6 Williams Branch Road  ·  Thursday – Sunday, 10 – 6

Small scale, every week.

A few animals at a time, butchered here and sold here. Nothing arrives in a box, nothing comes off a truck, and when a cut runs out it is gone until the next one. A small case, restocked constantly, that tells you exactly what we've been working on.

Whole animal butchery Cut in house Barnardsville, NC
The hand-painted Big Ivy Butchery sign beside the shop door

I  ·  Whole animal

We are obligated to use all of it.

An animal comes to us whole. Some cuts are plentiful, others are limited, and much of it takes time, skill, and care to turn into something worth putting on the table. We take the whole animal because that is what raising it earns, and then we find the use for every part of it.

That is most of what butchery is. Knowing where one muscle ends and the next begins, which seam to follow and which to cut across, what a shank wants that a flank does not. The blends, the sausage, the stocks and the roasts all come out of that work.

Come on a Thursday and the case is deep. Come Sunday afternoon and you'll be choosing from what's left, which is its own kind of good.

A carcass hanging in the cooler

II  ·  The index

Every cut we take, and what to do with it.

Cut names are not standardized anywhere in this country, and half the arguments at a meat counter are two people using one word for different muscles. So here is exactly what we mean by ours, grouped the way they come off the animal.

Chuck

Shoulder

  • Delmonico

    Rich and beefy, close to a ribeye for less money. Hot pan, hard sear.Our Delmonico is the chuck eye

  • Flat iron

    Evenly tender the whole way through. Grill hot, rest, slice thin.

  • Denver

    Heavily marbled and underrated. Wants a marinade and high heat.

Rib

Rib

  • Ribeye

    The one everybody comes for. Salt early, cook hot, don't crowd it.

  • Short rib

    Low and slow, braised or smoked. Nothing about this cut is fast.

Loin

Loin

  • New York strip

    Firm chew, clean beef flavor. Render the fat cap on its edge first.

  • Filet

    The tenderest and the mildest. Sear and finish gently; don't overwork it.

Sirloin

Sirloin

  • Picanha

    Fat cap on, scored, cooked cap-side down. Slice against the grain.

  • Tri-tip

    Roast it whole to medium rare, then slice — the grain changes direction partway.

  • Sirloin

    The weeknight steak. Lean, honest, forgiving on a grill.

  • Bavette

    Loose grain that drinks up marinade. Hot and fast, sliced thin across.Flap from the bottom sirloin

Round

Round

  • London broil

    Marinate, sear, and slice as thin as you can stand. Never past medium.Our London broil is the top round

  • Eye of round

    Very lean. Roast whole and slice cold, or grind it.

Plate & Flank

Belly

  • Skirt

    Screaming hot, two minutes a side. The best steak in a tortilla.

  • Flank

    Lean and grainy. Marinade, high heat, thin slices across the grain.

Fore & Leg

Brisket & shank

  • Brisket

    Twelve hours or don't bother. Smoke, wrap, rest longer than feels right.

  • Shank

    Braise until it falls apart. The marrow is the point as much as the meat.

III  ·  Ordering

How to get it.

In person

At the counter

Thursday through Sunday, ten to six. No order needed — walk in and see what's in the case. This is the way we'd rather you do it.

Directions

This week

The weekly order

Our running list of what’s in the case — steaks, roasts, ground, sausage, pork, chicken. Fill out the order form and choose pickup at the shop or delivery to your door.

Start an order

Online

Butcher boxes

Butcher's choice, built from what's in the case that week. Ten percent off case prices, and we bring it to your door.

Coming soon

By the share

Whole, half, quarter

A freezer’s worth of one animal at the best price per pound we offer. Quarter $1,400, half $2,650, whole $5,000, all in — you choose the cutting instructions and we work through them with you.

See the cut sheet

Standing

Holidays & roasts

Rib roasts and large cuts are limited by how many animals we run that week. Order early and we'll set one aside.

Place a request

Seasonal  ·  Members only

The Deer Club

We don't offer walk-in deer processing. Instead, we reserve a limited number of spots each season, giving every member dedicated hanging space and allowing us the time to handle each animal with the care it deserves.

  • Membership$600 / year
  • Deer includedFour
  • Hanging spaceGuaranteed
  • Skin, gut, cuts, sausageIncluded
  • Returned to youSealed & boxed
  • End of seasonGame dinner

Enrollment closes the day season opens. Members only — no exceptions.

Join the club

A whitetail buck standing in a field at last light

IV  ·  Visit

Come see what's in the case.

Where

6 Williams Branch Road
Barnardsville, NC 28709

Directions

When

Thursday – Sunday
10 – 6

Closed Monday through Wednesday.

Ask us

We like the questions.

How to cook it, how much you need, what's worth trying that you've never bought before.