The Conscious Carnivore

One of the best things about living in Madison is the access to local, fresh food. You cultivate a relationship with food that’s more than just about what looks great in a food photo. It’s about understanding where your food comes from and the people who devote their careers to growing and creating the vegetables and meat that nourish you.
The Conscious Carnivore is a full service butcher that is environmentally and socially conscious. The butchers are knowledgeable about meat and animals, and they also have a relationship with local farmers who raise the cows and pigs.
The storefront is beautiful and clean, and things are packaged in the fridge so that you can browse and pick out what you want or need. They also do a Buyer’s Club, which I signed up for. For $ 75, you get a monthly box of 10 – 12 lbs of meat. It’s about 50% beef, 30% pork, and 20% other stuff. For my first box, I got 2 lbs of ground pork, 1 lbs of pork sausage, 1 lb of ground pork, 2 lbs of chicken, a t-​bone steak, beef short ribs, london broil, and a package of beef snack sticks. You get 10% off anything in the store when you come in to pick up the box, and you can cancel at any point. I asked whether I could sign up for just one month to try it out and they said that’d be no problem. I just needed to let them know a couple of days before the next pick up date. After just one box, I’m looking forward to the next box and excited about the goodies that might show up. It’s no wonder there’s no minimum commitment. I’m continuing as long as my freezer doesn’t get too full.

Let me begin by saying I was a loyal customer to Black Earth Meats when they were open and this place has a similar feel to it. All the meat is very fresh and if you want locally raised product, this is it no doubt. However, the reason why I only give four stars is the price. When Black Earth Meats was still open, not too long ago, I could get much more for my money. I noticed a 25% or so price increase here and they are stocking Black Earth Meats product! So yes you will find top quality meats here but be prepared to shell out some cash.

I don’t say this lightly. We’re very fortunate to have this place in Madison.
Steak, pork and chicken are unreal. Better than any restaurant in town. There. I said it.
Burgers and sausage is a little dry due to the grass fed lean cuts. But bacon and hot dogs are best in the state.
Not cheap. But cheaper than going out. And you don’t need as big of a portion because it tastes so damn good.
I’d rather eat less meat and eat CC meat than save a buck here or there for cruel, tasteless meat elsewhere.

This place is the best. All the meat I have tried has been delicious and fairly priced, but mostly I like that I know what I am eating and where it is coming from. I sincerely wish everyone would buy their meat here.

Whew, the first whiff in the door almost left me running for cover. Fortunately, I braved it through to discover a whole new world!
There is a great selection of different cuts of meat as well as a case full of different types of brats. With the help of the lovely young man at the counter, I ended up picking out a couple of the traditional brats and the pickle&cheese brats for a picnic/​grill-​out!
Prices are reasonable, and everything — and I mean EVERYTHING — looked super fresh. I definitely wouldn’t have minded paying a little extra for such good looking meat, but as I mentioned, the prices were comparable to a local grocery store.
As for the brats, I really wish that I had all of the typical condiments to go along with them so that I could really get the full effect of a nice, juicy Wisconsin brat, but unfortunately, we only had dijon mustard at the grill-​out so I ended having the brats au naturale — which honestly weren’t bad either. I think they were quite a hit at the picnic!
I’d definitely recommend The Conscious Carnivore to all my meat-​eating, grill-​loving friends — if only for the novelty.

Read Steve’s review.
I’d copy and paste it if I could ;).
Humane treatment of animals.
Classic butchering techniques.
Incredible line up of classes.
And one of the best briskets I’ve ever eaten!
Go when you have time to chat them up as opposed to rushing in and out. They’re happy to share processing techniques, cooking techniques, just about any info you’re up for learning. So glad to have an extension of Black Earth Meats closer to me!

When I woke that particular morning, I had no idea that the tenderloin I would be eating for dinner was the best I had ever eaten. Ever. This butcher is a new concept that combines elements of a coffee shop with outstanding quality, knowledge and customer service. Every conceivable cut of meat is at your disposal, with a wide range of frozen cuts as well. Worth the extra money, if you are still looking for a new local standard in this food genre. I will do a more detailed review as I get more familiar with what is offered.

