Bacon And Half Smokes From J.W. Trueth

Bacon from J.W. Trueth

I'm hunting for hot dogs.  We're thinking about a spring party, and the easiest way to cook for a crowd is a grill full of meat that's hard to overcook.

J.W. Trueth is a terrific plan to shop for meat.  The Oella butcher does steaks, pork, chicken and fish.  Last weekend, we waited in line as people seemed to buy everything.

We bought a taste of three items -- bacon, ground beef, and spicy half-smokes.

The thick-sliced bacon went diced in a frying pan, then became the crisp part of a sautéed cabbage dish.  The ground beef went into tacos from the 1970s.

But the half-smokes are the taste of my future.  Lightly spicy.  It's not a course sausage like the Italian links from Laurel Meat Market.  It's a super-fine hot doh -- just with more flavor than most hot dogs have.  I get the spice.  I get the smoke.  That's a delicious hot dog.  (So delicious that I forgot to photograph before we ate them.)

What other hot dogs should I check out?  The Trueth half smoke contrasts nicely with the peppery Hartmann's dogs from Wegmans.  What would round out the grill?  A chicken sausage from Harris Teeter?  Last year, I wrote up an overview of sausages, but there must be good stuff still to learn.

Kyle Goes Old School With Stuffed Ham -- And Goes To Trueth's For That Brined Meat

Kyle's family is invited every year to a large family Easter dinner.  It's a Polish/German Catholic family that they're related to only through marriage.  Each family is asked to bring a dish, and this year, Kyle got the ham.

Big pieces of meat aren't my wheelhouse.  But Kyle went exotic.  He grew up in southern Prince George's County where he had learned about Southern Maryland stuffed ham.  So he went unique and local.  (And he used a bungee cord.)

The ham is pretty famous in St Mary's and surrounding counties especially at church suppers. I even made the stuffed ham once back in the 90s. I had to take advantage of a large gathering to make it again.

The main ingredient is a corned ham, whole bone-in uncooked brine cured leg of pork that has not been smoked or dried. This isn't a common find.  I immediately thought of Trueth & Sons butchers in Oella.  If anyone had it, they would. I called a week before Easter, and they said they had to order it. If they could get it, it would arrive on Wednesday.  I asked about weight and price and was told they would call on Wednesday. 

Back For Porterhouse At J.W. Trueth In Oella

We're not huge beef people, but the drive to J.W. Trueth in Oella is worthwhile for anyone who wants a great steak.

A porterhouse serves us perfectly -- a little filet for Mrs. HowChow, a little strip for me.  And Trueth serves perfectly.  Butchering the beef themselves.  Answering any questions.  Happy to check the back for a porterhouse with a more-equal split between filet and strip.

I'm better with a castiron pan than putting a steak on the grill.  More light in my kitchen.  More control with the fire under a pan.  I make a sauce with ginger, soy sauce and water.  The steak needs nothing special.  It's delicious with just the right marbling to keep the meat moist.  If you actually have grill skills, you can make a masterpiece.

In fact, J.W. Trueth would be priceless if you wanted to serve a special meal, and you just drive a few minutes east of downtown Ellicott City.  Check out the dry-packed scallops and the huge tuna chunks.  But the place makes its name on meat.  Porterhouse, sirloins, filets, and thick lamb chops.  Pick your favorite and fire up.

JW Treuth and Sons in Oella

Anyone who wants a meat adventure should drive to J.W. Treuth & Sons -- just up the road from Ellicott City in Oella.

This is the retail part of a company that sells beef to butchers and restaurants from Boston to Richmond and even overseas. The wholesaler is super-modern, boasting about both its kosher products and its special service whisking just-slaughtered eyes, glands, brains "and more" to medical researchers at NIH and Hopkins.

In contrast, the J.W. Treuth store is out of the past. It's in Baltimore County on a two-lane road off Rte 144 that alternates between commercial lots and older homes. Inside, there is just a long counter and enough room to check out the wares.

And the wares are the reason to drive to J.W. Treuth. All kinds of beef cuts, chicken, seafood, at least four varieties of house-made sausages. Everything is reasonably priced, and everything that I tried was delicious. I made a special dinner with a fillet and four enormous scallops. The fillet was tender, but had a real beef flavor that is just missing from cheaper joints. The scallops were sweet, pretty much on the level of my standard Today's Catch in Columbia.

I also bought the Chesapeake sausage, which is an Italian sausage with Old Bay seasoning replacing some of the usual spices. Delicious. Watch out though. I ordered a single sausage

figuring that I'd get a six-inch link, but one sausage weighed more than a pound and made its way into multiple meals, including sandwiches and then a chicken stew.

I read about J.W. Treuth in a post by Treetop Tom on Chowhound. The shop is regularly discussed in Chowhound posts about butchers, including people looking for high quality, for unusual cuts, or for speciality items like offal and organs -- see here. This kind of butcher is absolutely unique as far as I can tell. I do love the sausage at Boarman's, and people say great things about the Laurel Meat Market. But nothing looks like J.W. Treuth.

If you want more, click for the starting page for my "What I Learned" guide to food in Howard County.

J.W. Treuth & and Sons

328 Oella Avenue
Baltimore, Maryland 21228
Phone: 410-465-4650

http://www.jwtreuth.com/index2.html

NEAR: You can get to Oella Avenue from Ellicott City or Catonsville off Rte 144 (Frederick Road). Don't trust Google Maps because Westchester Avenue is closed (or it was in September 2008). From downtown Ellicott City, you take Rte 144 towards Catonsville. Turn left on Old Frederick Road. Then turn left on Oella. Watch the house numbers because J.W. Treuth is small shop.