FAQ

Our beef, lamb, and pork are sourced through multigenerational, family-owned farms and slaughterhouses in Pine Plains, NY, Manheim, PA, and Romulus, NY. Our certified organic chicken is from a family-owned farm in Pennsylvania.

To us, what is most important is that our animals are cared for and raised by farmers who care about their well-being. Our bottom line sourcing requirements are that the animals are free of added hormones and antibiotics, they have year-round access to the outdoors, and they are not mistreated or harmed in any way. Essentially, we make sure that we have solid communications along the supply chain, which includes the right to ask a zillion questions, have them answered, and visit farms when we want to.

Whole animal butchery is the practice of cutting from whole carcasses, rather than buying boxed meat or bulk standard cuts. We like this approach of purchasing whole animals because, among other reasons, it gives our farmers job security.

We’ve designed our product menu so nothing goes to waste. This means fat goes in sausages and hot dogs, while offal gets blended into our raw dog food.

Right behind the storefront in our Stone Ridge location. Our small crew of butchers practice whole animal butchery.

We offer several beef options based on availability. Some of that beef is grass-fed. Our 100% grass-fed beef comes from a family-owned farm in Romulus, NY. Most critical to us is that all of our animals are raised by farmers who care about their well-being.

Our beef, lamb, and pork are not certified organic. They are, however, local, as well as humanely and sustainably-raised and produced. The farmers we work with adhere to our very strict requirements and none of our animals are given, fed, or administered hormones or antibiotics. Our chicken is USDA certified organic; this is the best choice for us to provide our customers with a consistent and ethical option at an affordable price. Check out our book, The Butcher’s Guide to Well-Raised Meat, for more information on why we don’t require all our farmers to obtain organic certification.

Dry aging is one of those buzzwords that makes everyone excited. It’s a traditional process that softens and concentrates flavor — we think it is delicious. Think of pickles, wine, cheese, and charcuterie.

We store choice cuts of meat in a temperature controlled room for specific amounts of time while the cuts lose moisture and their flavor is transformed. Our standard dry-aged beef is 28 days. We also have cuts that have been dry-aged for longer: 45, 60, 90, and even 120 days. (We’ve written more about dry-aging here.)

We suggest you read the label as you shop for a steak in the vending machines so you know how long your steak has been aged. As it ages, its umami flavor intensifies. If you are looking to get into dry-aged beef, why not try the 45 to start and see how you like it. If you have bought any of our ribeyes, strip steaks, or porterhouses, you have already tried cuts dry-aged for our standard 28 days.

Don’t see what you’re looking for in the machines? You can also custom order dry-aged beef.

We source everything we use in our products with the same careful attention we pay to our meat. All of our spices are organic and, with a very few exceptions, all of our other ingredients are as well. See our ingredients labels for specifics.

When you buy meat in the vending machines, it’s always fresh. If you place an order for curbside pick-up, you’ll be ordering from our frozen menu. Frozen meat is great to travel with or for bulk stocking your freezer. See here for detailed information about curbside services.

Each product listing on our website includes a brief description of the cut and some best practices for cooking. We like Epicurious and the New York Times as online resources. If you’re in shop, take a look at our community copy of The Butcher’s Guide. There are some good references in there, and you won’t just find recipes. There are also oven temperature guides, tips on when to grill and when to roast, and how to shop well-raised meat on a budget. If you have other questions, call or email. You can also use our Ask The Butcher form for pointers directly from the butcher’s mouth. If we decide to use your question in a blog post, we’ll send you a coupon code for 10% off your next order.

To keep our prices affordable, we’ve invested in vending and processing technologies. Our prices are generally lower than what you’ll find at high-end markets or butcher shops, but our product is the best you can get. It’s raised ethically (without hormones or antibiotics) and it has incredible flavor. Truly there’s nothing like it. Compare our ground beef to other locally sourced ground beef and you’ll see what we mean.

