks: season with 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon of fennel pollen, and 1 teaspoon of cracked pepper. Grill to desired temperature.

To pull it all together: place 3 smashed potatoes on each plate, toss 1 loosely packed cup of arugula in a bowl with lemon zest, grated horseradish, salt, and drizzle with good olive oil. Place steak on plate and top with salad.

Delicious and romantic. Check back tomorrow to see how it goes...