Brooklyn Butchers

Maybe you've noticed that everybody is really into eating pig flesh again. Lamb, too. Also duck, elk, quail, and even bunny. This stuff is all over new menus in Brooklyn right now. In general it seems the anemic felchers behind the veggie and raw-food movements are getting their titties stomped once again by revivalist carnivores. Me? I remain a mildly embarrassed vegetarian, a byproduct of being way too into hardcore as a suburban teen. As punishment for my moral fortitude, the Vice zookeepers requested I hoof around Brooklyn and interview a bunch of old families and new faces who service the borough's meat needs, chopping animals into menstrual-colored morsels of what I'm sure is a mind-twisting tenderness. These are the folks who get whole carcasses of animals delivered to them daily, handle their own butchery, and even string up sausages right there on-site. And just for my slew of local Jewish pals, I made a run by a Kosher butcher and found out what makes their friendly brand of murdered animal so special.

Steve's Meat Market 104 Nassau Ave., Greenpoint

Vice: So how long has Steve's Meat Market been around? Stephen Tychanski:

Since 1972.

What type of people give you the most money for all this meat?

Mostly Polish people from the neighborhood. But we have a lot more variations of people coming in now.

I hear your kielbasa is the best around. True?

Yes. That's definitely our specialty. We have a whole bunch of different kinds.

What's your favorite?

My favorite is the wedding kielbasa.

How do you make it so good?

There are a lot of different mixtures of spices. We also consider fat content, leanness of the meat, and there's also different degrees of grinding the meat.

What is kielbasa anyway?

It's smoked Polish sausage. Here, try some.

I actually don't eat meat. I'm sorry.

No. I noticed a lot of girls who live around here are vegetarian. So, I don't know… You can try the cheese?

Sure. If I were to give up all my morals and values and denounce vegetarianism right now, what would you suggest I eat?

You can try anything right now!

Oh no. I'm just kidding. But if I was to…

Well then, you wouldn't be vegetarian anymore.

You think Steve's kielbasa could change my mind?

Definitely.

You guys are owned by the same people who run Diner and Marlow & Sons. How did this butcher shop come to be?

Marlow & Daughters 95 Broadway, South Williamsburg

Vice: This butcher shop is pretty new, right? How long has it been here? Sara Kramer:

As a stand-alone butcher shop, almost a year now. Diner's been open almost 11 years now, and the idea behind it was always to have many locally sourced, humanely and sustainably raised animals, vegetables, and all products in general. Marlow & Sons followed. Then the owners decided what they really wanted to do, the philosophy of using whole animals, wasn't really possible unless you are doing it yourself. The bigger the pieces of meat that we get, the more work it is for us, but the easier it is for us to get to do what we want to with it.

Traditionally, butcher shops tend to be steeped in years of tradition. Marlow & Daughters is a baby compared to other Brooklyn shops. How have you guys been received?

Pretty well. We have a lot of regular customers coming in who are very frank with us about what they like and don't like.

It's pretty rare to see a girl butcher. How did you get into it?

Well, I am a cook, but I came to this because I think it is really important to understand the whole process. For example, to understand where food's coming from within the animal, and to understand the overall picture instead of just the final result.

I heard you guys sell tail. People eat that?

Yeah, we do have pigtails. We don't try and get in pigtails just to have them because, you know, only one comes per animal.

What's the most unusual pieces of meat that you guys sell?

We have pretty much anything you can imagine, from innards and kidneys… Someone came in today for a pig heart.

Whoa.

Yeah, people have bought whole lamb heads and half a pig's head. Pretty serious. People are just getting into it, which is great.

So these things right here, trotters. Those are actual pig's feet.

They are.

How could someone cook that? They still have hooves!

Any number of ways. Pig's feet are really good for making a really rich stock, actually.

Have you always been a big fan of meat then?

I was vegan.

Seriously?

Los Paisanos 162 Smith St., Carroll Gardens

Vice: Who are you? Mike Affronti: I'm the owner, second generation.

How long have you guys been in Carroll Gardens?

Over 40 years. It's a family-run business. We've been here so long because we treat every customer who comes in this store as if they are family.

You must have a lot of old regulars who still come in.

We've had customers coming in here since I remember them 40 years ago. Some real old timers still come in with their family helping them or their wheelchairs or their walkers… But the old school, they're still here. They know where we're at.

What's the most important thing about owning a butcher shop?

We work on cleanliness, freshness, and customer satisfaction. That's our main goal over here. It's quality meat, the prices are right, and we treat everybody individually.

I heard you guys carry a lot of exotic meats.

We do. We carry buffalo, venison, elk… Some of it is in stock and some of it just has to be ordered.

What are the rules you go by when handling the meat?

Well, you're hanging around knives all day long, it's just common sense.

Any accidents over the years?

Yeah. Not that many, but enough.

Mostly fingers?

Yeah, we've lost a couple of sections…

Are you the best butcher shop in Brooklyn?

Put it this way, I just got a letter from Yelp. I'm still on their list as a five star.

Avi Glatt Kosher

1002 Quentin Rd., Flatbush

Vice: And you are? Avi Jajati: The owner.

How long have you guys been here?

We've been at this location about six years. We have a different location that we started in New York about 17 years ago.

And your family owns both of them?

Yes. Family owned, third generation. We're originally from Syria. We have the same business there that my great, great, great grandpa started.

Who's your clientele?

Anyone from Israelis to Americans to Syrians.

What are the major differences between kosher and nonkosher meat?

The one who does the slaughtering must be Jewish. There are also rules you must follow when cleaning the animal, especially the lungs. The lungs must be cleaner than that of other animals who aren't kosher. There's also differences between the cuts of meat. The top half of the animal is kosher, the bottom half is not. The cleaning process is different as well. There's a process where the meat is soaked in salt that helps clean the blood and any bacteria.

So, basically it's just not being a lazy bum and taking the time to thoroughly clean the animals?

And we choose healthier animals.

Since there are so many restrictions surrounding the upbringing of these animals, it must affect their diet, too.

Yes, they're grass-fed and corn-fed only.

What type of meat do you sell here then?

We sell beef, lamb, veal, chickens, and buffalo. No pork, for sure.

Is there intense training for anybody who starts as a butcher?

Yes, there is a certain learning process involved. We focus on teaching them the parts of the animal to cut off and the proper cleaning of the meat. They'll spend about three weeks watching an already established butcher.

Like an apprenticeship?

Yes, they just watch. We'll start them first on chickens, and then move on to cutting, packing, and then they get to take the bone out and final preparation of the meat.

So, cutting up chickens is like kindergarten for new butchers?

Yes, they're the easiest way to go.