Applestone's meat-o-mat

Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes
1

I don’t know how many of you in the NYC are are familiar with Fleisher’s, the “craft” butcher. I first came on them in downtown Kingston, but that shop closed recently and they are now “just” in Brooklyn and on Irving Place in Manhattan.

It turns out that the former owners have now launched Applestone Meat Co., using vending machines. Yup, like the old Automat machines. They bill themselves as the 24/7 butcher. The first location is in Stone Ridge, NY, in Ulster County, not far from Kingston. Another location is promised.

The meats are vacuum packed and you can see the weight and price through the vending machine windows.

And, damn, if the meat isn’t good! The dry aged sirloin we had on Saturday was spectacular. It’s a great idea in a non-urban area, in particular, where it doesn’t make sense to keep a shop open at night, or perhaps even to staff it all day.

Here are pix:
Applestone 1.jpg
Applestone 2.jpg

2

way cool. I love the idea.

3

I am initially skeptical, but the logical part of my mind (small as it may be) says that all beef is aged and a vacu-sealed steak is far from a sin.

4

Not all the meat is dry aged.

A lot of small farms that sell direct vacuum pack their meat, I suppose because it doesn’t turn over as quickly as in supermarket. My only issue with it is that a lot of liquid inevitably runs out. I’m not sure if that simply runs into the butcher’s counter when the meat is displayed unwrapped. But it does feel a little odd to have to wipe off a steak that’s wet on the outside.

That said, this sirloin was great!