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Faces of Foothills: Meat Manager Meg Montgomery
Meet Meg Montgomery—the meat manager at Foothills Meats.
Meg Montgomery, the meat manager for Foothills Meats, used to be called “Farmer Meg” up until about 2 years ago when she started to work with Foothills Owner Casey McKissick and the rest of his team in Black Mountain.
Born in Virginia outside of Quantico, Meg spent her formative years in Connecticut once her dad retired from the FBI and moved his family to the area.
She got into agriculture in 2009 when she started farming for Heifer Project International—a large, international nonprofit that gives agricultural aid and relief to 37 different third-world countries. “I just wanted to feed people,” Meg explains. “My whole career focus was very much agriculture-based and feeding-people based.”
She then started bouncing around from farm to farm working as an apprentice and a farmhand, living in yurts and trailers, and gaining as much farming experience as she could. She even helped her friend start a grass-fed beef farm in Sheffield, MA which she then worked on and managed.
But Meg wanted to know all parts of the food cycle—not just the agricultural aspect. “I used to do on-site slaughtering on my farm in Massachusetts,” she explains, “and that’s what got me very interested in butchery.”
She saw an opportunity to work as a part-time butcher assistant for Casey when the Foothills location in Black Mountain was just opening. And while Meg thought she was only taking a brief hiatus from farming to learn the skill of butchery to take back to her agricultural field, she ended up falling in love with the Foothills philosophy and how they respect local farmers.
“I love that we take our money and put it back into our local economy and get to choose which farmers need our help financially,” Meg says, “and we’re making big differences.”
She says one of her favorite things about Foothills is the fact that they are providing quality products for the average consumer; something that is definitely hard to find.
“When I switched over to butchery, I found a lot of craft butcheries that were very elite,” she explains. “But the down-to-earth vibe that Foothills has, it was never about being elite—it was about good food for all.”
Her love of farming and the environment as a whole is another important reason she has decided to stay at Foothills for the long haul. “I’m an environmentalist, and agriculture and environmentalism go hand in hand,” Meg says.
She believes that as consumers, we vote with our forks, and buying meat for your local butcher and knowing the local farmers you’re buying that meat from is putting money into the pockets of people that are trying to make an environmental difference. Now more than ever, being an ethical consumer is of the utmost importance, especially with the looming environmental crisis on our hands.
“It’s definitely a privilege to be able to afford to know where your food comes from,” Meg says, “but if you take that time and money to vote with your fork, you’re paving the way for those prices to change and for things to be more accessible overall.”
Meg’s favorite thing to order at Foothills? She loves their blue plate special, which is a rotating selection of fresh meat and vegetables.
“Our chefs are able to have some creativity [with our blue plate specials],” she explains. “We have so much talent in that kitchen that it always produces some good and interesting stuff, so I’m a big fan of that.”
How Foothills Meats and Colfax Creek Farm Are Changing Our Food System
Bradley Farms provides Foothills Meats with fresh, pasture-raised pork every week. Learn more about this local farm and how they are working to change the food system for the better.
Nicole and Aaron Bradley are the proud owners of Colfax Creek Farm (formerly Bradley Farms), a beautiful farm located in Saluda, NC that raises the finest 100% grass-fed beef, pastured pork, and pasture-raised poultry.
“We try to focus on the well-being of our animals, how we’re managing our land and the environmental impact we have, and raising an animal and letting it do what it naturally wants to do,” Aaron Bradley says. “That means having pigs that can wallow and root.”
But the story of Colfax Creek Farm actually began a bit differently.
In 1901, Lewis Hipp, a man of many trades, bought the farm to settle down with his family. He made his living primarily from blacksmithing and farrier work, but also from raising crops on his new farm and selling them to the local Asheville and Spartanburg markets.
