The Meat House – June Quick Look

The Meat House is on a mission, and with the opening of their seventh store in Pembroke, owners Jason Parent and Justin Rosberg continue to further that mission of “bringing the Old World meats of the neighborhood butcher to the new world.” And, says Mel Hollidge general manager, of the Pembroke store. “Our products and service demonstrate the same old-school commitment to quality.” The stores focus on selling the highest-rated all-natural, hormone and antibiotic free, corn-fed prime and choice cuts of beef. They also sell dry aged beef, which is rarely found today outside of the most expensive restaurants. Poultry and other meats, including homemade sausages and deli products, complete their meat cases.

Because my husband and I had not tasted aged beef since living in New York City 30 years ago, my first purchase had to be a dried aged rib eye steak cut to my husband’s favorite thickness of 2 inches and very much a special occasion purchase. It was an education watching the butcher trim the beef of its aged, hard crust to uncover a deliciously moist piece of deep red meat. A marinade, to tenderize or add flavor, would be unthinkable for this steak. I preheated the oven to 400 degrees, seared both sides of the steak on top of the stove and baked it in the oven until rare – our favorite way of preparing steaks indoors. I sprinkled it with fine sea salt and let the luscious looking meat rest for a painfully-long ten minutes. Our memories had not deceived us about the flavor, but the tenderness was extraordinary.

Later in the week we enjoyed the loin lamb chops, again cut to order to be double thickness, with a bit of Dijon mustard painted on each side and prepared as I had with the steak.

I tried the steak tips with “mild Italian herbs and seasonings.” Not being a great fan of “in-house” marinades, I was pleasantly surprised that this marinade complemented the meat perfectly.

– Helen Brody

The Meat House,16 Sheep Davis Road
Pembroke, (603) 227-5261, open daily
Visit www.themeathouse.comf