Since moving from Los Angeles to southern Charlotte, North Carolina, we'd been looking for places that sell minimally processed food, such as natural foods and organic foods. While searching the web, we discovered What's Your Beef, a butcher shop/deli that sells only natural meats of all kinds. They moved up to Charlotte's Ballantyne area from Waxhaw, which is just south of Charlotte.
Owned and operated by Victor Giroux and John Saari, What's Your Beef is a real live butcher that caters to a wide range of meats cut to order, selling only natural meats, which is a very wise and safe way to eat. According to their website:
All our beef products have NO hormones, NO steroids, and NO antibiotics which makes the beef much more healthy to eat. Also, our beef has an 18-21 day dry-aging process that makes it exceptionally tender and flavorful. Enjoy one taste of our USDA 100% all natural beef, and you'll understand why our beef is the #1 choice for healthy families in North Carolina!
Their website has similar statements about their chickens, lamb, pork and veal. We do understand that much (or all?) of the meats are from local farmers. While they don't claim that any of it is certified organic (except, we believe, the buffalo meat), some years of looking into organics (and talking to an organic farmer or two) have given us to understand that obtaining an organic certification can be a lengthy and cost-prohibitive procedure for small farmers. Therefore, it's important to "know your farmer", as they say.
We first visited What's Your Beef while they were still located in Waxhaw, N.C., and we bought all kinds of meats, such as chicken, beef steak, beef chuck (ground beef), pork chops, sausage and meat balls. We found them all to be delicious as well as nutritious.
Coming from the west coast, we noticed that the quality of the chickens is superior to the ones we had been buying in Los Angeles. We found this true with the other meats too. Don't ask me why; it could have been our imagination. All we know is that the meals were more satisfying, especially the chickens! The taste was so satisfying and that was not our imagination!
What's Your Beef Butchers
What's Your Beef is now located at 14021 Conlan Circle in Charlotte, N.C. 27288. Their phone number is 704 843-5244 (or 704 843-3640). You can email Vic at: vic@whatsyourbeefbutcher.com. And they have a website at: whatsyourbeefbutcher.com.
They are a couple of amiable guys who are quite helpful and friendly and they deserve our business, since they also have our good health in mind. Great meats! Great taste!
Rumor Alert
ADDED June 13, 2010: Another butcher told us last week that What's Your Beef is closing, and that its meat is not natural because natural meat can't be found in this area. According to What's Your Beef's manager, they've heard the rumors, and (a) they're not closing, and (b) the other butcher just hasn't found a source for natural meat in this area. The other butcher seems to be "competing" by means of rumors; in my opinion, not a healthy way to compete. The meats at What's Your Beef are just fine.
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10 Comments for "What's Your Beef butcher in Charlotte, NC"
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Robert
Comment posted on 01/24/10 @ 4:09 pm
Do you ever work with grass-fed beef? Is so, do you cut, age or process it any differently?
Diane Vigil
Comment posted on 01/24/10 @ 8:17 pm
Hi Robert. Actually, we are not butchers ourselves. Our article was about a butcher we'd found in Charlotte.
That said, we have tried grass-fed beef in the past, but don't know much about the aging process there.
Shannon
Comment posted on 05/30/10 @ 10:16 pm
It is my understanding they will not share the name of the "local farmer" from where their meat comes. Their unwillingness is enough for me to purchase my grass-fed beef from a local farmer and skip the (secretive) middle-man.
Diane Vigil
Comment posted on 05/30/10 @ 10:26 pm
You have a point, Shannon. It does behoove us to take care where our food comes from, as well as its quality.
On the other hand, they may just be protecting their sources — otherwise, people could go directly to the source and skip them entirely. (Note that that's just speculation on my part.) I do know that, back when I was researching the Charlotte area, I'd looked at some local companies that were in essence middlemen/delivery companies, and learned where they were getting their products … at which point I could go directly to the producers.
Well, some people may wish to do just that. I don't think I'd be traveling to farms around the area, since I don't know any yet, just to get a good steak.
And, that said, it seems like a butcher could get better prices for bulk purchases, and thus make a profit anyway. But that, too, is my speculation.
Shannon
Comment posted on 05/31/10 @ 12:34 pm
If you need local grass fed beef just let me know. ;) I can connect you directly with a farmer that prices fairly and produces delicious meat.
Diane Vigil
Comment posted on 05/31/10 @ 5:46 pm
Hi Shannon. Sure, I'd love to know.
Joanna
Comment posted on 06/6/10 @ 8:03 am
Shannon,
I would love the farmer's information as well! Thanks.
Shannon
Comment posted on 06/6/10 @ 9:49 pm
We get grass-fed (not grain finished) from Chad at Creekside Farms.
http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M28867
We also get our pork from him, but do not buy eggs or chickens because there is soy in his feed. For soy free eggs and broilers we raise them in the backyard. ;)
His beef and pork is delicious.
Diane Vigil
Comment posted on 06/6/10 @ 9:52 pm
Thanks, Shannon. This is most helpful.
Diane Vigil
Comment posted on 06/14/10 @ 8:02 pm
We've added a Rumor Alert to the article above because George was told by a competing butcher that What's Your Beef was not only moving, but that their meats were not natural because natural meats could not be found in the area. George confirmed with What's Your Beef that they're not moving and that the competing butcher simply had not been able to locate a local source of natural meat. I'm not crazy about rumor-mongering as a method of doing "business".
I wanted to add one thing: I don't think that a merchant's unwillingness to disclose his resources automatically means he/she is doing something wrong or has something to hide. I suspect it's just a matter of protecting resources, which I'd guess that many companies do. Your mileage may vary; that's just my take on it.
At any rate, if you want to drive to a farm, great. If you want to buy from a butcher, great. I'm certainly not adamant about either one. :)