4505 Meats

I have been a supporter of this fine butcher shop since they opened their doors. Their selection of house made sausages and cured meats have always exceeded my expectations. Add great customer service which includes awesome recommendations on new to me cuts of meat and you’ve got a life long supporter.
I will be very sad to see this shop go but I will most definitely continue to support 4505 anywhere I see them.

This is my third visit to 4505 Meats. Why no review for the previous two visits? Was selfishly trying to keep this place a secret. It’s the best, most flavorful burger I have had in California. And now there are lines, Zagat rated the place and my little secret is now out! Though I am glad others have discovered the wondrous delights that 4505 Meats creates!
Tips:
1. Stand in line — it’s worth it.
2. Order the large baked beans.
3. The root beer is outstanding.
4. Grab extra napkins!

You’ll never better meat, period. End of story
Best BBQ stuff

I received the 4505 Sausage making book for my birthday this year, so I went to 4505 meats to get some of the necessary ingredients. The staff there were very helpful and had good advice for me about what to use and how to use it. They also have a good selection of casings for making sausage.
The really awesome thing is not only did they have the items I needed to start my project they were very nice about helping me get over some hurdles in the process. They looked at pics of what I was doing. They gave knowledgeable advice on how to stuff the sausage. They were super patient and helpful. Really great above and beyond service. And now I have some kicka$$ corned beef sausage and boudin blanc! Thanks 4505, you rock!

I’ll be real with you– I’m here for the damn chicharrones. They are the lightest, fluffiest and crispiest ones I’ve ever had. They have the perfect seasoning– just a litttttle sweet, a liiiiitttttle spicy and salty enough to balance all the other flavours in your mouth. The party bag is worth it at $ 8, but it is sold for cheaper at their farmers markets ($ 7.50– I know it’s 50 cents cheaper, but come on, you guys. I’m a student, I’ll take cuts where I can and appreciate it.) I literally came here for the chicharrones and that’s it. I was not disappointed.
I did have their Italian sandwich, which seems expensive at $ 8 at first, but I saw the size of it, and it was HUGE and stuffed with meat. If I didn’t know any better, I would venture to say that I wouldn’t be able to fit an entire sandwich in one sitting. I’ve also visited them at farmer’s markets and they have excellent zilla dogs (I had the one with kimchi and chicharrones on it!) I’d definitely come to 4505. It’s a bit more expensive, but if you’re going for the freshly made food or the chicharrones, you can get by without spending more than $ 20! Otherwise, look to other places to find cheaper cuts of meat. I’m sure they’re delicious, but I can’t justify it for the price.

Butcher shop located on the corner of 15^th and Mission. Parking in this area is horrible but it is a block away from the BART stop.
Chicharrones — Party bag $ 8 — more like a PARTY in my mouth. Seasoned with the finest chili, salt, and sugar. It has the perfect balance of spicy, savory, and sweet. The rinds just melt in your mouth. Don’t skimp with the small bag, get a couple of the larger ones and you won’t regret it.
Duck Stick — $ 3.50 — After having one of these, I don’t think I can go back to eating slim jims the same way. The duck meat was so juicy and my only complaint was the stick was too short. I wanted more! I should have grabbed more sticks for the go.
They have a great selection of meats. I will have to come back for my next barbeque.

Chi. Cha. Rrones.
Dear lord, these things are incredible.
I’ve never been a big fan of pork rinds, but to be fair, these can hardly be classified in the same category as the dry, tasteless stuff you buy in the super market.
These chicharrones are light, airy, and flavored with sprinkling of an amazing spicy sweet rub. Every time I visit the farmer’s market, I pick up a bag (or two, now that my son has discovered them).
I’ve also ordered a burger and chimichurri fries in the past. The fries were amazing and the burger was definitely decent. Not the best I’ve ever tasted, but there’s a lot of competition in that area.
Overall, this place is something special. A must visit if you’re hungry and wandering around the farmer’s market.

