This Grocery Store Butcher Counter Tip Will Save You So Much Time At Home

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

The case against buying bone-in meat from grocery stores states that meat on the bone spoils faster than its boneless counterparts — as per a restaurant expert quoted by Foodie's sister site Food Republic — but that's not the only reason you might balk at purchasing it. Some folks might not like eating meat with bones, or they find it intimidating to cook, for instance. Regardless of your reasoning, you might prefer boneless meat at the supermarket. What happens, however, when the store has a bangin' sale on bone-in cuts and you're loath to give it up? If the store in question has a butcher on-site, you might be in luck. That's because you can probably get them to debone it for you right then and there, saving you time and energy at home ... or from having to pass up good deals.

Whole Foods is frank about the fact that its butchers will happily debone meat for you and even spatchcock your chicken if you ask. Publix also offers custom cutting services with its in-store butcher department. Stew Leonard's and Sprouts agree that deboning is part of typical butcher services, as does Winn-Dixie. This isn't an exhaustive list by any means, either. 

Basically, if a grocer has a full-service meat department, there's a strong chance that you can request deboning. On the other hand, stores like Target that only sell prepackaged meat won't have anyone available to help. And while we've debunked some harmful myths about Aldi's meat, the fact is that many of these small-footprint locations don't have meat cutters on hand, either.

On a Reddit forum dedicated to smoking meats, a commenter enthused, "Your grocery store meat department will trim, debone or spatchcock a piece of their meat for you. Just ask. I grabbed two whole chickens and asked if they would spatchcock and no problem. Also asked to debone a turkey breast. Checked at a couple different stores. Apparently it's a thing." Indeed, meat cutters at supermarkets are a lot more useful than you might expect. 

Don't see ready-made packages of stew meat for that carne guisada you want to cook? Ask someone who works in the meat department, and they will cube a chuck roast for you. Making fajitas and have your eye on skirt steak? The butcher will break it down into strips. Grinding your own beef, pork, or turkey is an onerous task unless you have an electric meat grinder, but if you put in a request, the butcher will freshly grind your choice of meat. If you splurge on a tenderloin or rib roast, they'll even tie it up for you — likely no twine purchasing required. 

Furthermore, while your grocery store meat department may lack some of the specialty cuts or deep knowledge base of a local butcher, it's still worth chatting with the pros about what meat(s) you want for a special meal. It's a safe bet that the staff meat cutters will have the know-how to make sure you get exactly what you need for the best price.

Static Media owns and operates Food Republic and Foodie.