Brooklyn might be home to at least one shameless carnivore, but these days plenty of us are as concerned about where our meat comes from as how it tastes, and in fact see a strong correlation between the two. As it is, finding grass-fed, grass-finished, pastured meat outside of the farmer’s market can be a real task. The dark ages of meat will end later this year when Mark Firth and Andrew Tarlow, the good folks behind Marlow & Sons, Diner and the two Bonita restaurants, open a new butcher shop at 95 Broadway in South Williamsburg.

Until a few month ago the space was a barbershop that everyone in the neighborhood simply knew as Tony’s. But when Tony passed away early this summer, Firth and Tarlow saw the perfect spot for the butcher shop idea they’d been tossing around for a few months.

The shop will harness the awesome power of resident butcher, and Brooklyn Based friend, Tom Mylan. A proud proselytizer for pastured, grass-fed meat, Mylan is excited to put Brooklyn on what he calls “The Program.” Basically, the way we buy steaks and chops, or order them in a restaurant, pays little heed to the actual anatomy of animals — there’s only one hangar steak on a cow. By buying whole animals, dividing them amongst four restaurants and an untold number of retail customers, Mylan will be able to use every bit and offer properly raised meat at a better price. And just as he suggests ways to use lesser-known cuts to chefs, he’ll be behind the counter to share his knowledge with customers who ask.

The meat itself will come from a variety of local farms and distributors, and from a variety of breeds, highlighting the difference in flavor in texture depending on the cow and what it eats.

Although they don’t yet have a solid plan in place, Marlow & Sons down the street may divest itself of produce and dry goods and shift the grocery focus to the still unnamed butcher shop. They expect to offer a small selection of cheeses, as well as house-cured sausages, pates, rillettes, rillons, and perhaps duck confit.

With luck, the butcher shop will be open by December. If complications arise, carnivores we can look forward to grassier, more flavorful meat early next year.

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SPONSORED LINK: The Brooklyn Kitchen’s popular pig butchering class with the above mentioned Tom Mylan is back. Reserve for remaining classes Sept. 16 and Sept. 23 here. The Brooklyn Kitchen, 616 Lorimer St., 718.389.2982, thebrooklynkitchen.com

Sent by Annaliese. Photos by BB.