Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Here’s the latest installment in my cross-posting partnership with Farmer and Chef South. Here, Maggie Cramer interviews Casey McKissick of Foothills Farm & Butchery in Black Mountain. Click over to read the full interview.
M: You had me at hot dog. Tell me a bit more about your version of the classic.
C: Hot dogs are incredibly nostalgic for me. They were a pretty big part of my life as a kid, specifically chili dogs purchased from ball parks, auctions, fairs, and other like venues. As adults, and then as parents, we get turned off by them when we learn more about how they’re made and exactly what’s in the industrial version. We wanted to make a dog that kids and adults both love, and that even the pickiest parents can get behind. Our dogs are 50/50 beef and pork and always, always, always only meat that comes from our regular suppliers—truly local and pasture-raised animals. Our dogs are made with only hand-cut lean and fat, the same parts that stay on our whole muscle cuts like pork chops or bacon, or are ground to make sausages and burgers. No mystery meats here. This fact and that we do it all by hand makes them a little more expensive, but we think they’re way worth it!
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M: I’m listening, and drooling. What are some more favorites from the shop—smoked or otherwise?
C: Bacon is hugely popular. We do both pork and beef bacon, and both are outstanding. Our Sweet Tea Ham also always moves quickly. And, we keep five or six different kinds of sausages at a time; they change from week to week. In the deli, the lunchtime regulars order sandwiches like our Philly cheesesteak, pork belly gyro, and meatball sub. Of course, everything is made in-house. It’s very hard to make money raising animals and selling only raw meat like pork chops. You’ve got to make bacon, deli ham, charcuterie, head cheese, hot dogs, etc.—things that people get really excited about.
