Cranford Butcher Offers Tip on What to Do With a Fine Cut of Meat

Do the names New York roast, T-bone, prime rib steak, sweet sausage make your mouth water? While red meat isn't the most popular topic for those observing the Lenten season at the end of the week, it's always a passion for Mario Perrotti.

The Cranford butcher and purveyor of prime cuts and Italian pasta for nearly a half-century can tell you anything you want about carne.

"A good cut of meat has a nice grain to it," he said Tuesday morning, pointing to a succulent piece of chuck steak. "You can call it marbling (the fat inside the meat that gives it taste)."

Chuck, he said, is perfect for a pot roast or stew. "It's tasty and you can drop it into a soup."

But Perrotti doesn't just stop at fine meats. Using old Italian recipes, Perrotti's Quality Meats has a smorgasbord of prepared meals including homemade  mash potatoes, lasagna with spinach, eggplant, meatballs; the selection seems endless.

While he contends he makes the best chopped meat in town for hamburgers, it's the chicken pot pie that flies off the shelves, or out of the freezer where it's kept fresh.  

Perrotti started his  South Union Avenue business with his brother back in 1967. With the Lenten season cutting back on his meat sales Perrrotti said it's something he's used to. "We've been in business a long time," he said.