What Are Custom Butcher Cuts?
When it comes to preparing the perfect meal, having the right cut of meat can make all the difference. While grocery stores offer a variety of pre-packaged cuts, these options often don’t meet the specific needs of home cooks, chefs, or those looking for something special. That’s where custom butcher cuts come in. At Frazie’s Meat & Market, we offer personalized meat-cutting services that allow you to get exactly what you want, tailored to your cooking method and taste preferences. In this guide, we’ll explore the benefits of custom butcher cuts and how you can request them to enhance your culinary experience.
Understanding Custom Butcher Services
Custom butcher cuts refer to the practice of tailoring meat cuts to a customer’s specific needs and preferences. Unlike pre-packaged cuts, which are often standardized, custom cuts can be adjusted for thickness, size, and even specific cooking methods. Whether you’re looking for a thicker steak, a perfectly trimmed roast, or a unique cut not commonly found in stores, custom butcher services allow you to get precisely what you need. Our butchers can steer you toward grass fed options, show you the fine flecks of fat that carry the flavor, and match the cut to a cooking method that will tenderize it best.
Common Custom Cut Requests
Here are some examples of common custom butcher cut requests:
•Thicker or Thinner Steaks: Adjusting the thickness of steaks to suit grilling, pan-searing, or other cooking methods.
•Frenching Ribs: Trimming the meat and fat from the ends of rib bones for an elegant presentation.
•Butterflying Cuts: Splitting a cut of meat, such as a chicken breast or pork chop, almost in half to allow it to open like a book, making it ideal for stuffing or grilling.
•Trimming Fat: Removing excess fat or silver skin to make the meat easier to cook and eat.
•Portioning: Cutting larger roasts or pieces of meat into smaller, meal-sized portions for convenience.
Why Choose Custom Cuts?
Custom cuts offer several advantages over standard, pre-packaged options:
•Precision: Custom cuts are tailored to your exact specifications, ensuring that you get the perfect size and shape for your recipe.
•Quality: By working directly with a butcher, you can ensure that your meat is of the highest quality, with expert attention to detail in the cutting process.
•Convenience: Custom cuts save you time and effort in the kitchen, as the meat is already prepared to your liking, reducing the need for additional trimming or portioning.
The Cuts of Beef You Can Ask Us to Break Down
Asking for a custom cut is easier when you know what to ask for. Beef reaches us as primal cuts, the large sections a carcass is first broken into, and nearly every steak in the case is cut from one of them. Which primal a steak comes from tells you most of what you need to know about cooking it.
From the Rib and the Loin
The rib and the loin run along the back, where the muscle does the least work, and that is why the cuts taken from them are the tender ones.
•Prime Rib: A standing roast from the rib primal, bone in or boneless. Ask us to French the bones for the table, or to tie the roast so it holds its shape in the oven.
•Ribeye: The same muscle as prime rib, cut into steaks. The fat marbled through it renders as it cooks, which is what makes it the steak most people reach for first.
•New York Strip: From the short loin, firmer than a ribeye with a cleaner beef flavor and a fat cap along one edge. Tell us the thickness you want and we will cut to it.
•Filet Mignon: From the tenderloin, the most tender muscle on the animal and the leanest of the three. Filet mignons are usually cut thick and cooked hot and fast, and they take well to a wrap of bacon or a sauce, since there is less fat carrying the flavor.
Those three cover most of the trade between flavor and tenderness. A ribeye gives you the most flavor, a filet the most tenderness, and a New York strip sits between them. All three are at their best cooked to medium rare and rested before you slice them.
The Flat Cuts: Skirt, Flank and Flap
Further down the animal the muscles work harder. Those cuts come out leaner and coarser in the grain, they cost less, and they reward a marinade, a hot grill and a sharp knife.
•Skirt Steak: Long, thin and heavily grained, cut from the plate. Skirt steaks cook in a couple of minutes over high heat and are the cut behind most good fajitas.
•Flank Steak: Broader and thicker than a skirt, from the flank primal. Flank steaks take a marinade well and slice into wide ribbons for salads and sandwiches.
•Flap Meat: From the bottom sirloin, loose grained and usually overlooked. Ask for it when you want the beefiness of a skirt steak with a bit more thickness to work with.
Slice all three against the grain when you serve them. Cut the other way and even a well cooked flank steak eats tough.
Custom Select Meats for the Way You Cook
Tell us the dish and we will point you at the cut, then cut it the way that dish needs. That is what custom select meats comes down to: not a longer list to choose from, but a butcher matching the cut, the thickness and the trim to what you are actually cooking that night.
How to Request Custom Butcher Cuts: Communicating with Your Butcher
The key to getting the perfect custom cut is clear communication with your butcher. Here’s how to request custom cuts at Frazie’s Meat & Market:
1. Know What You Need: Before visiting the butcher, have a clear idea of what you’re looking for. Consider the dish you’re preparing, the cooking method you’ll use, and any specific preferences you have regarding thickness, size, or trimming.
2. Ask Questions: Don’t hesitate to ask your butcher for recommendations. They can suggest the best cuts for your recipe, advise on portion sizes, or even recommend alternative cuts that might work better.
3. Be Specific: When requesting a custom cut, be as specific as possible. For example, if you want a thicker steak, specify the exact thickness (e.g., “I’d like this ribeye cut 1.5 inches thick”). If you’re unsure, your butcher can guide you based on your cooking method.
4. Discuss Cooking Methods: Let your butcher know how you plan to cook the meat. This information can help them suggest the best cut and prepare it accordingly. For instance, if you’re slow-cooking, they might recommend a well-marbled cut for extra tenderness.
5. Consider Special Requests: If you have special requests, such as deboning, butterflying, or Frenching, make sure to mention these to your butcher. They can often accommodate these requests to make your cooking process easier.
