The Meat Hook Hangs Its Newest Whole-Animal Butchery Shingle In Hudson
The Meat Hook, a whole-animal butcher shop, started in Brooklyn and popularized in the lighthearted and informative Youtube series Prime Time, has just opened an outpost in Hudson. Founder Brent Young says it wasn’t Hudson’s cultural cachet that brought him here, but rather a desire to be close to the regional farm partners using the grass-fed, free-range and regenerative farming practices that The Meat Hook champions.
“My motivation for opening more shops is truly that this is an investment not just in farms, but in people,” Young said. “We have an amazing team at The Meat Hook. We want to be able to trace back where everything's coming from and sing their praises. We want to be able to offer everything that a whole animal butcher shop has, a diversity of cuts, being able to get things fresh, and real expertise in cooking and butchering.”
Located at 322 Warren Street, the Hudson Meat Hook is the third location for the brand and first outside NYC. When Young started the business 15 years ago Kinderhook Farm in Valatie, New York, was one of the shop’s first suppliers. Kinderhook Farm sends The Meat Hook whole sides of beef for Young and his team to expertly process into popular and less appreciated cuts usually relegated for the grinder or the butcher’s dinner table. Diversity of offering and meticulous sourcing built The Meat Hook a reputation quickly and Young is quick to give Kinderhook Farm founder Lee Ranney a lot of the credit.
“It’s very exciting they’re here,” said Ranney, adding that Young’s farm-to-butcher block work ethic isn’t some superficial marketing ploy. “We were there at the beginning. They walk the walk and talk the talk.”
Along with running a highly labor-intensive enterprise, Young has proven to be a passionate booster and educator of the virtues of responsibly-sourced whole-animal butchery. In their Prime Time series for Eater, Young and former co-owner Ben Turley brought expertise and humor to the popular show. In one of the most interesting episodes the pair visited Kinderhook Farm to taste the difference between a traditional steak and one from a 15-year-old cow.
“We definitely couldn’t have done any of this without them,” Young said of Kinderhook Farm. “We try to connect our customers with the narrative that the farming is very, very important. We think it’s important how we're processing whole animals, how we’re selling absolutely everything, and making creative things out of it, but being able to have the farms be a part of that story is really where the whole thing gets wings.”
Along with Kinderhook Farm, The Meat Hook also partners with Gibson Family Farm in Valley Falls, New York for pork and lamb, Hardwick Beef from Vermont, and Snowdance Farm in New York's Sullivan County for poultry. The Meat Hook actually sells a lot of chicken. During COVID lockdown, The Meat Hook’s business boomed in every area, but Young was shocked at how much chicken breast they sold. The restructuring of the business’s infrastructure that took place during the pandemic was a big reason why Young was able to manage expanding to a third store.
With eyes on the busy summer season in Hudson, Young says he’s looking to up the local barbecue game. The butcher table, visible right behind the counter, can supply any imaginable cut of beef pork and lamb, along with extremely popular sausages for high-end applications or just slapping on the grill.
Meat Hook Hudson Manager Sam Turner in the walk-in
“The simplicity of it all is where it really shines,” Young said. “Now you can just buy exactly what you want from down the street. And it came from a farm you already know. I think that it's just the most fun thing to just come to a butcher shop, tell us what you’re looking to do and have a conversation about what we have and what you want to make.”
But it’s not all meat at The Meat Hook, believe it of not. The front of the shop also has a versatile selection of produce and curated pantry items. Young said now that the business has landed in Hudson he’s intent on expanding his farm network to offer a one-stop shop for the best fresh product around.
“I wasn’t doing market research (on Hudson) when thinking about opening this,” Young said with a laugh, “It's really just a gut feeling, because these farm relationships exist, and it's honestly been so fruitful, both for the Meat Hook and for our farm partners. Together we’ve been able to take the whole thing a step further and now, because we are up here, we can help other farmers and develop other relationships. That’s really where I want to go with the company and this business.”
The Meat Hook
322 Warren Street, Hudson
(518) 249-4757
Open Thursday - Monday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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