This Mennonite-Owned Kentucky Sausage Kitchen Is A Meat Lover’s Dream With Old-School Custom Butchering

Blueberry Maple Bratwurst exists, and it comes from a family butcher shop in the hills of South Central Kentucky. That flavor sits beside Apple-Cinnamon brats, Scorpion pepper cheese, and a sugar-free bacon line called Cave Man.

The family behind it has handled its own butchering since moving to the area in 1995. They opened to the public in 2011.

Now they process beef, hogs, deer, bear, elk, sheep, and goats.

I admire that the motto here is simple. Your animal equals your meat, cut and sealed the way you asked.

I can’t imagine a more honest promise from a butcher.

Then there are the free samples near the door. Seriously, who plans a meat run and leaves with only what was on the list?

A Family That Butchered Long Before Opening The Doors

Some businesses start with a plan. Showalter’s Country Meats LLC started with a family that already did its own butchering for years.

The Anabaptist Showalter family settled in this part of Kentucky in 1995. They opened their meat business to the public in 2011.

That timeline matters more than it sounds. Those were years of practice before a single customer ever walked through the door.

The shop sits in the hills and hollers of South Central Kentucky. It’s a quiet, rural setting that suits old-fashioned meat work nicely.

Today the business blends two roles under one roof. It’s a custom processing facility and a specialty meat retailer at the same time.

You can bring in your own animal for cutting. Or you can simply shop the freezers for steaks, sausages, jerky, and smoked cheese.

I like that the family voice still shows up everywhere. Owner replies online sign off with puns like Let’s Meat Up, which tells you plenty.

The shop also shares videos on YouTube about its work. Some customers even found the place by watching them first, which feels very modern for such a traditional craft.

2301 Sloan Fork Road, Windsor, Kentucky. That’s where your GPS should point, deep in the scenic hills of South Central Kentucky.

Your Animal Goes In, Your Own Meat Comes Out

Your Animal = Your Meat. That’s the core promise of custom processing here, and it’s refreshingly plain.

Customers schedule an appointment to bring in their own animals. The crew then cuts, cleans, processes, and vacuum-seals everything to the customer’s specifications.

Beef and hogs are the regulars. Deer, bear, elk, sheep, and goats also make the list.

No animal of your own? Showalter’s sells grass-fed beef and corn-fed hogs directly, so you can buy and have them processed in one stop.

Folks have driven from Tennessee to pick up a hog and a half beef. Others have made two-hour trips for hog processing alone.

One couple even ordered a whole hog for a Puerto Rican lechon at their wedding. That’s custom work with a capital C.

A practical tip helps here. Know your preferred cuts, steak thickness, and sausage style before calling to book.

The website lays out plenty of detail about the process. Reading it first makes the conversation faster and your freezer happier.

Ribeyes, for example, come about an inch and a quarter thick. Want them thicker?

Just ask.

The Sausage Kitchen Has More Brat Flavors Than Your Grill Has Days

Andouille, Apple-Cinnamon, Bacon-Cheddar, Cheddar-Jalapeno, and Chorizo. That’s only part of the bratwurst lineup coming out of this sausage kitchen.

Every item is crafted with USDA-certified meat and the shop’s own spice blends. The variety is honestly a little dangerous for anyone with a grill.

Blueberry Maple Bratwurst also has a fan in the owner. Abner has called it one of his personal favorites.

Summer sausage gets equal attention. Jalapeno Pepper Jack and All Beef Mettwurst are two of the choices.

Salami lovers aren’t left out either. Hard Salami and Thuringen Salami share freezer space with the brats.

Breakfast sausage covers every mood at the morning table. Look for hot, medium, mild, old-fashioned sage, Italian, and beef.

My advice? Grab a mix of flavors instead of five packs of one.

A sampler cookout is far more fun than a debate over which brat wins.

Hot dogs round out the case too. You’ll find all-beef, pork, and chicken versions, which makes picky kids easier to please at summer gatherings.

Bacon Comes In Flavors You Didn’t Know You Needed

Cave Man bacon sounds like a joke, but it’s a real product line. It skips the sugar and nitrates, which makes it a smart pick for certain diets.

The regular bacon selection is just as fun. Apple, Country, Maple, Hickory, Beef, and sugar-cured varieties all show up.

Breakfast at your house just got complicated. In a good way.

Beef bacon is worth noting for anyone who doesn’t eat pork. It gives you that smoky breakfast feeling with a different meat.

Jerky and snack sticks also fill the shelves. Beef sticks in particular show up often in family conversations about this shop, especially with kids.

