Has anyone else noticed the (slow) revival of the neighborhood butcher shop?

I live in Phoenix, and amidst the massive development, crazy traffic, and triple digit summers exists a reason to still stick around: a gem off of McDowell Rd and 7th Ave called Underbelly Meat Co.

Underbelly Meat Co is what I imagine a neighborhood butcher shop must have been like “back in the day.” In my 40s, I’m not old enough to remember those butcher shop days because the big box grocery stores had already taken over when I was a kid.

When I step into Underbelly Meat Co, I feel like this is what my parents must’ve experienced, but perhaps butcher shop version 2.0.

Many of us are not connected to where our food comes. We often know more about the price of something than the history of it.

This butcher shop provides more than cuts of meats; it helps connect people to the farmers and ranchers raising the animals.

To say that the butcher shop co-owner, Dustin Dahlin, is committed to integrity in the animals he butchers and who he gets them from is the proverbial understatement. The man knows meat and butchery. He also knows where to source his supply from: local ranchers and farmers that give a damn about how they raise animals and what they feed them.

As the meat industry has become increasingly consolidated and concentrated, it has also become increasingly challenging and expensive to source from local ranchers that aren’t part of a feedlot model of housing and feeding animals. If you want to source good meat, you have to consciously put in the effort. That’s why Underbelly’s tagline is: Quality Meats. Mindfully Sourced.

Dustin educates customers on the importance of sourcing, eating, and properly preparing & cooking 100% grass-fed meats and pigs raised on pastures.

The first time I visited the shop, he gave me a tour of his cold storage walk-in where they age their meat. He knew where every butchered animal came from and explained the techniques they used to develop the best flavor and texture from the meat.

It’s evident how passionate Dustin is about operating a legit butcher shop, but I also have to mention the burgers, sandwhiches, and salami that the shop creates to showcase the quality meats they carry. Their Hatch Green Chile burger, using AZ Grass Raised Beef, is something I still think about at least once a week. Their Sloppy Cheezy sandwhich is something I’ve tried to recreate at home but just cant do. And they make a Salami Cotto so tasty and addicting that I refer to it as “meat candy.”

If you’re in Phoenix, visiting this butcher shop and trying a sandwhich is a must.

Underbelly is a touchpoint that helps connect the 98% of us not directly involved with bringing food to our tables with the 2% that work hard to do so.

I hope butcher shops like this become a new norm.

To learn more about Underbelly Meat Co:

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Watch: I Found the Healthiest Grass Fed Steak - Paul Saladino MD

Read: From Ranch to Table: Meet Phoenix’s New Sustainable Butcher Shop

Listen: Underbelly Meat Co - Eat My Words by Arizona Highways Magazine