I really liked this place!!! Soo good! I had the bacon studded hot dog! Yummy! Such a great array of meats!
The only reason for the 3 stars is because when I was eating there… there where a bunch of big flies… Gross!
I asked the guy behind the counter why sooo many flies and just said they are always there:(well that sucks! I hope they take care of that because other wise it’s cool)

Time: 12:37pm/67°F mostly sunny
Purpose: Kristen from the divi location suggested me to check place out. Look at my watch saying great, no meeting for at least 2hrs, made a mad dash over.
Ambiance: A mostly butcher shop located in the mission. This location has no seatings in/​out strictly stand and eat or take it to go. Place is pack with plenty of items related to meat/​butcher trade. There’s just something about this shop that really puts others to rest. It’s the size smaller than the average bedroom but packs some much into a space. Its not just meats with cold case there are also vintage lockers, meat tags, equipment, supplies, novelty items that makes this place unique. It wants you to think back the days of real butchery of its days. Poster of cows and pigs with dotted cut lines were almost plaster in every section of wall.
Staff: Guy with beard and glasses I guess is the butcher and cook. When I came in he didn’t acknowledge me but was quick to do something about it when the girl maybe cashier told him to. Seems over work guy who may just didn’t want to deal with customers that day. I’ll give him a break this time.
Cleanliness: Grade A, very clean for a butcher shop. Display cases shows no fat protein or fingerprints. No spills or scuff up meat pieces on the ground.
Eats/​Drinks: Got me the butcher dog $ 8, bottle of San Pellegrino water $ 2.50, and a stick of duck heart sausage $ 3.50. The dog was delicious as made with ingredients that I never had before. The slices of ham were so thin I thought it was prosciutto mixed with mayo. This dog has to have all the fixings that comes with it in able to enjoy especially the aioli and headcheese. I’ll admit was kinda messy to eat but there are utensils available. Now the duck heart mini sausage tasted like Oberto flavor but I know it’s not. So how they duplicated the taste to exactly the same. No complaints I ate duck heart today for the first time. What’s next cow testicles?
Products/​Services: Smoked meats, handmade sausages, chicken snitzels, cheese, cole slaw, potato salad, taleggio, bean mustard, secret cheese, salame, mortadella, coppa di testa, ham, roast beef, headcheese, smoked wings, duck breast, smoked pig face, pancetta, ground beef, mergnez, bratwurst, uncured hot dogs, calvados, gigante, sauerkraut, dried beans, Inna jam, jelly, crackers, olive oil, sodas. Cooler bags, t-​shirts, tank tops, aprons, cookbooks, manuals, receipes, cut to order, grass fed.
Punch Lines: Locally source meat, nearby processing facility, any kind of cuts can be had, dried rub bacon (a must), ingredients/​receipes on site, novelty items, plant tags with ID cow number, house made sauerkraut, sells hot/​cold food, limited links/​sausages for the menu offerings, hard to get cheeses, pickled items in jars are local. Lastly Giant’s fan here!
Tradeoffs: Why would you spend $ 6 at a downtown street corner vending cart, when you can and $ 2 and have made to order on site freshness? Don’t make sense and jeopardizing health factor.
Final Thoughts: As a kid I hated fish market/​meat market because, I wasn’t doing the cooking. Now as you grow older you get wiser depart the unnecessary things in life. Luckily I visited grandma watch how she cook and what she uses soaking all that memories in applying the skills to adulthood. Lately I’ve developed a liking for places like this. I mean there’s no messing around here. None of that mickey mouse stuff Hillshire Farm, Butter Ball, Tyson, Jennie-​O, Foster Farms, First Street, Safeway Select, Kirkland etc. You come here to see fresh cuts done to your liking with, none of that styrofoam tray and plastic wrappings.

4505 meats has various cuts of fresh meats and sausages/​dogs available in the display cases. to the side, i saw chicarones and other canned/​bottled gourmet foods on various shelves.
didn’t see the overhead signage listing sammies of various sausages/​dogs (8ish+)
till i was about to leave.
eats: duck stick (3.5)
–like a pepperoni stick
–mushy, duck flavored?
–nothing artificial, chemical tasted.
take outs:
–paying took a while
–lady patron busy talking with cashier…
–may return to try a sammie, interesting menu offerings.

