Montello Meat Market is located in Grand Rapid's Downtown Market. It specializes in dry-aged beef, sourced from Michigan farms. It also carries a wide variety of other meats that are raised close to market without the use of antibiotics or hormones. Tony Larson keeps a fresh meat case and a freezer case stocked seven days a week and is continually introducing new and interesting products and services for his customers.
"Michigan apples, Michigan cider and Michigan pork" is Larson's description of his new cider sausage featuring Virtue Cider, a product that was born during BRATober, a
Montello Meat Market October tradition where the butcher shop creates a new specialty sausage every weekend using Michigan products. The cider sausage proved to be so popular, it is now a fixture in their butcher case. Another new product developed specifically for the holidays was a "Turducken Jr.," a unique take on the Cajun classic. It's "a turkey thigh and duck breast stuffed inside of a chicken," says Larson.
The rhythm continues after Thanksgiving. For the more adventuresome, Larson suggests you try goat, which he sources from a small farm in Dorr, Michigan. "It's a sweeter, leaner red meat," he says. "More like beef than lamb." For the more traditional palate, Larson advises you to get your orders in early for their standing rib roasts, which he says will probably be sold out two weeks before the holidays.
After the new year, Larson will be introducing a
series of classes, all being taught at the Downtown Market, beginning in January. These will range from learning about various cuts of beef to making great burgers to mastering the grill.
With the addition of two new staff, the family-owned and operated Montello's now employs 11. The butcher shop is open seven days a week during regular market hours.
Writer: John Rumery, Innovation and Jobs News Editor
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