Artisanal Red Hog Butcher shop opens

The whole animal butcher shop from the family behind Blue Dog bakery is now open at 2622 Frankfort Ave.

Red Hog, from Bob Hancock and Kit Garrett (founders of Blue Dog), Jay Denham and Duncan Paynter, opened quietly Thursday. And a cafe and bar isn't far behind, Denham said.

Whole animals – including pigs, lambs, cows and poultry from local farms (including heritage breed hogs from Hancock's) – come in the back and are sold from the butcher shop up front, Denham said.

“We make something with everything," he said. "There's not too many places like this in the country.”

►RELATED: Sneak peek into Red Hog butcher shop

The day after opening, a steady stream of people waited to buy dry aged beef, charcuterie, rotisserie chicken and more. Blue Dog breads are available, of course, along with to-go charcuterie boards and sandwiches. Other special offerings include beef tallow (“it makes some of the best roasted potatoes and vegetables,” Denham said) and prepared and frozen barbecue.

Customers have been especially excited about the dry aged beef. “As it gets older it gets more tender,” Denham said. “It's very unctuous and beefy. The fat finish is like butter.”

The dry curing program is underway, and more hams and other products will be available later, along with pates, rilettes and confits. And “eventually we'll have roasted femur bones and pig ears for dogs,” Denham said.

When the cafe opens, in about two weeks, the menu will be driven by what's in the butcher shop, so the chalkboard menu will change regularly.

“By being whole animal, we only get a few of everything in,” Denham said. They'll apply different techniques, he said, but “we'll have a lot of wood-fired focus.” Firewood for the oven will be stacked up outside, and they'll also use Michter's bourbon barrel staves for a bourbon infused smoke.

The bar program, run by Damien Cooke, will focus on classic cocktails with fresh, housemade ingredients.

“Classics will be done the way they're supposed to be,” Cooke said, “and we'll create some of our own cocktails.”

Everything will pair well with the food, he said. While a variety of spirits will be on hand, look for bourbon in some fat-washed applications. Beers on tap will join a small, selective wine list heavy on European bottles.

The menu, which is dinner-only, will have a “good amount of shareable or small plates,” Denham said. A couple pizzas will be on offer every day.

“It's going to be a fun atmosphere, with a big long communal table on the patio. And everything is going to be freaking delicious," he said.

A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held 9 a.m. Saturday at the store.

Red Hog is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. More information: https://www.facebook.com/redhogbutcher or 502-384-0795.

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