Leave it to Cleaver

These traditional local butcher shops are a home-chef’s holiday savior

Like a skilled hairstylist or a trustworthy mechanic, a good butcher is hard to find. And we’re not talking about the white-garbed dude behind the meat counter at your local supermarket. We’re talking a true artisan; a man (or a woman, but most likely a man) who knows more about beef, game and poultry than most professional chefs. In short, the person who can save your bacon when it’s time to feast and fête with family and friends.

Let’s start this ‘carni-copia’ at Hobe Meats, the iconic 55-year-old chop shop in north-central Phoenix. Here, owner/butcher/counterman Bret Pont carves up a mouth-watering selection of house-aged Prime steaks and premium seafood, as well as more exotic offerings including veal and wild boar. Hobe also stocks plenty of holiday favorites, including prime rib, rib roast and beef tenderloin—all cut and prepped to order. Don’t see what you’re looking for? Just ask and Pont will special order anything, “from alligator to zebra,” he says with no apparent hint of a smile. (6044 N. 16th St., 602-604-2333)

Across town in Chandler, Von Hanson’s Meats & Spirits is the sole outpost of this famed butcher shop located outside of Minnesota. That means, aside from a belt-busting selection of beef, chicken and pork products, Von Hanson’s is also sausage central. Choose between 70 different varieties of fresh and smoked links, including Scandinavian specialties such as Swedish potato sausage, lutefisk and herring salad if you’re into that sort of thing. (2390 N. Alma School Rd., 480-917-2525)

For the rest of us who don’t have access to a neighborhood butcher shop, drop by the butcher’s corner of your local AJ’s Fine Foods. Sure it’s a little pricey, but when you’re basking in the glow of relatives rendered incapable of arguing thanks to a perfect rack of lamb, it will all be well worth it.