His son, Fritz Alexander Hipp, was the next to plant his roots on the farm and decided his focus would be on peaches. But the farm turned out to be the wrong environment for a peach orchard, which brought Fritz to then begin growing and selling apples. The farm quickly made its transition into a vigorous, but small scale, apple production operation, which is what it was known for for the next nearly 50 years thereafter.
And now, Colfax Creek provides Foothills Meats with fresh, pasture-raised pork every week.
“Colfax Creek Farm knows and respects the animals,” Foothills owner Casey McKissick says. “They understand how the nutrient-cycling happens on the farm, so what we put into our bodies is very intentional—a little science and a little art.”
Foothills Meats chose to work closely with Colfax Creek because of their philosophy when it comes to how they raise and care for their animals and how closely it aligns with the philosophy at Foothills.
Nicole and Aaron Bradley are regenerative farmers, which means they use farming and grazing practices that, among other benefits, reverse climate change by rebuilding soil organic matter and restoring degraded soil biodiversity, resulting in both carbon drawdown and an improved water cycle.
“We’re bettering our community, we’re bettering our bodies, and we’re changing our food system so that more animals are raised in the same fashion,” Aaron Bradley says.
Colfax Creek Farm is committed to producing healthy foods, raising happy animals, and caring for our land—all of which are vital to what we’re trying to do at Foothills.
“It is possible to responsibly love animals and love meat at the same time,” McKissick says.
New Specials and Events
Foothills has new winter events and new weekly specials available at our butcher bars and food trucks! Check it out…
Foothills is keeping things warm and toasty this winter with a bunch of exciting winter events, including the return of our Butcher’s Table Dinners, butchery demos, cooking classes, “Meet the Brewer” nights, and more. See all of our events here.
We’re also excited to announce we’ve changed up our weekly specials!
Monday: FOR A LIMITED TIME — “Old School” Burger & Pint Night - $10 for a famous Foothills double cheeseburger, side of tallow fries and a draft beer of your choice. Available at all locations.
Tuesday: Locals Night - $3 draft beers, $3 cans, $5 well drinks, special dinner menu with BBQ Platter o’ the Day and a Hot Dog with DIY Toppings Bar, 20% off everything in the meat case at both butcher bar locations.
Wednesday: Whiskey Wednesday - $2 off all whiskeys and whiskey drinks at butcher bars.
Thursday: Uncorked Thursdays - $2 off all glasses of wine and $5 bar snacks at butcher bars.
Flat Iron Steak: Easy. Beautiful. Delicious.
Perfect grilled or pan broiled, it has an easy-to-cook uniform thickness, even marbling, and rich flavor.
The Flat Iron cut comes from the shoulder or chuck of the steer in the front quarter. Getting its name from the shape it takes when it’s cut into steaks, it sits right on top of the shoulder blade, opposite the mock tender. This steak was ignored for years because of a piece of connective tissue that ran through its center. But remove that tissue, to separate the roast into two distinct steak cuts, and the Flat Iron Steak was born. Perfect grilled or pan broiled, it has an easy-to-cook uniform thickness, even marbling, and rich flavor.
Ingredients for Restaurant Quality Flat Iron Steak
2 pounds of Flat Iron Steak
2 ½ TBSP olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
¼ tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
½ tsp fresh chives, chopped
¼ cup Cabernet Sauvignon
½ tsp salt
¾ tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp dry mustard powder
Preparation
In small bowl, stir together olive oil, garlic, parsley, rosemary, chives, Cabernet, salt, pepper, and mustard powder. Place steak in a re-sealable bag and pour mixture over steak, thoroughly coating it. Press air out of the bag, zip, and marinate in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the steaks in the skillet for 3-4 minutes each side, or to desired doneness, 135 degrees F (57 degrees C) for medium-rare, at which the steaks taste best. Discard marinade, and let stand 5 minutes to keep in juices before serving. Your guests will rave and accuse you of bringing in takeout to pass off as your own.
Get Inspired This Month In The Kitchen.
