Meat Moves

After a Seven Days article (“Season’s Eatings,” [1] April 21, 2010) pointed out how much of the prepared fare at the winter Burlington Farmers Market was sourced from afar, Angel “Sonny” Orsini of Orsini’s BBQ [2] decided to see if he could make some changes.

Although he says he recognizes the value of using local products — and has read Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma — Orsini was having trouble sourcing Vermont meat for his smoky, traditional ’cue. Smaller local suppliers couldn’t sell him just the cuts he needed — many deal in whole animals — but he wasn’t ordering enough to contract with bigger businesses.

With a little perseverance, though, Orsini was able to buy brisket from Boyden Farm [3] and locate a supplier of natural pork. For now, he’s offering one localvore item a week at the Saturday market. That will help him gauge whether consumers are willing to pay the premium: A small, conventionally sourced pulled-pork sandwich costs $4, while the local version is $7.

If eaters are on board, Orsini notes, he’s more than happy to phase out the conventional offerings. “I think a fresher product, preferably a local product, would be far superior to something that’s packaged out in Texas,” he says. “That’s the long and the short of it. I hope it becomes a mainstay on my menu.”