I’d enjoyed Ryan Farr’s 4505 Meats and his meaty expertise in a couple of locations before trying his storefront operation in the Mission. I’ve driven across the Bay Bridge to load up on his sandwiches and chicharrones* at the Ferry Plaza, and I even took his awesome hog butchering class a few years ago (note to the uninitiated: hog butchering is cutting up a dead hog into its usable pieces and is a great thing to know if you really enjoy cooking pork. It *isn’t* taking a live pig and killing it. When I told my friends I was taking a hog butchering class, many of them imagined me running around a farm yard with a machete trying to catch a pig).
Ryan Farr is The Meat Man. He knows meat: how to find it, cut it up and cook it to perfection. The display at the shop was beautiful, everything looking fresh and promising. I had a head of red cabbage that I was planning to serve with sausages that night, so I bought 4 bratwurst to go with it. Although I overcooked them (my fault, of course), they were still incredibly good. Last night my son was heating up the leftovers and the smell was still intoxicating. Perfectly seasoned sausages are a thing of beauty.
Prices are high, but I don’t think they are higher than other high-​quality butcher shops. The guy helping me was friendly, and when I asked him about the containers of Smoked Tomato Butter ($ 3/​container), he suggested putting it on chops, or veggies, or into mashed potatoes. Haven’t tried it yet but it smells great.
*Chicharrones! Are they good for you? Probably not very, but Ryan fries them in rice bran oil which results in a clean, light flavor. These are not the mass-​produced chicharrones you can pick up in your local Mi Tierra (tho, those have their place too). They are melt-​in-​your-​mouth and crunchy at the same time. Cheap? Not really, but if they were cheap everyone would eat too many of them. So, really, Ryan is doing us all a favor.

4505 Meats hosted a Litquake event at their commissary space (where they butcher and smoke their meats), which ironically enough was the former commissary space of Café Gratitude, a raw and vegan food restaurant. The event was billed as «Sausages and Syrah» and for $ 20pp, the blurb on Eventbrite said you get sausage tastings and 1 glass of wine, and a sausage making demo. Thus, my husband had a snack beforehand, as we did not expect a lot of food.
Were we wrong! 4505 went above and beyond what the blurb indicated. When we got there, a feast was waiting for us. On the butcher table, they had set platters of all house made Mortadella, Salami, Sweetbread Terrine, Pork Pâté, Crostinis and of course, their famous and melt-​in-​your-​mouth Chicharrones! There were about 25 participants, but there was enough food to feed more than that. Everything was excellent but I especially liked the Mortadella and Sweetbreads Terrine. They kept refilling the bowls of Chicharrones, as they were very popular. And the wine, well, you were not limited to one. They didn’t just have Syrah; they also had a Pinot Noir. Both came from a local winery and paired well with our feast.
That was not it too. They promised us sausage tasting and they delivered! Ryan Farr, the owner himself, demonstrated how to make a Lao Sausage, a recipe which any home cook can make at home. Guests were encouraged to and did participate in the different steps of sausage making from the grinding of the meat, to the mixing in of the aromatics, to the piping of the mix into the casings. Ryan had some of the final product shaped into patties and cooked. We tasted that and it was delicious with the pickled daikon and carrot salad on the side. He also had it smoked and we also tasted that. Yum! I was almost too full to taste but had to do it!!!
The evening ended on a sweet note with a fresh baked cookie from Dough & Co. Was not expecting dessert but they decided to round out the meal with it. Nice! The Litquake organizer was just flabbergasted by the amazing hospitality Ryan Farr and his crew has extended to us. Now that I’ve seen for myself how easy it is to make homemade sausage, I will be definitely adding that to my repertoire. I love to cook and my husband bought the cookbook for me. Looks like I’ll be making sausage at home soon!

