Anyone interested in meat and food in Austin has probably heard of Salt & Time butcher shop and Salumeria. And with good reason.
Yes, being a craft butcher is cool again, mainly because people are starting to give more of a crap about where their meat is coming from, what they’re eating, and exploring cuts beyond what the grocery store allows us access to.
Salt & Time proudly work with local producers (in fact, they list their partner ranches on their website for that extra level of transparency), and have some very talented butchers in house. It’s a pretty gorgeous setup, the salumi is bountifully displayed in a grand vintage refrigerator unit, playful “meat flowers” adorn the fresh cuts display, and the public can watch the butchers do their thing through the giant glass window that forms part of the huge walk in fridge.
I was lucky enough to have the S&T team serve the canapé course at the 2014 Austin Carnivores Ball, where they created ‘nduja devilled eggs and cocktail wieners with bourbon barbecue sauce. Between the shop and all the great events they participate in, they also offer butchery classes in pork, lamb and sausage making.
So, what’s better than having a wonderful neighbourhood butcher run by super passionate people who are selling locally sourced meat? Having the same people serve you ready to eat food, of course! Yup, they also run a small eatery in addition to the traditional butcher shop, serving classic sandwiches during the day and fancier plates for dinner. They even do a Sunday brunch (I’ve spotted a pork & waffle offering on their menu that involves deep fried ribs and maguey & black pepper syrup, which I think needs to be in my life fairly soon).
My perennial favorite is their Roast Beast- a ciabatta roll crammed with rare roast beef, caramelized onions, pickled green tomatoes and aioli. And just to put a cherry on top for y’all, they serve beer too!
Drop by sometime, pick up a couple slices of house made bacon or explore a new cut of meat. Even if you only swing by to feed your face with one of their sandwiches, you’ve done yourself a great service.
