Hem B.
Yelp
The Meat Hook - Hudson is a new butcher shop in the area. The owner, Brent Young, has another Meat Hook in Brooklyn. Both Brent and former owner, Ben Turley, may be familiar faces as they have appeared on several YouTube "Eater" videos. They both seem like nice, funny people.
I was ready to really like this place because of the "familiarity" provided by social media exposure. Frankly, I wasn't wowed by what I bought. No complaints at all with the butcher, who was very accommodating. When I asked for pork belly, he asked if I wanted skin on or off. He also asked for the amount I wanted. 1 lb. and it was perfectly trimmed of skin, leaving unctuous layers of fat and meat. Cool. All good.
House made hamburgers. This is where it went a little awry for me. Usually, it's an 80/20 mix of lean meat to fat. This was on the fattier side, more like 60/40. I wish I took a picture of it. I cooked the burger in an 8" skillet. By the time I thought the inside was cooked through (medium), the burger was literally swimming in its own fat. I ate it, after draining it on paper towels, but it wasn't what I expected.
Is there a learning curve when you prepare organic meats as opposed to mass market stuff? Some items may be leaner and require less time to cook while other, fattier items, may not? Could the butcher provide a bit of info to inform the customers of what to expect?
I admit I'm a bit ignorant on how to properly prepare these items. I'm willing to learn and I'll try again.