What To Cook Tonight: Cross Cut Shank
Often merchandised as “Osso Bucco” like its lamb brethren, Cross Cut Shanks come with a marrow bone in the center.
Often merchandised as “Osso Bucco” like its lamb brethren, Cross Cut Shanks come with a marrow bone in the center. Cut from the front arm or back leg of the animal, this cut is best slow cooked. It can also be seared hard before braising to seal in the juices and flavor. This cut can be fork tender and fabulous in slow cooker recipes with savory sauces and is served well over rice, couscous, or with vegetables on the side.
Ingredients for Osso Bucco
1 lb Beef Cross Cut Shank
2 TBSP olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ tsp dried thyme
¼ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp dried rosemary
¼ tsp dried marjoram
1 can (16 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
water
1 TBSP lemon zest
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper
Preparation
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté onion and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to plate. Increase heat to medium-high. Add beef shank and cook until browned, about 5 minutes per side. Return onion and garlic to pan. Sprinkle thyme, oregano, rosemary, and marjoram over the beef.
In a bowl, mix together tomatoes, tomato paste. Add 6 oz water (simple to use the empty tomato paste can to measure). Stir in lemon zest, salt, and black pepper. Add tomato mixture to beef. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 ½ to 2 hours, until beef is fork tender. Serve over rice. Your family will be fighting for the leftovers.
Let's Talk About Teres Major
Industrial meat cutters almost never undertake separating the Teres Major, so they’ve become the purview of artisanal butchers who take the time to cut them out carefully.
Also known as the Mock Tender, the Teres Major steak is from a small muscle from the chuck roll in the front quarter of the steer. It has also become known as the shoulder tender. Industrial meat cutters almost never undertake separating the Teres Major, so they’ve become the purview of artisanal butchers who take the time to cut them out carefully. They make a wonderful substitute for the more expensive tenderloin. Roasted or grilled whole and sliced, they’re best served to medium doneness.
Ingredients for Black Pepper Teres Major with Bleu Cheese and Bacon Cream Sauce
2 teres major steaks (approximately 0.5 lb each)
kosher salt
cracked black pepper
1 TBSP unsalted butter
1 TBSP flour
1 cup whole milk
2 oz. bleu cheese
2 slices thick-cut bacon (cooked and crumbled)
Preparation
Season both sides of the Teres Major steaks liberally with Kosher salt. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Remove from the refrigerator and allow steaks to warm to room temperature. Prepare grill for high-heat cooking, approximately 500°F. Season both sides of the steaks with cracked black pepper and additional salt.
Grill steaks for 4–5 minutes per side until they reach an internal temperature of 135°F for medium rare (57 degrees C), or desired level of doneness. Remove the steaks from the grill and close the grill’s bottom vents to lower the temperature to approximately 350°F.
Place a small skillet on the grill and add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the flour and stir to make a paste. Add the milk and allow it to come to a boil. Once the sauce has thickened (approximately 2–3 minutes), stir in the blue cheese and crumbled bacon then add salt and cracked black pepper to taste.
Serve steaks sliced against the grain with cream sauce spooned over the top, and your dinner guests will rave and want the recipe.
London Broil 101
London Broil is a wonderful, flavorful cut that loves marinade very well and makes a tasty beef jerky or bresaola.
While Foothills Meats does not frequently stock this cut of meat, feel free to ask about availability! London Broil is a wonderful, flavorful cut that loves marinade very well and makes a tasty beef jerky or bresaola. From the hind quarter of the animal, some argue that it’s not so much a defined cut of meat as it is a style of preparation. Best prepared on the grill or pan broiled and baked at high temperatures, it can be cooked to medium or medium well and remain juicy.
