Vongeertsem Butcher Shoppe

It’s great to have a local, friendly butcher to talk with. We were having a special family dinner, and Greg helped us decide what we needed. We had thick cut steaks– filets, New York strips and rib eyes. All were excellent! Tender, juicy, tasty. Great service.

Ok so was really looking forward to giving this guy a shot. This Christmas I was cooking a dish that called for a split pig’s foot. Not an everyday item but I’ve certainly seen them around. The following is a real conversation:
Me: hi there, was calling to see what the chances of finding a pigs foot in your shop would be.
VG: about 0
Me: really?
VG: well, if you were to order a whole case I’d see what I can do.
Me: I understand. Well, I’m pretty sure I can find one in an ethnic market in my neighborhood, but I need it split and they don’t have a saw. If I bring it in and buy my roast from you, would you split it for me?
VG: that’s dangerous man.
Me: yeah, I know, that’s why I’m calling a butcher…
VG: look I appreciate you buying the roast but I’m not gonna stick my fingers in a saw for a sale
Me: ok maybe another time then
Hung up and was about to despair but I called Rudolph’s in Deep Ellum and they had it ready in an hour along with the roast.
Lesson here: spelling your business as ‘shoppe’ does not make you a real butcher

Looking for an old-​time butcher shop? One that cuts the meat as you buy it? One that sells aged, corn-​fed meat instead of that red stuff at the chain grocery stores?
This is it!
Greg Geerts, the butcher and owner, takes the time to explain how the meat is aged, how it’s prepped and cuts it to *exactly* the size you want.
[He also sharpens kitchen knives for $ 2/​inch. I had two sharpened. They’re sharper than they’ve Ever Been. I’ll need to be very careful with them.]
I’ve marked the prices as pricey, but it’s not really pricey for the superior quality you are getting.

I have been going here for a couple of years now and the quality of meat is always great. Greg is so friendly and is more than willing to give his advice, anything from grilling to the best way to maintain your knives. You can’t go wrong here.

Really nice little place. Very good quality meats and very friendly butcher. I’ve learned a lot from him.

I stopped in Vongeerrtsem while dropping off a package for shipping at the postal place a few store fronts down and I am really happy I did. Finding a local place that will get you specialty cuts of meat is a must-​have essential for any aspiring Tyler Florence or Ina Garten wannabe.
As it was a weekday afternoon, Greg and I had about 15 minutes or so to chat about his business and I came away very impressed. They have been open for about four years and can provide a really wide variety of meat essentials — Boar’s Head deli meat to bone-​in lamb chops to whole chickens to pork belly. He seems to carry a wide variety of product’s on-​hand, but if you are planning a meal, it would probably be a good idea to call a few days ahead of time and he can order or put aside your request.
He told me the locations and vendors he sources from and it was really impressive. Free range chickens from Delaware, all the lamb comes from Colorado, and a lot of local Texas providers as well. He is super proud that Dallas Observer magazine named him the best butcher in Dallas and Texas Monthly said he was one of the Top 9 in the state — pretty high praise.
I was definitely expecting a hefty price tag for a specialty butcher, but he price benchmarks his staples against the Kroger which is less than 4 blocks away and has a small premium for his specialty items which are of really nice quality. Totally pleasantly surprising and I think most people would rather support the local small business than the giant corporate butcher.
PLUS — how can you argue with any business that has that ridiculous «shoppe» spelling — so old-​timey and awesome!

I reeeally wanted to like my neighborhood butcher. Unfortunately, I’d rather not have my ears talked off while trying to buy my meat, and I’d like to come home with the meat I went in to get. Let me explain.
I went in to buy Kevin a bone-​in sirloin after he saw a cooking show on TV, so of course it was going to be his dinner. You’d think a Dallas butcher shop would carry bone-​in meats, right? Nope. I asked, and instead of a «We don’t usually carry them, but let us know a few days in advance and we’ll get it for you,» I got a 20 minute explanation as to why he doesn’t carry it. It was almost like he was overcompensating for not carrying what his customers want.
I left with a substitute meat and exhausted from my conversation with a stranger. And Kevin was disappointed that I came home without a bone-​in sirloin :(

it is wonderful to live in the middle of the city and have the small town butcher just down the street! friends are coming over to grill and needed to get steaks.
Ordered rib-​eyes and Greg pulled a slab out of the frig and started cutting. Got 3 perfect center cut steaks for dinner.
If you haven’t tried the store I highly recommend it. The steaks are at least as good as if not better than most you will get at any of the high end steak restaurants in town

I am very happy to have this place a few blocks away, but I would even be willing to drive across town to buy my meat here. My g/​f and i are regulars here now and use it for everything from steaks to leg of lamb to plain-​and-​simple chicken breasts. We’ve found prices to be roughly the same and occasionally slightly better than what we pay at Central Market.
Greg is really helpful too. My g/​f (who I will admit is the real chef btw us) was discussing the difference in lamb shank qualities between those that we purchased at Whole Foods vs. Central Market (CM being a lot better). Based on how she had been preparing it, he recommended a leg of lamb and said he could order some if she gave him notice. She did, and we ate it for Valentine’s dinner, and let me say, it was a nice piece of meat.
If you’re going on a Saturday afternoon, you may wait a while — Greg is a friendly guy, and he’s always helping the customer to be sure they get exactly what they want. That’s what’s great about this place though and it’s why we’ll be back.

Best Butcher in Dallas!!!
I decided to buy a beef brisket, which I planned to smoke, and I decided to buy it from Greg. His beef is Angus, corn fed and from Nebraska. Yes, I know that isn’t Texas but, and this is a big but, when I tested a smaller brisket the week before it was, and I kid you not, the BEST brisket I have ever had — tender, a little sweet, and juicy in the extreme.
Greg is a local butcher with a small local shop, and he is my new source for meat. Greg knows what he is doing and offers a great product.

Have you ever seen a standing rib roast in real-​life person? Not all done up with panties on — I’m referring to the bloody, boney hunka-​hunka, all dripping with juice, that comes *before* the tanned and shellacked version you are presented with under the warming lamp at the smörgåsbord. It has the power to make even the daintiest little thing feel like a caveman who has just bagged his first mammoth.
I saw my first SRR at the counter at Vongeertsem’s on Christmas Eve-​Eve last year. I stopped in to pick it up, after pre-​ordering a few days in advance. It was a bright and cold day, and the Butcher Shop was bustling with pre-​holiday carnivorous consumerism. Mr. V had my order wrapped up pretty-​like in that fancy white butcher paper and cotton twine, but I insisted he unleash the Beast and show me what I was getting myself into. (You see, it’s very important to get up close and personal with your meat.) Not only did he not bat an eyelash, he actually seemed pleased to unwrap the package and reveal my roast in all its red, sinuous glory. Then, he re-​wrapped it with care for the short journey home. Know why? Because he’s the kind of guy who will go out of his way to please a customer.
Having this little shop right around the corner from my house is real treat. I’m not into meat, as a daily rule, but when you care enough to roast (or grill or pan sear) the very best, this is the place to go. Also of note is the fact that Mr. V has a very compelling story in his not-​too-​distant past, but I’m not going to spill the beans right here. You can read all about it on the wall while you’re waiting for your chops. Be advised: parking is difficult, but there is a lot in back that’s way easier to navigate than the slots out front. Happy Hunting!

Finally we have wonderful butcher in town.
Owners Greg and Kathy are wonderful and have made an excellent butcher shop. The quality of the meats cannot be beat. Greg will always cut meat to your order/​specification — just tell him what you are cooking and how many you are serving and he will take over from there.