The Best Butchers in the United States

Sausage and smokehouses

Lockeford Sausage in Lockeford, California, sells Dakota bratwurst, Hawaiian and jalapeño sausages and teriyaki beef sticks, and Held's Meat and Cheese Market in Slinger is a smokehouse that makes its own beef jerky and smoked bacon. Raddell's Sausage Shop in Cleveland's Collinwood area sells Slovenian sausage and smokies, Kowalonek's Kielbasy Shop in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, sells smoked and fresh kielbasa and pierogies, and TN Meat Co in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, smokes its meat on site. Bradley's Country Store in Tallahassee, Florida, sells smoked sausage, footlong sausage dogs and smoked pork chops, and Owens Meats in Cle Elum sells pepperoni by the yard and jerky. Thielen Meats of Pierz, Minnesota, sells bacon, sausages, beef sticks and jerky, Schmidt's Meat Market in Nicollet, Minnesota, sells summer sausage and beef sticks, and Hungry Farmer Meat Co in North Branch, Minnesota, sells beef sticks, bacon and brats.

Cajun, halal and game

Bergeron's Boudin & Cajun Meats in Shreveport, Louisiana, sells boudin, cracklins, gumbo and smoked meats, and Kartchner's Specialty Meats in Scott, Louisiana, sells boudin balls and links beside hot plate lunches. Rick's Custom Meats in Lithia, Florida, sells alligator and other exotic meats and makes pressed Cuban sandwiches, and Plano Halal Meats in Plano has a grocery store next door and a small taco kitchen inside. San Diego Halal Meat in El Cajon sells beef, lamb, chicken and goat, and Hottinger Family Meats in Chino processes harvested game, half beef and whole pigs. Bringhurst Meats in Berlin, New Jersey, cuts and trims to order and sells elk and ostrich, while Smitty's Meat Market in Tomball, Gilbert Butchery in Gilbert, Arizona, and The Meating Place in Hillsboro process wild game.

Counters and farm stores

Harts Meat Market in Brooksville, Florida, cuts steaks to order from Iowa beef and wraps them for the freezer, and Stewart's Meat Market in Yelm, Washington, runs a butcher counter with a ticket system at the front. Cathy Mackenthun's Meats in St. Bonifacius, Minnesota, makes breakfast burritos, sandwiches and pot pies in-house, and Gartner's Country Meat Market in Portland cuts and wraps each order the way the customer asks. T & T Meats in McDonough, Georgia, sells grass-fed beef cut to order and a cold counter of chicken salad and pimento cheese, and Prime Butcher Shoppe in Lutz, near Tampa, sells dry-aged beef and Wagyu beside rubs, sauces and cheese. Ream's Meat Market in Elburn, Illinois, cuts meat to order at its rear counter, HM Cattle Meats in Mascotte sells grass-fed beef, pork and chicken from its ranch, The Flying Butcher in Amherst, New Hampshire, serves prepared meals and sandwiches, and Double DD Meats in Mountlake Terrace, north of Seattle, has several aisles of hot sauce, rubs and marinades.