Edible Guide: Butcher Shops
It’s officially BBQ season, which means Vancouver Island butchers are sharpening their knives in anticipation of the onslaught of omnivores looking to find interesting, unique and mouth-watering cuts of meat to throw on the grill. There is a strong correlation between financial hard times and the rise in popularity of nose-to-tail butchery. Independent butcher shops tend to carry cheaper off-cuts, lesser-known cuts, offal and whole animals for less than what a big grocery store meat department will carry. Combined with an increase in passion for sustainable and responsible farming, as well as the increase in savvy foodies looking for more than just a rib-eye steak and chicken wings, it’s no wonder independent butcher shops are having a moment.
Greg Wilson is the owner and head butcher of The Butcher’s Block in downtown Courtney. Wilson is self-taught, brought on by the original owners of the shop that opened the store back in 1985. At the time, Wilson was working as a cook in the Vancouver restaurant industry. In 1992, he took ownership of the butcher shop, and the business is now a family affair with Wilson’s son Colby joining the business four years ago. Wilson enjoys the hard work of breaking down an animal and creating charcuterie items such as pepperoni and sausages, but he really enjoys building relationships with the customers, farmers and all the businesses he supplies in the North Island region, including fishing and logging camps.
Having worked in the industry for the past 30 years, Wilson has seen a few changes. “Way more dudes as customers,” chuckles Wilson, perhaps a reflection of the increase in popularity of cooking shows and internet-famous chefs. The last couple of years have also seen changes due to COVID. “Lots of people seem to be more aware of the food supply chain now and seek out local products,” adds Colby. Combined with a growing population in the Comox Valley, this means more business than ever for the father–son duo.
“Our competitive prices, the quality of the animals and the relationship we have with our local farmers,” answers Wilson when asked why his regulars keep coming back, some of them patrons for over three decades. “We work with a lot of local farmers and have for many years, so we know the quality of the meat is exceptional,” Wilson continues. Plus, there are plenty of reasons to visit this shop other than quality cuts; they are also a full-service deli serving up daily sandwiches, soups, meat pies, salads and a spectacular house-made sausage roll.
On the South Island, owners of Haus Sausage Co. Kyle Clayton and Shane Harwood have also seen changes in their business since they opened their boutique butcher and charcuterie business in 2017. “People’s food knowledge changed during the pandemic; maybe they had more time to watch cooking shows and learn new skills. They were asking for more adventurous items,” says Harwood. For example, guanciale, an Italian-inspired cured meat product prepared from pork cheek, is a new hot item for their business.
Like Wilson, both Clayton and Harwood started their careers in restaurants working as chefs and in small charcuterie programs. It’s not uncommon for butchers to be trained in both arts; having a chef’s eye for flavour and balance is an important trait when looking to make gourmet sausages or complex smoked brisket. Clayton and Harwood met while working at The Whole Beast in Oak Bay and both fell in love with butchering and charcuterie under owner Cory Pelan’s tutelage. Clayton trained as a Red Seal chef at Camosun College and Harwood is self-taught, having worked in the meat department at a grocery store when he was 18 years old before moving into the restaurant industry.
“I like the history and the storytelling that comes with butchering,” says Harwood. “I like working with my hands and the methodical nature of the work." Harwood and Clayton mostly work with pork coming from strictly vetted small farms from Metchosin and the Comox Valley. Like Wilson, Clayton and Harwood are very particular about how the animals are farmed and slaughtered. “Our clients trust us to source the best quality,” says Clayton. “Sometimes this industry can be a lot of smoke and mirrors, but we are truly creating a product that is local.” Their clients are educated but diverse. They work with both chefs from high-end restaurants like Saveur in Victoria and your average family that shops weekly at one of the many farmers' markets they attend, like Moss Street Market or the Saturday market in Duncan.
Quality, trust, artistry, sustainability and variety are all great reasons to visit a local butcher shop, but it also comes down to taste. Whether from the succulent lamb The Butcher’s Block sources from a family farm in the Comox Valley or the turkey hot dogs with no filler or colour newly released from Haus Sausage Co., good quality butchering tastes better. So go ahead: talk to your local butcher and make this summer season the best BBQ year yet.
