I love how Chicago continuously unfolds and amazes me with her treasure trove of foodstuffs. Until last summer when I took Gary's smoking class, Peoria Packing house was off my radar screen. I never imagined such a place, the closest being the farmer's markets in Eastern Europe did I see such an open display of meats:
From head
To tail:
From hoof to tongue:
And everything in between:
with a few odd bits thrown in:
and a bit of sausage, too:
I brought Mom2 whose father was a butcher, which kept them fed during the depression. She had never seen anything like it. The entire room is refrigerator cold. All customers are expected to wear plastic gloves at all times. There are bits of the animal and cuts of meat, I have only read about or had in a restaurant and assumed they could only be special ordered. Fat bellies are there, which are convenient for making bacon. I assume the bits needed to make guanciale are present, whether it is the cheeks or the jowl; it is there. If it isn't, well, maybe you should come earlier in the day.
Peoria Packing House can be a devil to get into just before major holidays. They sometimes hire security to meter customers into the store with a line waiting outside. Cash and LINK cards are the only payments accepted.
Peoria Packing Butcher Shop
1300 West Lake Street
Chicago, IL 60607
312-738-1800
Monday - Saturday: 7am-6pm
Sunday: 8am-3pm
Last edited by
Cathy2 on February 14th, 2005, 9:14 am, edited 2 times in total.