[downut]

18 months ago when I moved cross country to the Atlanta area I was delighted and excited to find out that my house was 10 min from a real butcher! OMG, what I always wanted. Then I talked to the counter man (no butcher on site), bought the meats, and then asked some questions about the curing process, and discovered that the reason the meats tasted like Boar's Head is that butcher shop chain (3 stores) explicitly taste competed against Boar's Head. To the point of being "nitrate-free", oops celery is in the label.

No point paying the premium (I would have paid double for authentic charcuterie), and then I tried to buy a goose during the Holidays and nope, can't do that. Haven't been back.

[poulsbohemian]

Keep looking around. In my small town in the middle of nowhere, we have two legit butchers that draw from regional small farms. In any large city I have to assume there are options available. That stated - if there is any way you can participate in a CSA / connect directly with the rancher, I find that the meat is not only superior quality but the prices often are as well. Case in point - my partner recently bought ground beef at Walmart that was $3/pound higher than what I buy from a long-time family friend who raises his beef in an absolutely splendid grass-covered mountain paradise.