BM Meat Market

After several disappointed visits to my go-to butcher, I was looking for decent pork belly. I've learned not to trust my go-to butcher anymore as I was given off cut pieces and only to be ridiculed by my colleagues of getting odds and ends.My immediate circle has been having cravings and this includes shoyu pork belly. With a great base of aged shoyu, simmering slabs of pork belly will yield a yummy lunch, linner or dinner.Located in Maunakea Marketplace with neighbors of Papa's Cafe and Mei Mei Chinese BBQ, BM Meat Market (BMM) is a stall that specializes in fresh pork. They had a large variety of pork cuts, spare ribs, pork bones, pig's feet and congealed pork's blood. This past weekend I was on my regular shopping rounds in Chinatown and was purchasing some cooked meats from Mei Mei Chinese BBQ, where I patronize often. Many times I see many people crowding around BMM purchasing meats. But on this morning, it was empty so I decided to check out their offerings. I only saw one slab of pork belly that had nice marbling. I asked for the price, which came in at under $5 per pound. I asked the male staff if he had any more and walks back to his refrigerator to bring out a large slab of pork belly. ***happy dance***I asked for a total of 6 slabs of pork belly, in which I noticed an end cut with lean meat that is not ideal for Chinese shoyu pork. I asked him to replace that with another center slice, where he didn't hesitate to my request. My total bill came in just over $25, which is much less than what my colleague paid at Safeway last week where that pork belly had excess fat. The meats I got at BMM had more in volume, better quality of marbling and eating meat versus fat. This clearly was a WIN WIN WIN in my books.BMM accepts cash and EBT cards. English friendly and with respect to COVID-19, they have signs posted and stickers on the floor to remind patrons of social distancing. Overall, a very pleasant shopping experience where I will be back for more for my pork needs.NOTE: I didn't see any pig liver, pig kidney nor pig head on display. Perhaps they have it stored in the back refrigerator. Try asking the staff if you don't see what you're looking for.

At their new location in Oahu Market Place (2 blocks from their old location), they always have customers purchasing fresh pig!Quality:After a quick convo with a friendly male, who seems to be the owner, they only offer fresh pig/pig parts because "you can tell the difference!" As I came grocery shopping with my mom, she said this place always has the best meat and they have a lot of options. Also found the blood blocks here!!Service:Great service, especially for Chinatown! My mom not only spoke English to them but also Vietnamese and Lao. They know a lot about pig parts and what meals we can make with it, as I don't really cook so it was great. I recommend shopping small and supporting local. Always nice to take a stroll through Chinatown and get some grocery shopping done.

I found this guy. No, really, (Yelpwise, I made that up...me!) I found and listed this guy. Trust (omg! Lol), it's one guy and a (basically, a pop-up) sausage grinder. I'm not too sure of how often he had it before, but you can believe you me, he has read the tiny blurb in Honolulu Magazine about his Lemongrass/Pork Sausage. It will (most likely) be in stock. Here's my thoughts: He uses the real deal intestine to jacket his sausages. You get a bit of that raw "animal" flavor that all true sausage lovers crave. The lemongrass comes a bit later, as you pop the jacket and mull it a bit on the taste bud. It is soft, flavorful, and generally melt in your mouth goodness. It's all there. That savory, slightly sweet flavor that comes from a well charred piece of once living flesh. The blackened bubble blistering of the sleeve, just aching with flavor. The plumping as it begins to slightly wobble in the skillet, and the aroma...that lets you know it's "fresh". I won't get into how you can tell really fresh sausage from prepackaged...I like to think my audience is well versed in such matters. Fresh Sausage is best (really, it's known). Located in the Maunakea Market Place... It's on the left hand side (Yelp map marks it incorrectly, me?) just before you go down the steps to where they keep the bullfrogs. Eat what you like! Let Mother Nature figure the rest out...I love my sausage. And, the pork belly! O...M...G! Aloha

Friendliest meat butcher around! Always has amazing service and has an great selection of meat. We don't go to anyone else but him for all our porky needs :)