Union Meat Company

Bought a 5 lb rib roast (prime) from Billy (owner) at Union Meat Company for Thanksgiving...best one I've bought in DC over 20 year period.I will return

I have purchased A5 wagyu beef from Union Meat Company three times in the past year. Everyone is very helpful -- they ask questions about when I plan to cook it and if it's not immediately, they will vacuum seal the cuts for me. A5 isn't cheap, but the prices here are fair. I'm thankful that they always have it in stock and are attentive and helpful!

Authentic DC half-smokes smack dab in the middle of Eastern Market (they didn't drum down their recipe for mass production like some other unmentionables).

What is a half smoke you ask? A sausage that is half beef, half pork, smoked, and less finely textured than a hot dog native to DC. Definitely a treat! Pick one up if you're not able to wait in line for the Market Lunch.

I also go to Union for their **divine** bacon @ least once a week. Will I most likely have to stop this habit by 30? Yes. But until then, medium-cut skin off smoked bacon is my pig portion of choice. **AND** it's the kind of bacon grease that my chef roommate begs me to keep for cooking. ($3.49/lb I believe) Their pepper bacon is also super tasty if a bit pricey ($3.89/lb) The grease is great for breakfast potatoes, pancakes, or making eggs. Toaster oven @ 350 degrees for 15 minutes, and you get perfect bacon! (I am a klutz and will burn it on the stovetop...or burn myself)

Breakfast sausage is sweet and savory, and perfect with syrup for pancakes. Their other sausages are also good, but a little on the big side for me, which leads me to...

**Loose country sausage** THIS is the big moneysaver folks. You can get it loose, just brown it and add whatever you do for red sauce and veggies in pasta. Or brown it with breakfast potatoes to make some awesome hash. ($2 something /lb) Eventually I'll make enough money to buy some nice cuts of meat here.

Also, Union meat will sharpen your knives! ($3/knife or $10/4 knives)

The only con: I'm short (5'2") and sometimes it's hard to flag down a guy behind the counter.

This is the Best Place to buy meat in DC. The guys who own and work there are super accommodating and helpful. That would be Roy, Billy or D. Tell them I sent you....

NEVER AGAIN!
We have lived on The Hill since 1973.
In the early 1980s, when our then-current beef supplier closed, I went to Union Meat and purchased a full NY Strip sealed in a vacuum bag.
Blood in the bag hid the USDA Grade Stamp, but I asked and was assured that this was the Prime Grade that I had asked for.
Weeks later, after wet aging the Strip, I opened the bag and found that the meet was not Prime grade at all. It was clearly marked "Choice."
When I called to report this, my concern was rebuffed. I decided that I would never do business with them again.
Wanting to support Eastern Market merchants, however, in the last couple of years I broke the promise and began patronizing Union Meat again. With severely managed expectations, purchases made there were not stellar, but not complaint-worthy. Until last week...
My wife sent me to get a veal chop for my Birthday Dinner. The chops in the case looked OK and I selected one.
After cooking, it was virtually inedible. Gristle honeycombed the meat from edge-to-bone. After much sawing and tearing, I was able eat about one-third of the chop.
I see that other reviewers have been happy with this business. Perhaps they have been lucky and those who have shared my experience haven't posted reviews.
The people are generally very nice, but there are many establishments who pay better attention to the quality of their product and won't sell sub-standard product.
I have made the promise again. This time, I will keep it.

Best place I know of in DC to buy meats. I have bought a couple different cuts of prime steaks here and I have always been impressed. For prime beef, their prices are generally quite reasonably (under $20/lb in many cases). They also have Waygu Kobe beef, but I've never bought it since it was $98/lb, which I understand is pretty reasonable for Waygu Kobe.

Each year I prepare a Country Ham for my family reunion. This responsibility has been passed down to me. I always see various brands of country hams at my local super markets. The are often kept off to the side like cast offs that don't deserve proper presentation. The normally produce lots of mold that you have to scrub off as part of your prep. I couldn't find one when I needed it this year and said to my wife "I really need to get my ham from a butcher". She said, " you always say this and do this mad search of 4-5 markets and are mad..." Anyway I remembered how much I like Union for my Thanksgiving Lamb, so rolled down there early one morning. This is the first time I have seen a country ham not stored in the manufacturers bag. Union had this incredible product cleaned and presented in the meat case. Two things that means to me. 1)I DONT HAVE TO WASTE TIME CLEANING IT! 2)THEY CARE ABOUT THIS PRODUCT AND THE FOLKS WHO WANT TO SEE IT AND CHOOSE A GOOD ONE. I was able to see the condition of the ham. There are certain keys to choosing that have been passed to me and when the ham is wrapped I have to guess a little. Well I was able to make the choice quickly and the had three to chose from. The gentleman serving me was great and professional. He weighed, wrapped, and double bagged it for me to carry away. Fast forward...My family said this is the best ham we have had in the past 4-5 years. I will get my ham from Union moving forward. Great job Union. The drive from MD is worth it each time I come.

When I used to live in DC seven years ago, I would come here for a half smoke every time I was at Eastern Market. Was back in the neighborhood this past weekend and had to grab one. The hot natural casing half smoke is so good - spicy flavor combined with a uniquely firm texture. Still the best half smoke I've ever had, even better than Ben's - and all for $2.25.

I've been looking for a long time for a place to get my knives sharpened in DC. I read several reviews on Chowhound suggesting that this is one of the best places to go in DC that's also much cheaper than other places, so decided to give it a try.

Knives cost $3.50/blade to sharpen here. You just drop them off at the counter and a few days later they're ready. The knives came back sharp! It's been a long time since I've had them sharpened and it's amazing how much better my knives are able to cut now! I'm definitely bringing my knives back here next time.

This review is for the sausages sold from the hotdog-roller machine. I have no experience purchasing meat here since I live in VA and have a butcher shop by my home - I buy sausages here to eat before/during/after work. That being said, all their meat looks great and I endorse it based on the quality of the sausages.

There are a number of butchers inside Eastern Market. But only one of them sells hot dogs to eat on the spot, and if you're like me, looking at raw meat makes you hungry :-) Problem solved. They have a couple kinds of sausage, but my favorite is the 'hot half smoke'. This is a coarsly-ground, skin-on sausage that is spicy, half beef half pork, and smoked. They also have mild half smoke sausages and polish keilbasa, both skin on. The skin-on sausages are scored before being cooked and look like they are bursting at the seams. Which they are. With deliciousness. And at $2, these dogs are a steal.

They also have skinless hotdogs, which have a smooth forcemeat texture. They are good too, but I only ever get them if the skin on sausages are gone.