Natural Meats

I tried a new meat market yesterday.  Frigs Natural Meats on Main Street (north of the perimeter) pretty much assaults the senses when you walk in the door.  The smell of smoked meat is intoxicating.  Right smack in front of you is a giant basket of smoked dog bones.  I'm not a dog, but I can honestly see how a dog might like it.  I've never been a fan of meat, but somehow, when you spice it and smoke it... *drool*

I talked to the lady running the cash and she said that they don't use any weird ingredients in their meats, no fillers, no junk, only a bit of potato starch when needed.  I explained my new eating plan to her and she said to keep in mind that all smoked meats have sodium nitrate in them. 

Sidebar about nitrates:
I wasn't sure, since there was SO much information out there saying nitrates are bad for you, but at the same time, I've always thought it was just another type of salt...  so, I googled.  (sorry, I swagbucked).  Here is what I found:

Sodium nitrate is a type of salt that happens to be a particularly effective food preservative. A naturally occurring mineral, sodium nitrate is present in all kinds of vegetables (root veggies like carrots as well as leafy greens like spinach) along with all sorts of fruits and grains. Basically, anything that grows from the ground draws sodium nitrate out of the soil.



If this seems strange, remember that the word nitrate refers to a compound made of nitrogen, which is the single biggest component of our atmosphere. Every time you take a breath, you're breathing 78 percent nitrogen. The soil itself is loaded with the stuff.

Nitrates and Nitrites

One of the things that happens when sodium nitrate is used as a curing agent is that the sodium nitrate is converted to sodium nitrite. It's sodium nitrite that actually possesses the antimicrobial properties that make it a good preservative. Interestingly, the sodium nitrate that we consume through fruits, vegetables and grains is also converted to sodium nitrite by our digestive process. In other words, when we eat fruits, vegetables or grains, our bodies produce sodium nitrite.


Nitrites and Cancer
Several decades ago, some researchers raised the possibility that nitrites could be linked to cancer in laboratory rats. This suggestion received a lot of media attention. What received less media attention, however, was when it turned out that they were wrong. Indeed, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Cancer Society and the National Research Council all agree that there's no cancer risk from consuming sodium nitrite.

Alright, so to sum up...  Sodium nitrate is a natually occurring substance (mined often in Peru and Chile) similar to salt, and not only is it used in curing but it also occurs naturally in carrots, spinach and all sorts of other veggies.

Ok, I'm alright with sodium nitrate. 

Back to the store:
They have a lot of organic products, so if you're looking for stuff other than meat, you can check here too.  I was happy to find pure seasoning salt.  They also have a large variety of grains, honey, jams, preserves, and soup mixes. They carry elk, bison, beef, pork, poultry, and possibly more that I don't remember.  (Girl tried to walk off with a vacuum-packed elk liver, silly child).  I tried the pepperoni on a pizza, it was tasty, a was the homemade bacon.  mmm.  I was however, disappointed in the pepperettes.  They were kind of soggy and mealy for my taste.  They smell great, so I was glad I just bought one instead of the big package for $9.99.  Maybe a jerky would have satisfied my palate more.

Overall I was pleased.  I still haven't found anywhere that can pull off a good really dry salami, but who knows.  The prices seem about par, and it was nice to find a meat market close to home.