Ingredients for Skip-the-Steak-Sauce London Broil
4 pounds of London Broil
3 TBSP soy sauce
1 TBSP ketchup
1 TBSP vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp dried oregano
Preparation
In a small bowls, mix together soy sauce, ketchup, vegetable oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and oregano. Score both sides of the meat, diamond cut and 1/8 inch deep. Rub soy mixture into all sides of the steak, wrap tightly in aluminum foil, and refrigerate for 5-6 hours or overnight, turning every couple of hours.
Heat grill on high heat, and lightly oil the grate. Place meat on the prepared grill for 3 to 7 minutes per side for medium rare (135 degrees F, or 57 degrees C), or to desired degree of doneness. Let rest for 5 minutes once removed from heat.
Serve by slicing across the grain and garnishing with a sprig of parsley. Your guests will love it so much, they won’t need steak sauce.
Top Sirloin and Top Sirloin Filet
Top Sirloin is a steak with tremendous beef flavor from the animal’s hind quarter. Cooked best over high, dry heat, it’s tender when cooked to medium or slightly over.
Top Sirloin is a steak with tremendous beef flavor from the animal’s hind quarter. Cooked best over high, dry heat, it’s tender when cooked to medium or slightly over. There’s not a lot of internal fat in Top Sirloin, so beef eaters looking for leaner cuts will find this steak very much to their liking.
Top Sirloin Filet, not to be confused with the either the Tenderloin Filet or the Top Sirloin is a muscle that sits right beside the Top Sirloin Steak in the hind quarter. It’s smaller in size and has no sinew or internal fat deposits, so this is another cut beef lovers looking for leaner offerings will appreciate. Medium high to high heat is the best bet to give the Top Sirloin Filet a good texture at a doneness level of medium or slightly over. Both cuts of meat are fantastic as steaks or in recipes with a few more ingredients to compliment the wonderful, beefy flavor.
Ingredients for Steakhouse Style Top Sirloin Steaks
2 Top Sirloin steaks cut to your desired thickness, usually 1 ½ to 2 inches
Olive oil
Salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Butter
Preparation
Because this recipe is more about the method of cooking rather than ingredients, it’s simple and yields a steak fit for a restaurant. Fifteen minutes before you’ll put the steaks in the pan, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). You want it ready for when the searing is done.
Heat a cast-iron or other oven-safe heavy-bottomed skillet to high heat. Coat steaks liberally in olive oil, and sprinkle one side with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. When pan is hot enough, drizzle with a little more olive oil and place steaks in pan, seasoned side down. Don’t touch them for three minutes. The more you move them, the more it inhibits that nice steakhouse style crust forming. While they’re searing on one side, sprinkle salt and pepper to the unseasoned side. After 3 minutes, flip them over and sear that side for 3 minutes.
There will be a fair amount of smoke. This is normal and also doesn’t go on very long. When the steaks are seared, move them to the oven for another 3-10 minutes, depending on your desired doneness. For thinner steaks, they may be to medium after only a couple minutes. When steak reaches the temperature of your desired doneness (135 degrees F for medium, 57 degrees C), remove them and place a foil tent over them for 5 minutes, letting them rest. DO NOT FORGET the oven mitt—handle will be HOT!
After 5 minutes’ rest, plate and top with a pat of butter to serve. Your dinner companion will wonder why you’re not working in the best steakhouse in town after this.
Ingredients for Pan Seared Top Sirloin Filet with Red Wine Sauce
4 Top Sirloin Filets, cut 1 ¼ to 1 ½ inches thick
1 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP fine chopped fresh rosemary, divided
2 TBSP cracked peppercorn blend
2 tsp kosher salt
¼ cup shallots, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon (red wine)
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
2 TBSP butter
3 TBSP chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C). Heat oil in heavy-bottomed, oven-safe skillet. Combine 1 TBSP rosemary, peppercorn, and salt in a small bowl. Season steaks with peppercorn mixture, lightly pressing mix into steak. Sear steaks 1-2 minutes each side, then place in oven for 5-10 minutes to roast until medium-rare, longer for desired level of doneness above medium rare. Rest for 5 minutes.
