Prairieville’s The Meatatory may look like your average butcher shop, but the flavor combinations inside are anything but. The recently established butcher shop combines local favorites with frequent recipe experimentation to create an inspired culinary experience.

“What sets us apart from your average everyday butcher shop is we do things that people necessarily wouldn’t think of,” owner and butcher Derek Stewart says. “I got into this for the creative aspect.”

The shop opened on September 9th and has since wowed the community with ever-changing flavors. Owned and operated by Derek Steward and his wife Laura, the shop began with Derek making his own barbecue sauces out of their home. This led to sausages, which eventually led to the decision to open a full store. Derek does the butchering and is often responsible for the creative combinations behind sausage and burger recipes. Laura manages the business side and makes charcuterie boards out of meats sliced in-house.

Every week The Meatatory releases five to six sausage flavors with the majority of those flavors being totally new. The shop also has staples, like the Nashville hot chicken sausage and a pepper jelly pork sausage.

The shop also releases new burger flavors every few weeks. This week that included a jalapeno popper burger and a chili cheese brisket burger. Burgers are sold individually so that easily trying new flavors is accessible and encouraged.

“We have customers that, when we have 10 burgers, some of them get six out of the ten and say ‘We want to play burger roulette,’” Stewart says. Customers can also similarly experiment with the sausages, which are available in variety packs.

Additionally, The Meatatory carries cuts of meat that you would not typically see at the grocery store, including flat irons, tri tips and picanha. Steaks available include wagyu, ribeye and strips. Waygu Denver and ribeye spinalis are two of the Meatatory’s biggest sellers.

Inside, The Meatatory features a traditional butcher counter, a grab-and-go area, a retail area and a “hot box,” which serves as a lunch counter with items like nacho egg rolls, wagyu hot dogs, and Nashville hot chicken cracklings on the menu.

The grab-and-go section serves up items like wagyu spaghetti, baked potato soup, chili, and gumbo. These dishes often incorporate scraps or trim from cuts sold elsewhere in the store, ensuring that nothing goes to waste. Many of the products available in the retail area, are sourced from local businesses or distributors, too.

To read more, check out the full story from 225 Daily, the newsletter from our sister magazine, 225.