Conscious Carnivore, getting you in touch with your inner socially responsible caveman
Geez, I’m getting a serious case of the meat sweats just thinking about all the meaty goodness contained with the four walls of the Conscious Carnivore. As a semi-​serious home cooking enthusiast, it’s a joy to have to join the Madison food scene. Not only do they have a wide variety of cuts (I’ve been searching for hanger and skirt steaks for several years), but I get to choose between organic, grass-​fed and local options. The quality of the products I’ve purchased is top notch, especially the standing rib roast I picked up for Thanksgiving dinner. They also have excellent weekly specials and special cuts (like a skin-​on Mangalitsa pork loin — WOW) communicated on their Facebook page LINK
Generally, when I hear the terms like organic and locally sourced, I expect to pay a hefty premium, but that is not the case at CC. Their prices are on par with what I pay at the local Piggy Wiggly here in Waunakee.
Pro tip: CC is a CSA pick up point for Black Earth Meats the third Wednesday of every month.
I’ve experienced excellent service at CC. I get a warm greeting every time I’ve entered the store and a staff member (or two) always asks if they can assist in any way. The store offers various cooking and butchering classes and frequent product sampling events where you can meet their suppliers. CC also is a pick-​up point for In addition to meat, they stock local beers and cheeses. They even serve Colectivo coffee!
Food coma coming on. Must. finish…review…

I’ve visited this place twice and both times I’ve been enamoured with how the butchers are so helpful. We’ve tried the breakfast sausage, which was good. Our parents are so hard to purchase for at Christmas so when we discussed a possible meat package for them– the butcher provided us with excellent suggestions. We are going to come back and make our Christmas package!

The commitment to customer satisfaction and great products are immediately felt when you enter the shop. This crew is dedicated to their store and to madison. We are lucky to have such a professional and tasty option in madison.

Have been here twice now and both times had a great experience. Very friendly and knowledgeable staff. Ground beef, bacon, and pork chops were all delicious.

Positive experience all around at the Conscious Carnivore.
I went in for some bacon for a recipe on a Sunday afternoon. A butchering class was going on, which looked like fun. It sounds like they offer additional classes as well and I was told by the cashier that their suppliers often come in to host informal chats with patrons.
CC offers house-​smoked bacon, which ended up working well in a butternut squash recipe. I perused the offerings a little. Reasonable prices for high quality, fresh meats and fish. Since the class was going on and people were blocking the entire right hand side of the store, I couldn’t check out one of the cases with frozen food (something they may want to consider accounting for in the future). Employees were friendly and helpful.

My husband and I usually come once/​month to stock up for the remainder of the month– I’ve found that the prices here are less than Whole Foods and Willy Street for a similar product, which I didn’t expect. The staff are friendly and helpful, they always have samples, and the place is extremely clean… super clean. Great quality meat-​everything we’ve purchased so far has been fantastic!

Come in and strike up a convo, these folks know meat!
The prices are excellent (beat that dodgy chain across the street, Metcalf’es and the Co-​Op) and you can tell these guys really care about their craft. I love walking in and asking them what i should make for dinner.
The next time you are grocery shopping be sure to plan to stop here for your proteins. Sure it is another stop, but these guys are pros, the prices are excellent and the quality is unmatched.

I’ve been here a few more times since I last reviewed, and I continue to be impressed.
The in-​store events (free sandwiches, YES) are awesome and the cooking classes are intriguing. All of the products I’ve purchased have been fairly priced and fresh. The beef tenderloin filets is super tender and cut well, the grassfed ground beef is reliable. Stuffed chicken breasts are juicy with great filling options.
BRING US MORE CARNIVORE

I LOVE YOU, Conscious Carnivore! You’re making my transition to only organic, grass fed, humanely raised, local meat so effin’ easy! And the prices were in line with what is offered at area grocery stores (shipped, frozen, from who knows where?). Knowledgeable, friendly staff. Definitely making this my only choice for meat/​poultry shopping needs. If they offered sandwiches to order, I might be there every day.

So excited that I do not have to drive to Black Earth any longer to obtain this quality of meat products! Our first steak last weekend was so moist and flavorful.
Can’t wait to stop in again.

Stopped in shortly after the grand opening. Everyone was extremely helpful and informative of the meats and products they offer. We bought a wide selection, including red wattle pork shoulder and halal leg of lamb. The pork, cooked low and slow, was fantastic. Buttery, great pork flavor that you miss from normal grocery store selection pork. The leg of lamb was a bit high in cost per pound but it was the freshest, most beautiful leg of lamb I have ever purchased.
I can’t wait to try the Red Wattle pork belly I tucked into the freezer.
We will be back — often.

What a fabulous place. The meat here is amazing and the variety is far beyond what the grocery store can offer. The butchers were helpful and instructed me on how to best cook and cut the meat to ensure the best flavor and texture. They offer a play area and coloring for kids, as well as selling Colectivo coffee by the cup — this is a place to take your time and appreciate what they have on offer.
I live not far from this place and am so glad to have a high quality butcher shop in the neighborhood! I do wish they would offer sandwiches or other takeaway cooked foods — maybe in the future?