After removing steaks from pan, add shallots and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes on medium heat on the stovetop. Whisk in wine and mustard and reduce by 2/3. Add remaining rosemary. Melt butter in pan by swirling, then remove from heat. Add parsley and salt to taste, and top steaks with wine mixture.
Serve with your favorite vegetables to the delight of your dinner guests.
Let's Cook.
How To: Cook Hanger Steak
The Hanger Steak is the only cut of meat sold by Foothills Meats that is not dry aged. It takes to marinades wonderfully and is great for grilling and pan broiling.
Prized for its flavor, the Hanger Steak is derived from the diaphragm of a steer or heifer. This cut is taken from the plate, or lower belly of the animal. The Hanger Steak is the only cut of meat sold by Foothills Meats that is not dry aged. It takes to marinades wonderfully and is great for grilling and pan broiling.
Ingredients for Succulent Hanger Steak
2 pounds of Hanger Steak
1 TBSP clarified butter
2/3 cup chicken broth
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 TBSP cold butter, cubed
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Preparation
Remove all silver skin and fat from steak. Carefully cut out the connective tissue that connects the two halves of the steak, separating the whole into two long pieces. Cut lobe of meat from one half (it’s the piece that is slightly separated from the larger half). Then cut each of the two larger halves into two steaks each, for a total of four steaks. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Heat skillet over high heat. Add clarified butter when pan is hot, then place steaks in the pan. Reduce heat to medium. Cook until browned on all sides. The meat is somewhat triangular in shape, so there may be more than two turns necessary. Total cook time is about 12 minutes, until center is reddish-pink in center (medium-rare). Temperature on a thermometer will be about 125 degrees F (52 degrees C) when steaks need to be removed from heat. Transfer to warm plate and tent with foil to let steaks rest and allow temperature to increase to 130 degrees F.
Pour stock into skillet set over medium heat. With wooden spoon (or other non-abrasive utensil) scrape up browned bits from bottom of pan. When the brownings dissolve and the liquid begins to reduce (2-3 minutes), reduce heat to low. Add accumulated juices from resting steaks, balsamic vinegar, and cold butter. Cook and stir until butter melts. If liquid has reduced too much, add a splash of broth. Add salt to taste if necessary.
To serve, slice steaks across the grain and spoon brownings reduction over them. Your guests will rave over this juicy, succulent meal.
The Versatile Skirt Steak
Skirt steaks can be grilled for a short time at high heat, but because they require mechanical or chemical tenderization (typically pounding or with lime juice), they’re better suited for marinades or in dishes such as fajitas or tacos.
An internal muscle that sits inside the rib cage of the cow, the skirt steak gets its superior dry aged beef flavor because the muscle is completely exposed during the dry aging process. Skirt steaks can be grilled for a short time at high heat, but because they require mechanical or chemical tenderization (typically pounding or with lime juice), they’re better suited for marinades or in dishes such as fajitas or tacos.
Sizzling Steak Fajitas with Mango Salsa
Fajitas:
- 1-1 ¼ of a pound of Skirt Steak
- 1 TBSP vegetable oil
- 1 pkg fajita seasoning mix
- 8 flour tortillas, fajita or taco size
Mango Salsa:
- 2 ripe medium mangoes, seeds removed, peeled and diced
- Juice of 1 medium lime
- 1 jalapeno chile, seeded and chopped
- ¼ cup red onion, chopped
- ¼ fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C), and line a cookie sheet with tin foil.
In a 10-inch skillet, heat oil over high heat. Sprinkle fajita seasoning over Skirt Steak, pressing to coat. Brown steak in oil on both sides, then place on cookie sheet and roast in oven until meat thermometer in center of steak reads 130 degrees F (54 degrees C). Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes to seal in juices.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix all the mango salsa ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Cut steak into thin slices, and place 2 or 3 slices in each tortilla. Top with mango salsa and serve to an impressed crowd.