I believe snacks like these are the easiest place to start. They travel well, so a long drive home becomes far more pleasant.

Keep a cooler in your car before heading out. Retail meats here are typically frozen, and you’ll want them to stay that way.

One more idea: buy two bacons that sound opposite, like Maple and Hickory. Cook them side by side on Saturday morning and let everyone vote.

Smoked Cheese Brings The Heat, Scorpion Style

Scorpion cheese is not for the timid. It sits on the smoked cheese list beside Habanero/Jalapeno, ready to test anyone’s bravery.

Milder choices are here too. Sharp Cheddar, Pepper Jack, and Swiss offer smoky flavor without the sweat.

Cheese at a butcher shop might seem like a side note. Here it feels like part of the plan.

Pair one with a summer sausage and you’ve built a snack tray in seconds. Add crackers at home and nobody will guess it took so little effort.

I like how the cheese rounds out the shop. It turns a meat run into a full picnic haul.

Families buying for road trips should take note. Smoked cheese and beef sticks make an easy lunch with no stove required.

Heat seekers, try a small portion of Scorpion first. Keep milk handy, just in case your confidence was a little ahead of your taste buds.

Planning a holiday spread? Mix one hot cheese with one gentle one, and everybody at the table finds something they like.

Free Samples Are Practically A Weekend Tradition

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday are the days to circle. That’s when free samples of specialty products are especially likely.

The sample table near the entrance gets plenty of love. New items rotate in, so it’s a smart way to try something before buying a whole pack.

Brisket deserves a special mention. The owner has invited folks to stop by on Saturdays between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. for a taste.

That’s a pretty generous invitation from a butcher. Good luck ignoring it.

The staff is known for being friendly and helpful. Friendly staff comes up again and again when people talk about Showalter’s.

Even the checkout feels personal. Children of the family have helped bag orders at the counter.

A tip for first-timers: don’t fill up on lunch before arriving. Leave room to taste around, then shop based on favorites.

Ask questions while you’re there too. The team is happy to explain cuts, flavors, and processing options to newcomers and regulars alike.

Deer Season Turns Into A Venison Feast

Fall changes the rhythm at Showalter’s Country Meats LLC. Deer processing becomes a major focus once hunting season arrives in Kentucky.

Bring in a field-dressed deer and the options open wide. Venison burgers, steaks, and roasts are the basics.

Specialty items take it further. Think venison summer sausage, hot dogs, bacon, snack sticks, and jerky.

BBQ pulled venison is another deer specialty. It’s only for hunters who bring their own deer, since the shop cannot sell venison.

Craving it anyway? The owners suggest the BBQ pulled pork as the closest thing you can buy off the shelf.

Late hunts aren’t a problem either. After-hours drop-off for whole deer is available by prior arrangement, with a convenience fee.

The drop-off process was recently improved too. That matters when you’re tired, muddy, and just want your deer handled well.

Plan ahead by calling before your hunt. Knowing the drop-off arrangement ahead of time makes a successful day end smoothly.

Local Farms Stock The Freezers

Grass-fed Angus cattle graze right on the family farm. The Showalters raise that beef themselves, along with corn-fed meat hogs.

Neighboring farmers fill in the rest. Local partners supply grain-fed beef, pastured pork, grass-fed lambs, and goats.

That’s a short trip from pasture to package. It’s also a nice way for your grocery money to stay in the community.

The retail freezers carry the everyday basics. Burgers, steaks, and roasts sit alongside the specialty goods.

Chicken and lamb show up in the selection as well. That variety helps if your household doesn’t agree on dinner.

Retail meats are typically frozen and vacuum-packed. The owners explain that freezing keeps the quality at its best.

So plan your trip like a freezer restock, not a quick dinner grab. Bring coolers and maybe clear a shelf before you go.

Steak burgers are a favorite worth trying. One Kentucky shopper suggests cooking them to medium, which sounds like solid advice for a backyard night.

Plan Your Trip Into The Hills Before The Freezer Runs Low

The drive is part of the charm. Some shoppers come from hours away, and the rural views make the miles easier.

Hours are easy to remember. The shop opens Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays are closed, so plan around that.

Payment won’t slow you down. Cash, personal checks, debit, and credit cards are all accepted.

EBT works here too, starting in September 2021. That makes quality local meat easier for more families to enjoy.

The store was recently renovated. Cleanliness is a point of pride, and a staff member named Miriam gets credit for keeping it spotless.

My last bit of advice is simple. Visit on a Saturday, taste the brisket, then load the cooler with brats you can’t pronounce yet.