If you spend very much time on Texas highways, and let's be honest, all Texans do, you'll notice the best places to eat tend to be the meat markets.
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Texas meat markets are a class unto themselves. Unlike traditional butcher shops, they are more like a combination country store, restaurant and small-town gathering place. At most meat markets you can get a good hot meal, pick up some homemade spices and even drop off your latest buck to be processed.
Check out these 10 best meat markets in Texas, and add a few to your road trip bucket list.
10. Moody's Quality Meats - Corpus Christi
You gotta try: Bratwurst
Game processing: Deer
Mail order available: No
First opened in 1964, Moody's Quality Meats has been catering to South Texan appetites for over 50 years. Moody's offers a variety of sausages, steaks and venison, as well as prepared frozen entrees to take home. Moody's is well loved in the South Texas area and has a good number of loyal customers who have been patronizing the shop for decades.
9. Bolner's Meat Company - San Antonio
You gotta try: Akaushi filet (steak)
Game processing: No
Mail order available: No
Bolner's Meat Company opened in 1930 as an expansion of the original Bolner's Market in downtown San Antonio. Whether or not you realize it, chances are you know who Bolner's is. Bolner's developed the Fiesta brand spices that are sold in just about every H-E-B in the state of Texas. Unfortunately, Bolner's recently stopped serving hot food, but you can still take home delicious meats to cook for your family.
8. Meyer's Elgin Smokehouse - Elgin
You gotta try: Beef sausage
Game processing: Deer (whitetail, axis, elk, mule, etc.)
Mail order available: Through Meyer's website
R.G. Meyer founded Meyer's Elgin Smokehouse in 1949 using the same sausage recipe his father brought to Texas from Germany. Though a lot has changed since then, the sausage remains the same, and is well known in the Texas Hill Country. If you can't make it to the store, however, some Meyer's products are also sold in grocery stores around the state.
7. Rudolph's Market & Sausage Factory - Dallas
You gotta try: Chili & hotdogs
Game processing: Deer, etc. (call for more info 214-741-1874)
Mail order available: No
Rudolph's Market & Sausage Factory has sat in the same location on Elm Street in Dallas since 1895. In 1947, one of the employees, Cyril "Sid" Pokladnik, bought the market. Since then, the business has been run by his family. Today, they still deliver the same quality sausages and meats as it has for over a hundred years. Try the kielbasa for a rare treat.
6. Stanton's Shopping Center - Alvin
You gotta try: Original thick cut bacon
Game processing: Deer, hog and more
Mail order available: Through Stanton's website
The unassuming exterior of Stanton's Shopping Center in Alvin, Texas belies the wonders that lie within. Have you ever tasted kangaroo? They have it at Stanton's. Stanton's has a wide variety of specialty and stuffed meats, and they are well known for their beef snack sticks. Before you leave, make sure you grab a pound of the house bacon.
5. Southside Market & Barbeque - Elgin
You gotta try: Both the brisket and the jalapeño cheddar sausage
Game processing: Southside no longer processes individual wild game, but does meat processing for private labels
Mail order available: Through Southside's website
The place that Texans now know today as Southside Market began with door to door meat deliveries in 1882. Fast forward over 130 years and the "oldest barbecue joint in Texas" is still making incredible sausage, brisket and other delicious products to serve hungry Texans.
4. Hirsch's Specialty Meats in Plano
You gotta try: Stuffed pork chops
Game processing: Fully skinned deer and native Texas species only, with restrictions listed here.
Mail order available: No
In the world of Texas meat markets, Hirsch's is relatively new, having been opened in 1992. Almost 25 years later, Hirsch's is still holding their own out in Plano. Hirsch's only carries prime and choice cuts of meat, which are the two top-tier qualifications of meat available. In addition to meats, Hirsch's sells wine, cheese and seafood.
3. Chappell Hill Sausage Company - Chappell Hill
You gotta try: Hickory smoked jalapeño bacon
Game processing: Deer (must be skinned and quartered first)
Mail order available: Through Chappell Hill website
When you're out enjoying the bluebonnets on Hwy 290 this spring, be sure to stop at Chappell Hill Sausage Company for a bite. You can dine in the barbecue restaurant for some of their famous pulled pork, or bring home some amazingly mouthwatering Chappell Hill sausage to cook for dinner. The little meat market opened in 1968 and has been serving hungry Texans ever since.
2. Dozier's Grocery & Market - Fulshear
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You gotta try: Dozier's summer sausage
Game processing: Deer and hog
Mail order available: Through Dozier's website
Opened in 1957 by Ed Dozier to sell his delectable barbecue, Dozier's Grocery & Market has become an inexorable part of Fulshear life. Along with prepared bbq, Dozier's sells raw meats, jerky and what has got to be the best summer sausage in the state of Texas. Dozier's is so delicious that it inspired a song by Texas songwriter Kyle Hutton, and has even been frequented by the members of ZZ Top.
1. Prasek's Hillje Smokehouse - Hillje
You gotta try: Cajun spiced turkey jerky
Game processing: Deer, hog, turkey, and more
Mail order available: Through Prasek's website
If you find yourself traveling down Hwy 59 south of Houston, you've absolutely got to stop at Prasek's. Located in the unincorporated community of Hillje near El Campo, Prasek's has been in the meat business for over 40 years. You can't miss it, since there's really not much else in Hillje, including people. The population of the tiny town hovers around 51. Inside Prasek's you'll find incredible barbecue, raw meats, a fantastic bakery and Prasek's famous "wall of wine." Make sure to try their homemade jerky, which is never over-salted or too tough.