Our meat is currently packaged in vacuum-sealed plastic bags. This anaerobic (lacking oxygen) environment maintains freshness longer than paper wrap or plastic-wrapped trays. You can keep an unopened package of our meat in your fridge for a month. All packages have a “use or freeze by” date on them. Once you freeze a package, it’s good in the freezer up to a year from that date.

We stock the machines fresh daily, just like a butcher case. Raw meat like steaks and chops, and even ground, remain in the machine for a week max. Processed goods like hot dogs might stay in there for two weeks, but it’s not likely because they’re too delicious to stick around that long. Everything we sell could actually safely stay in the machines–or your fridge–for a month. We prefer shorter shelf life for sake of quality.

When you open a vacuum-sealed package, your meat might have a slightly funny smell at first. This is because meat naturally gives off gases, and those gases have been trapped in that tight little space. This does not mean it has gone bad. If you’ve left something out or it’s close to its due date and you’re concerned about how it smells when you open it, one way to tell if your meat is good is to leave it on a plate on your countertop at room temperature for 20 minutes. When you return, give it a whiff. If it’s odorless, your gases have dissipated and the meat is fresh. If it’s still funky, the meat should not be eaten.

A lot of our customers want to run in, get what they want and get home. Plain and simple — people live busy, complex lives. We realized that a 24/7 self service butcher shop would be a huge convenience to people.

We’re not currently taking custom orders, but we are taking orders for curbside pick-up. You can order from our evolving menu of frozen items and we’ll pack an insulated bag for you to pick-up, no contact. Place your order for curbside here.

– Order online: www.applestonemeat.com

– Order by email: info@applestonemeat.com

– Order by phone: (845) 626-4444

The most important thing is to note that you’re ordering by weight, not by item, unless otherwise specified. Ordering by weight online is tricky, because we never know exactly what a piece of meat will weigh until we cut it. So, we ask you to pick a weight range and then we give you an estimate of your cost based on the high end of your weight range. We’ll never charge you more than your estimate. Once you place an online order, one of our staff members will be in touch to discuss details and arrange a pick-up.

Ordering meat online is like ordering at the deli or butcher counter–you might ask for a specific amount, but every cut is different. What you get might actually be a little bigger or smaller than what you were hoping for. This is especially true with whole animal butchery. We don’t order pre-cut, boxed meat–we cut everything by hand to order. That’s why there’s a weight range.

We usually recommend about a half pound of meat per person. If we were standing beside you right now, we’d ask, “How many vegetarians at your table?” “Any big eaters?” “How many of your group are children who will only pick and nibble?” You can factor those things in, too, but the ½ lb. rule is a good place to start.

We try to give you an accurate estimate of the most that each cut might weigh. For example, if a strip steak only has the option of 1-1.5 lbs, it means that one strip steak usually lands somewhere along that weight range–never less or more than that. If you want more than one of something, use the add/subtract button to choose multiples of a weight range.

Your payment is processed once we’ve cut and packed your order. When you place your order initially, the website calculates the highest possible amount it could cost and places a hold on your card for that much. Once your order is packed, we enter the actual cost and push the payment through. The actual cost is always lower than the estimate. We will never charge you more.

Our cut-off date for all holiday special orders is a week prior to the day. That means Mother’s Day, Christmas, Passover — you name it. If you need a standard menu item, it’s worth calling us, even if you miss the cut-off for custom cuts. We may have what you need and can pack it right up for you. Keep in mind that we continue to stock the vending machines with holiday cuts right up until any given holiday. And you can come in and shop the 24/7 machines whenever works for you. So if you’re a late planner or have a last minute holiday party, you’ll still be good to go.

Our vending machines currently accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, AndroidPay, and ApplePay. If ordering online, you can pay via Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, and PayPal. All forms of payment are accepted at our customer service window including cash, check, EBT/Access, Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, AndroidPay, and ApplePay.

Usually, we do, but we have been unable to accept SNAP payments since we closed our customer service windows in response to the pandemic. We are working on this and hope to have an alternative solution set up shortly.

You’ll know your order is ready when you receive a call or email from one of our staff members. Some kind member of our customer service team will be in touch to arrange all pick-up details.

We do not currently have delivery services.