“Bringing back the neighborhood butcher shop.” That’s the mission of The Chop Shop, and they’ve become an Asheville favorite for their fresh local meats, deli menu and classes. Their bacon is cut, cured and smoked in-house. In addition to traditional pork belly bacon they also have guanciale (pork jowl) and beef bacon

Everything you'd expect from a serious modern butcher in a city as passionate about its food you will find here. This relatively new spot works with some great area farms, including the terrific, student-run operation at nearby Warren Wilson College. There's a shop in Charlotte as well.

Looking to move beyond the burger for our BBQs, we asked our local butchers at Chop Shop Butchery what types of meals they’ll be grilling. The following recipes for chicken, ribs, and steak—all sourced from regional farmers, if purchased at Chop Shop—stand ready to take center stage at your next gathering. “You can bring in some culture, some big flavors, and enjoy wowing your guests with something exciting and different,” says chef Graham House of Chop Shop

When I think of ground beef, I think of plump patties sizzling on a grill — especially this time of year. Of course, ground beef is used in way more than just burgers (meatballs! Meatloaf! Tacos! Breakfast Bolognese!). Ground beef is versatile, fun, easy, and filling.

For over a decade, The Chop Shop Butchery has been selling regionally sourced and on-site butchered beef, pork and lamb to customers and local restaurants. More recently, with the launch of its Department of Agriculture-inspected processing facility at 52 Clayton St. in North Asheville, the shop’s operations have increased significantly.

When you think great BBQ, it is rarely envisioned served with wine. However, some of the best ‘Q I have had has been paired with wine: that is mostly because I used to order a lot of takeout from Daisy May’s fabulous BBQ place in New York City when I lived there and paired it with spicy reds and off-dry whites at home.

The cuts of beef that everyone knows about—the ribeye, tenderloin, and porterhouse among them—can be seasoned with salt and pepper, seared over flame, and easily enjoyed. That’s why they’re found in most grocery stores and restaurants, served alongside roast potatoes and broccoli as a cornerstone of the American diet.

Chef Eric Morris continues to make meals for the community through partnerships with Hickory Nut Gap Meats, Apple Brandy Beef, Chop Shop Butchery, US Foods and local non-profit organizations Food Connection and YMCA of WNC. Wicked Weed serves around 5,000 meals per week.

“On March 1, I had 140 people signed up for our monthly meat CSA,” says Jennifer White, assistant manager and community-supported agriculture program coordinator at Hickory Nut Gap Farm. “Now [May 1] I’m at 345, and I’m going to have to cap it at 400 and start a waiting list.”

In this episode, we interview PJ Jackson, co-owner of The Chop Shop Butchery. PJ and his business partner, Matt Helms, formerly worked as the head butcher and manager at The Chop Shop Butchery, respectively. In 2017, after years of working together, they had the opportunity to buy the shop outright – and so they did.

WNC Magazine asked local Asheville chefs to name their favorite food and beverage spots in town. Chefs like Katie Button, owner of Curate, chose The Chop Shop Butchery as their favorite butcher shop in Asheville.
“I love what they do at the Chop Shop,” says Katie Button of Cúrate and Button & Co. Bagels. “They introduced me to Apple Brandy beef, the farm we now use in our restaurants.”

Some of my best memories of Thanksgiving don't involve turkey. There was the time when my dad bought dozens of oysters for the Thanksgiving table, and we had a shucking competition. Somehow, no one was injured. Meanwhile, my late, beloved grandfather sucked down nearly every oyster we managed to shuck. I'm not sure how many even made it to the table. And when I was young, I'd beg my mom to serve duck, because they'd let me order some at a restaurant once, and I'd fallen in love with its deeply flavored, juicy meat. I looked forward to that duck every year.

The Chop Shop makes several types of bacon in-house and sells about 100 pounds per week, says butcher PJ Jackson. “After an eight-day cure and a short rest, we smoke over applewood, cool it down and then slice to order," he says.

The meat case at The Chop Shop advertises fresh cuts of meat from steers that came from Apple Brandy Beef in Wilkesboro. The special cuts are dry aged at the butcher shop.

During dry-aging, enzymes break down meat fibers, tenderizing beef while increasing its density. Meanwhile, mold forms on the exterior of the meat and the flavor ripens, like cheese. Natural water loss further concentrates the meat's flavor, but also reduces its weight. So does the trimming of the bloomy surface of the meat. Cuts are displayed and sold without that mold-ripened exterior.

Karen Fowler knows her meat. The 34-year-old Chop Shop butcher wields a boning knife (and sometimes a hacksaw) like no other and — no surprises here — has some mighty helpful grill tips (with extra input from Chop Shop owner Josh Wright and other employees).

Compound butter is a great way to maximize flavor with grilled foods, says the Chops Shop’s Josh Wright. “With a few adjustments, gorgonzola butter can be transformed into the perfect accompaniment for any meat on the grill, letting the flavor provided by the intense heat and smoke fully manifest.”

For the Chop Shop Butchery, the break was not planned — a few pipes burst on the upper floor of the building, soaking everything below. The business is now dried off and ready to satisfy all of your meaty needs.

A broken sprinkler pipe several floors above The Chop Shop Butchery broke early February 13, damaging walls and floors in the fledgling but highly successful artisan butcher shop. This was posted on the shop’s Facebook page by the owners:

Though the next growing season may seem far away, our area is still turning out plenty of local goods. Top on the list is local meat, the focus of ASAP’s December Get Local initiative, a project that puts the spotlight on an different seasonal and local product every month.