Going Out No. 10: MEAT
Can we eat meat responsibly?
Welcome! This is the “Going Out” edition of Riley’s Recs, where I review a restaurant, bar, or activity here in Portland. Every Sunday, I also share “Staying In” recipe recommendations for your week. What should I write about next? Feel free to leave a comment on this post or submit your idea here. And don’t forget to check out pdxrecs.com for even more recommendations. Enjoy!
Over the past few weeks we’ve watched hurricanes wreak havoc across the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico. As global temperatures rise, so do these extreme weather events and our doubts in our ability to stop them from happening. Watch this TV meteorologist get emotional talking about the hurricanes and the helplessness he feels in the face of climate change.
I’m not here to provide an expert opinion on how to curb climate change or to provide any commentary on the hurricanes. But, as I prepared a post about butchers and delis here in Portland for this week’s Going Out, it felt right to acknowledge the outsized role meat and dairy production play in climate change, and, ultimately, in contributing to weather events like those we’ve seen over the past few weeks. Might feel like a leap, but it’s not: livestock emissions account for about 15-20% of greenhouse gas emissions.
To adapt to this new reality, we should probably eat less meat and dairy if not stop altogether. But I totally get that meat consumption is an incredibly difficult habit to change. I’m right there with you: it’s socially and logistically inconvenient. Meat, after all, is a cheat code. When we don’t know what to cook, we reach for steak or roasted chicken. If we’re having people over, we’ll barbecue sausages and burgers.
But as my income has increased and my ability to shop at specialty markets has too, I have started to change my meat consumption habits. My rule of thumb is: I should eat less meat, eggs, or dairy, but when I do eat it, I have to be willing to spend more time and money to buy “high welfare” products that are sourced locally. Aka products I can feel better about because animals are treated humanely prior to slaughter and aren’t further contributing to carbon emissions via long-haul shipping.
Because the issue in my mind is not necessarily that we eat animals: it’s that we eat too many animals and that we mistreat them before we kill them.
Why do we mistreat animals when nearly 70% of Americans agree that animal wellness is important?
Efficiency: the more we can get out of one animal, the more cost efficient. The closer we can pen chickens together, the more pigs we can fit into a pen, etc. Here’s an example of how cows are farmed and raised that shows how we maximize an animal’s utility:
Dairy Cows: milked and bred their entire life before being sent to slaughter.
Male Calves from Dairy Cows: male calves of dairy cows are often slaughtered young and turned into dog food because they are poor-quality meat.
Beef Cows: sent to roam (ideally) and then slaughtered.
Complicated regulations: despite positive effects from the organic food movement, organic labeling is a mess and carries unintended consequences. With cows, for example, if you give a sick cow antibiotics, you lose your organic status for that cow. Therefore, in order to avoid giving a cow antibiotics, oftentimes farmers will let a cow suffer prolonged medical issues. It’s a very understandable predicament for the farmer that leads to lots of unintended consequences and troubling incentives. In general, it’s fair to say that the USDA is extremely underfunded, farmers are extremely overburdened, and animals can be treated inhumanely as a result.
There’s definitely an argument to be made that individual changes like eating less meat won’t markedly impact meat production and climate change. But I don’t think it’s productive to fall for the false dichotomy of: it’s I change or the government changes. In the words of the Taco Bell dog, “Por que no los dos?” (TBH there are a lot of reasons for people not to change their meat consumption habits: cost, time, dietary needs, etc. But if you are able to make changes, then why not?)
So, if you’re able and interested in changing your meat habits, this week’s “Going Out” is for you. I’m featuring butchers and delis in Portland where you can buy high-welfare meat you can feel better about because they come from farms that strive to treat their animals humanely and/or use regenerative farming techniques that are better for the planet.
For all of you outside of the Portland area, don’t feel left out! Here’s a handy tool that tells you which grocery store products have animal welfare certifications. Honestly, it’s great for anyone looking to buy more ethically sourced meat, produce, etc.
Gartner’s Meat Market
Address: 7460 NE Lombard
What to buy: marinated beef short rubs, barbecue marinade, and BBQ packs.
Price point: $$
I didn’t mention in the intro just how gross meat processing facilities are. Meat grinders, for example, are famously dirty and underregulated, which is often what leads to things like salmonella outbreaks.
Thankfully, shopping local at places like Gartner’s where you know that grinding happens on site and by trained professionals with high quality standards, can help reduce the risk of you eating crummy ground beef.
Aside from employing safe food practices, Gartner’s also sources their meat from Carlton Farms. While this is one of the largest farms in Oregon, it also has gained a reputation for its humane and safe treatment practices. I struggled to find any animal welfare certifications online, but I feel better knowing that Carlton is trusted by so many well-known distributors and restaurants.
Now, the fun stuff: Gartner’s is a take-a-number butcher that’s been open and family-run since 1959. It’s most famous for its marinated short-ribs. These are thin-sliced Korean-style beef ribs that come bone-in or boneless. I recommend bone-in so that you get the satisfying feel of the meat peeling off the bone. They are tender and dressed in Gartner’s famous marinade. They are seriously so good. Grilling Gartner’s short-ribs has been a birthday tradition in my family for years, and I still get excited every time we get to eat them.