4505 Meats catered my wedding this month. Actual comments from some of our 150+ guests: «best barbecue I’ve had in the Bay Area,» «best food from any restaurant I’ve had at all year,» «the brisket, oh my god.»
When people say you’ll barely eat at your wedding, it’s true. Still, we were confident in 4505’s food not only because of what our guests said, but also because they gave us multiple opportunities to try it. I think in total they gave us 4 meals, all before we even signed a contract. Part of that was because every time we came to try the brisket, the smoker wasn’t there or they’d run out, so we just kept coming back and eating more. But I also think they were just really nice and generous.
The one downside is that, because I am a vegetarian, I got to taste far fewer things than my husband did. The black bean and corn slider that they served at our wedding was the only item we never tried beforehand. And I’m sad to report that I’ve still never tried it — they ran out before I got to eat one at my wedding! Even though they brought twice as many sliders as there were vegetarians, some omnivores managed to get the extra servings. It was a bummer for me, but 4505 was very apologetic and also credited us the cost of the sliders.
I would absolutely hire 4505 Meats again. Maybe that sounds weird coming from a vegetarian, but who doesn’t like barbecue? And if you’re going to eat a ton of meat, you want to feel good about where it came from and how it was raised. And, most importantly, you want it to be freaking delicious. 4505 Meats is the only barbecue caterer in the Bay Area that delivers on all those fronts.

Human food & dog food all in one spot! I’m not sure how long they have been on the block. I’ve been away for 5 months so they popped up sometime around then. What a blessing! The men working in this joint are certified meatoligists! Ha! Seriously, when I made my selection of meats; lamb shoulder, tri tip and chicken, the butcher asked how I planned to cook it. On all occasions my way was probably not the best method. His advise was concise, easy to follow and very helpful.
Everything is priced by weight. Because I wasn’t paying attention I ended up buying a 4lbs chicken that cost $ 28.00. That bird better make me grow wings or something. They did give me the location of the farm, said that the birds can roam around outdoors freely and have a natural diet including worms. I mean that’s what birds eat right? Not corn. All of the other meats were reasonably priced, sourced from local farmers and also feed on natural diets.
It was a lucky Sunday for Titus too. I asked about the cuts that would be discarded and was told that they grind them up regularly and sell batches of packaged dog food. So on this day the butcher was just whipping up a fresh batch. We walked out with 2lbs of raw meat for Titus for $ 8.00. Happy human, happy hound.
Just so you know, I cooked the lamb shoulder on Sunday night. It was juicy, without any game flavor and ever so tender. We will certainly be back.

First thing’s first: the chicharrones. Let me put it this way: if Shakespeare and Chaucer teamed up to write a poem dedicated to these beauties, it would fail to encapsulate the fatty, delicious wonderment that is the chicharrones from 4505. They are not your run-​of-​the-​mill pork rinds. The 4505s will literally melt in your mouth. Seriously dude. After the first crunch, the fat begins to break down and it just… melts. They melt faster than ice cream on a July day. The flavor spectrum slaps you across the face: from appropriately salty to slightly sweet/​spicy all in one bite. I really couldn’t believe how amazing these tasted. One bag turned into two, three, four. I had to go back and purchase an entire box. I recommend squeezing some lime and hot sauce to punch it up another notch.
Bone-​in Ribeye. Yes, they’re expensive. But they’re worth it. I recommend using a reverse sear. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Coat the exterior with salt and pepper. Put the steak on a rack then in the oven. Leave it for 45 – 60 minutes until the interior temperature reaches 125. Then take it out to rest for 15 minutes. Once resting is complete, sear in a ripping hot cast iron. 60 – 90 seconds on each side. Cut. Serve. Prepare for an eternity of adulation from your guests. Bow. Exit stage left.
The guys are 4505 have elevated the art of meat to sights previously unseen. For your next family/​friend gathering, skip the wine. Buy a box of the chicharrones. If they don’t eat pork, buy the rib-​eye.

It was my turn to make dinner so I set out to find a good butcher. My search led me down to the mission where I found myself in the storefront of 4505 Meats.
We’ve all seen their tent around at various farmers markets and events serving tasty sandwiches and bbq items. Their butcher shop did not disappoint. Here I was presented with a large amount of options at somewhat reasonable prices. The staff was friendly and helpful in offering suggestions.
I ended up buying a few pieces of chicken which were stuffed with lamb and wrapped in bacon. Ridiculous, I know, but it turned out great. While they don’t have the massive variety of Golden Gate meats, they do have quality items and decent prices so I will definitely be coming back in the future to try more of their cuts.

