Bryan I.
Yelp
I am stoked to have found another friendly, affordable, and local meat shop in PDX!
It's easy to get really good quality meat in PDX, but especially near the city center the prices are so high you'll have to give your own arm and leg just to get one from a cow!
Although they've only been around since 2011, Cason's has their butcher shop & BBQ chops down to a science, giving the perfect combination of fresh, expertly cut meat (much of which is relatively local), along with low prices.
I went there looking for pork baby back ribs for a big dinner. Although disappointed they had run out (it was 6pm on a Friday, so I wasn't surprised there was a run on ribs for weekend grilling), they still had plenty of pork spare ribs, so I got 2 full racks (only ~$2.70/lb!; ended up being just over $20 total) that ended up easily feeding 7 people.
The friendly employee also advised me on how to cook them to perfection. Looking online there were dozens of different ways people recommended involving all kinds of marinades, mop sauces, rubs, etc, but by following his simplistic instructions the ribs turned out to be a huge success; thick, juicy, flavorful, moist, and nicely marbled ribs. MMMMmmmmMmmmm!!!
I think they stack up to the famous Gartner's Meat Market in just about every way except for selection. They carry pretty much all of the standard cuts of beef & pork (ribs, steaks, ground meat, etc) and chicken, however definitely call ahead to check availability if there's a specific cut you need to have. I hope to see this shop grow in popularity and volume, which will enable them to carry an even wider selection in the future.
Others have raved about their prepared meats, and from blocks away I could smell the sumptuous aroma of a variety of slow-smoking amino acid complexes on their outdoor grill indicating they were right. Although it smelled amazing I was on a mission to get only raw meat, so I wasn't able to try any, but next time I need pre-cooked BBQ for a fast meal I'll definitely stop in!
The only real con to note is that they're closed on Sundays, so if you didn't plan ahead and need to buy meat then, you'll have to go somewhere else.
Bonuses:
- They have a good selection of spices and sauces to make this the only stop you'll need for grilling.
- Every Friday (3-7pm, June-September) during the summer they have the Kenton Farmer's Market just across the street, making it easy to get just about any food-stuffs you need for the next week.
- Plenty of parking on the street
- Although it's WAY up in the NoPo Kenton district, it is quickly accessible from I-5 and Interstate Avenue (as always, Interstate traffic can get gnarly during rush hour so plan accordingly)