Outside of ribs, I recommend ordering any of their other marinated meats and Kabobs or going for one of their many “Meat Packs” that are designed to help you cook throughout the month or for large occasions like BBQs. They come wrapped and ready to store in your freezer so that you can pull out and defrost whenever you’re ready to cook.
Revel Meat Co.
Address: 2340 NE Sandy Blvd
What to buy: bone-in pork chops, fish, pork gyoza dumplings
Price point: $$$
Revel Meat is a cut above (forgive the pun). If you’re looking for the absolute best quality, humanely raised meat: look no further than this meat counter tucked in the corner of Providore Foods on NE Sandy.
Revel Meat Co. plays many roles: it’s a small-scale processor (aka where animals are slaughtered), distributor, and retailer. They partner with local independent ranchers to sell their meat through Revel’s whole-animal butcher shop as well as distribute to restaurants and other retailers. Revel Meat’s goal is to ensure that Oregonians have access to high-quality, 100% traceable local meat options. They are one of the last remaining small-scale processors in the state, which used to have more than 1,000 options.
I don’t want to move past this 100% traceable commitment too quickly. Because it’s incredible. In 2021, Revel Meat was awarded a USDA Local Food Promotion Grant to implement an expanded traceability program, which uses RFID tags to keep digitized records of every animal they process—from the moment it’s born all the way through to processing and butchering. Soon, when you scan a QR code on one of Revel Meat’s packages, you’ll be able to see all of this information about where an animal was raised.
It’s no surprise that Revel Meat is housed in Providore, a heaven-on-earth grocery store. If you’ve never been, Providore is an artisanal grocery store filled with curated snacks, condiments, produce, wine, and more. It’s truly an outing in-and-of-itself. I don’t know anyone who can afford to do 100% of their grocery shopping here, but Providore can always be trusted for high-quality options.
Edelweiss Delicatessen
Address: 3119 SE 12th Ave
What to buy: pre-cooked hot Hungarian sausage, ham, bologna, Reuben sandwich, and chocolate wafer cookies
Price point: $
I want to talk about the deli and meat options at Edelweiss, and I will, but first we have to acknowledge just how goddamn cute it is in here. They do not falter in their commitment to Bavarian decor and charm. You’ll find mini kegs of German lager, shelves filled with chocolate and imported cookies, several Sauerkraut varieties, and fridges stocked with imported European beers. You’ll also find other random odds-and-ends. I cannot understand why, but behind the counter you’ll see mop heads, Nivea body products, and wooden Cuckoo clocks. As I was waiting in line for my Hot Hungarian sausages and honey beef jerky, I heard a woman exclaim “Ooh, they have schmalz!”
Although Edelweiss is tucked behind an Arco gas station off of Powell, it’s not under the radar. Guy Fieri featured the store and described their bologna as “out of bounds” and one of the best he’s ever eaten.
You’d think with in-house meats and imported goods Edelweiss would be expensive, but no. It has grocery store pricing. If not cheaper? I saw Stumptown Coffee, for example, being sold for $12.99 a bag, which I definitively know is cheaper than New Seasons or QFC. Sausages end up being about $2.99 per link. This is an affordable option if you’d like to buy locally-sourced, locally-made meats and sausages.
Although there’s no information online, I called and confirmed that Edelweiss, like Gartner’s, sources their meat from Carlton Farms. Nearly every meat and sausage product is made on site, and it’s clear this family-run business cares deeply about what they serve.
I recommend stopping by during the lunch hours so you can grab a Reuben sandwich and a beer or Reisling while you’re there.
Scratch Meats
Address: farmer’s markets or online
What to buy: maple breakfast links, butifarra, lamb merguez, and hot Italian sausages
Price point: $$
Scratch Meats has the best sausages in town. From maple breakfast sausage links to more specialized varieties like morcilla and sobresatta, you’ll find whatever sausage you’re looking for at Scratch Meats.
They mostly operate out of farmer’s markets (and give out delicious samples!), but you can also order online. Another benefit to checking out their website is that they have plenty of instructions on how to cook sausages, which, in case you need a refresher, mostly boils down to: low-and-slow.
According to their website, they source the “highest quality, humanely raised local meats and are proud to use just meat, seasoning and salt (no added filler or preservatives).” This is great for those of us watching our cholesterol and blood pressure and trying to avoid processed meats.
You’ll see that I frequently mention Scratch Meats in the Staying In newsletter recipe notes. That’s because last year I got a box freezer for the garage, and it’s been a great excuse to keep their sausages on hand all year long.
Resources
Find grocery store products with animal welfare certifications.
Search Engine podcast: “Can you microdose veganism?”
The Atlantic: “The truth about organic milk”
Peter Laufer’s book: “Organic: A Journalist's Quest to Discover the Truth behind Food”
ProPublica: “America’s Food Safety System Failed to Stop a Salmonella Epidemic. It’s Still Making People Sick”
Best ways to cook sausages: “Scratch Meats How To”
Olympia Provisions on Factory Farming