I heard so many good things about this butcher shop– including from my bodybuilder neighbor who’s a foodie to boot — that I finally put 4505 Meats on my list of errands: I want the best ingredients to make this special baked pasta recipe that includes sausage and ground beef.
4505’s price point is a little high but not unreasonable given you’re getting spectacular, organic, antibiotic-​free meats. And frankly, I’ve never seen such fresh ground beef outside of Europe. I can’t wait to use it in my recipe.
So I bought lamb Merguez sausage, beautiful ground beef, a small container of smoked chicken chicken salad (I had a taste and it’s pretty amazing) and a NY strip for my bodybuilder/​4505 Meats enthusiast neighbor ’cause he had a bad week. He cooked it immediately and proclaimed it «incredible.»
I’m giving 4505 Meats 5 stars based upon two bites of their chicken salad, their overall stellar reputation, the cleanliness of the store and deep knowledge of the staff who are friendly and very service-​oriented.
I can’t wait to cook tomorrow!

This story starts a few years ago when my super creepy friend was visiting from San Francisco. I picked him up from the airport and the first words out of his mouth weren’t, «hey buddy, so good to see you,» or «man, that was a long flight and boy are my arms tired.» His words were, «dude, do you like chicharrones?» Random, but yes.
So from his futuristic looking backpack, which resembles the kind of bag that a pizza delivery guy uses to keep the pie warm, he pulled out a small clear plastic bag with a brown label. I could tell these things were special, handmade and packaged by a small scale operation. Boutique pork rinds? I’m in!
Believe the hype. They were buttery, perfectly seasoned, almost fluffy, with a melt in your mouth quality and impossible to put down. It was at this point that my heart and I thanked the lord above for many things, but mostly the fact that these came in such a small and controlled portion — I could have taken down six bags of these things. These little addicting pieces of pork crack were enough reason enough for me to pay this place a visit when visiting SF a few weeks ago.
My detour to 4505 was quick and my intentions were direct and to the point. «Put your hands in the air and gimme all those damn pork rinds!» Okay, I didn’t rob them of their entire supply but instead purchased one bag with a duck stick to go. It was all I needed. Not all I wanted… all I needed.

When it comes to spending money on any sort of service or commodity, I’m a big proponent of said service provider (s) making my life easier. That’s the whole point, right? Sure I could wash and dry my own clothes… but a mark up for fluff and fold is totally worth it when you’re busy and would rather focus on other areas of your life.
In this instance (purchasing meats) I’m pretty aware that I could hit Safeway and get a pound of mystery feed lot beef for a lot less than what I’m paying at 4505 Meats… but in that whole «making my life easier» sentiment I just shared, Ryan Farr and team put my mind at ease knowing my proteins come from humanely raised animals fed their natural diets without hard to pronounce compounds being injected into their veins on a daily basis. It’s sad that access to real food is such a niche business, but if you have any respect for what you put in your body, you should view higher prices on heritage meats as a sort of insurance policy on preventing future metabolic issues that will inevitably appear if you keep eating the same crap most of America calls «food.»
Everything I’ve ever consumed from 4505 Meats has been incredible. From bacon to ground beef to their addictive chicharrones (they’re seriously crack — meat crack), it’s part of what makes living in SF (or in my case, returning home occasionally) so great.
You should know where your food comes from, but it’s not always easy to find that information. Easy being the theme of this review, 4505 Meats takes all the guesswork out of eating well. Shop here and you’re assured a wholesome experience each and every time.

I visited the 4505 Meats booth at the Divisadero Farmer’s market in June. I had heard that the «Best Damn Cheeseburger» ($ 9) was really one of the best cheeseburgers. The cheeseburger was good, but it was not the best. It was fresh off the grill and delicious, but the burger was small. While the bun was interesting, it was not my favorite either. They did have water bottles for only $ 1, and the help was pretty friendly.
Realistically, you can get 2 single burgers and 2 milkshakes at In-​N-​Out for the same price, and I would be just as happy eating their burgers. Nowhere near the same quality, but I just wasn’t sold on 4505 meats.