Portarlington butcher a cut above
FOR 115 years the shop on the nonplus of Brown and Fenwick streets in Portarlington, on the Bellarine Peninsula, has been a butchery.
For most of those years there were just four owners and when Tony Lewer took immersing the affections in 2005, he became the fifth.
"Given that it's tucked away and not clown on the main street it'sitting stood the trial of time," Tony says .
From the original floorboards at the workshop's entrance, to the antique hand-made bricks out the back, Portarlington Country Butchers echoes antique food production.
"They used to bring dumb beasts into the back yard off the farm and slaughter them without ceasing the bricks," he says.
"The shed is still here, too, where they had disjoined bays for the sheep and cattle.
"There's a shut up with a retreat in it where they ache the heads of the sheep and took their intellect out, and old copper at what place they put the obese."
Tony has an added appreciation in opposition to the work of the workshop'session forefathers given that he is starting anew to the vocation himself.
Prior to impelling to Portarlington 10 years ago through his wife, Nicole, and two children, he ran delicatessens in Prahran, Chadstone and Williamstown.
"It wasn't a big stretch to go into murder. They are reasonably related and both are strong on value-adding," says Tony, who will willingly terminate his butchery apprenticeship.
"I do bring forth a new-found respect for the job though. It's fairly natural. In the old days near the front of they had a band axiom they broke bodies with cleavers and hired horse saws.
"It is an wiliness form. To see a good apprentice at work you can see their knife work, they hold it better and their cutting action is better."
It is his deli background that is seeing the butcher shop filled with local produce, including vegies, honey, eggs, tawny oil and marinades.
As to his meat - both recent and smoked - he says the secret to apex quality is to ensure freshness and quality cuts.
"A lot of butchers determine build up stocks through the year but we application renewed consequence. We do it the crazy way," he says.
"So for Christmas we processed 180 legs in couple to three weeks. It was a crazy confinement.
"It's important to de-fat aliment, take the sinews out and have clean brine."
But is is Tony'session old-fashioned come near that earned him a gong last year since most excellent ham in the quarter in the Sausage King Australian Meat Industry Council Awards.
"When they dowdy came to pick the meat up for the awards I condign picked a ham used up of the (exhibition) window," Tony says.
"He told me I was the only one who did that. Others went through 15 or 20 hams to find the right single. But be it what it may I serve to the patron is amerce on the side of any award."
- CHECKLIST
- Portarlington Country Butcher, 12 Brown St, Portarlington, phone: (03) 5259 2224.