Examples of Custom Cut Requests
Here are a few examples of how to request specific custom cuts:
•For a Steak: “I’m planning to grill this steak. Can you cut it 2 inches thick and trim some of the fat, but leave enough for flavor?”
•For a Roast: “I’d like a boneless pork loin roast, trimmed of excess fat, and tied for even cooking.”
•For Ribs: “Could you French the ribs, trimming the meat and fat from the ends of the bones for a clean presentation?”
Special Orders
At Frazie’s Meat & Market, we can also accommodate special orders for less common cuts or larger quantities of meat. If you’re planning a big event or looking for something specific, such as a whole lamb or a custom-cut brisket, simply let us know in advance, and we’ll work with you to fulfill your request.
Benefits of Custom Butcher Cuts
Custom cuts can significantly enhance your cooking experience by providing meat that’s perfectly suited to your recipe. For example, a thicker steak cut specifically for grilling will develop a beautiful crust while remaining juicy inside. Similarly, a roast that’s been trimmed and tied by a skilled butcher will cook more evenly, leading to a better final dish.
Reduced Waste
When you order custom cuts, you get exactly what you need, which can help reduce food waste. For instance, if you only need a small portion of meat, your butcher can cut and package it accordingly, so you don’t end up with more than you can use.
Cost-Effective
While custom cuts may seem like a luxury, they can actually be cost-effective. By purchasing only the amount of meat you need and having it prepared to your specifications, you avoid paying for excess weight or unwanted trimmings. Additionally, buying larger cuts and having them portioned into individual servings can be more economical than purchasing pre-packaged steaks or chops.
Supporting Local Butchers
Choosing custom cuts supports local butchers and small businesses, helping to sustain the craft of butchery and keep traditional skills alive. At Frazie’s Meat & Market, we take pride in offering personalized service and high-quality meats, and your support helps us continue to provide these services to the community.
Cuts We Have Written About
Most custom orders start with one cut and one question about it. These guides go further on each cut than this page can, and every one of them is something you can ask us to trim, thicken, portion or break down for you.
•Picanha: buying, trimming and grilling the top sirloin cap, and why the fat cap is the whole point.
•Brisket: how to pick a brisket and cook it, from the difference between the flat and the point to trimming it before it goes on the smoker.
•Lamb: which lamb chop is which, how thick to have them cut, and what to do with the rest of the animal.
•Goat: the three cuts of goat we keep at the counter, and why goat does not cook like lamb or beef.
•Pork Belly: what makes one belly better than another, plus three ways we cook it and where bacon and pancetta fit in.
•Beef Tenderloin: the holiday roast guide, covering the two ways we sell tenderloin, how much to buy per person and where filet mignon comes from.
•Beef Bacon: what beef bacon is and how to cook it, including the thickness to ask for at the slicer.
Where to Get Custom Butcher Cuts in Atlanta
Everything on this page describes a conversation, and that conversation happens at our counter. You will find us at 2030 Main Street NW, Suite R204, in the One Riverside development in northwest Atlanta, open Mon–Fri 11am–7pm, Sat 10am–7pm, Sun 10am–5pm.
Most of it is done while you wait. Thickness, trimming, butterflying, frenching a rack, portioning a larger piece into meal sized packs: ask at the case and it is cut in front of you. The requests worth a phone call first are the ones that start with a whole piece, like a rib roast tied for the oven, a brisket trimmed a particular way, or a whole lamb. Call the shop at (404) 941-9171 and ask for the butcher counter, and we will have it ready when you get here.
You can also order online for pickup and have it cut the way you want when you arrive. Feeding a crowd rather than a table? Our catering menu comes off the same case. For anything that is easier written down than explained across the counter, get in touch.
Frequently Asked Questions About Custom Butcher Cuts
1. What are custom butcher cuts?
A custom butcher cut is meat cut to your specification instead of to a package weight. At our counter that covers thickness, trim, portioning, butterflying, frenching and tying, decided by the dish you are cooking rather than by whatever happened to get wrapped that morning.
2. How do I request a custom cut at Frazie’s?
Come to the case and tell us the dish, not just the cut. How many people you are feeding, how you plan to cook it and how thick you want it are the three things that decide the rest. If you are not sure, ask, because matching a cut to a cooking method is most of what our butchers do all day.
3. Can I request a specific thickness for steaks?
Yes. Give us a number, an inch and a half for a ribeye you are taking to the grill, and that is what you get. The steaks already sitting in the case are cut to a common thickness because they have to be cut to something, not because it is the only thickness we cut.
4. Is there an extra cost for custom cuts?
Cutting to your specification is what a butcher counter is for, and it is usually just the meat at its price by the pound. If a request is unusual or takes real extra work, ask when you order and we will tell you before we start rather than after.
5. What if I need a large quantity or a special order?
Call ahead on those. A whole lamb, a custom cut brisket, or enough of one cut to feed a party is worth a couple of days of notice so we can get it in and break it down for you. Ring (404) 941-9171 and ask for the butcher counter. If it is an event rather than a dinner, our catering menu may be the easier route.
6. Can custom cuts help reduce food waste?
Yes. Buying the amount you actually need, cut and packed the way you will use it, means you are not paying for weight that ends up in the bin. It works the other way too: buy a larger piece, have us portion it, and one trip turns into several meals.
Conclusion
Custom butcher cuts offer a level of personalization and quality that’s hard to find in pre-packaged meat. Whether you’re looking for a specific cut, need a particular thickness, or want a special preparation, custom cuts allow you to get exactly what you need for your recipes. At Frazie’s Meat & Market, we’re committed to providing personalized service and high-quality meats tailored to your needs. Visit us today to explore our custom cutting services and have your meat cut exactly how you want it.