Park Packing - Even the Squeal [Pictures]

LTH,

Hog butcher to the world no more Park Packing remains one of the last slaughterhouses in Chicago. They graciously allowed an impromptu behind the scenes photo shoot. A separate building houses a full retail operation and, if my nose is any indication on a 95° mid-August day, Park Packing is one of the cleanest slaughterhouses in the country.

Park Packing











Entire facility, including common area, is kept meat locker temperature.



Park Packing Retail





Park Packing custom cuts, grinds and will run your meat through the jaccard.





Every part of the pig is for sale, ofal enough to make Fergus Henderson smile.



Pickled pig parts anyone?



House made sausage as well as the bright red sausages so popular in the South.






Prices are, as you might expect, extremely competitive, some dry goods, fish and beef though the focus is on Mr. Piggy. As an aside, I doubt on-site slaughter accounts for all of the pork Park Packing sells as they have a wholesale operation as well as retail.

Highly suggest a visit, if for nothing else to view a piece of Chicago's history before it disappears.

I should note someone posted about the live pigs on site, with a picture. I searched high and low for the post but could not find. Thanks, would have given you credit if I found the post.

Enjoy,
Gary

Park Packing Co
4107 South Ashland Avenue
Chicago, IL 60609
773-254-0100

nice pics!

this is a great stop for your meats.
i like shopping here alot
& on sat. there is a taco stand right out side

I am a big fan of Park Packing, and they absolutely deserve the shout-out. During my time in Chicago, we visited them a few times every year to pick up fresh (i.e. still warm) pig brains in the morning. The guy in charge, "Tom the Slaughterhouse Guy", was incredibly generous and gave them to us for FREE - he even pulled workers off the regular butcher line to saw the pig heads in half for us and help us with the brain collection.

It was only in my last 1.5 years that we realized they had a retail section, because we always went in through the other entrance. Nothing bad to say about their products - their ribs and pork bellies have supplied the material for quite a few of our pork parties!

So I guess I will be a shameless shill and tell you guys to shop here and support them!


Edit: "Tom the Slaughterhouse Guy" is the man in the jersey, 6th picture from the bottom

Anyone been here lately? They seem to have some really great weekly specials.

These are 7/18 - 7/24:

they have add in wed. food sec. all time .
love going to park packing

i love park packing,went today & picked up a hog.
and cooked for a party
had a blast& will be back for more pig

on another thread, mtgl wrote:I'll be smoking some tomorrow, as it will be clear and warm for November, and we have some out-of-town guests. I picked mine up today at Park Packing on 41st and Ashland--it's akin to Peoria, as you walk into a big cold room and put on disposable gloves to dump piles of meat into bags, though somehow it's a bit less nice than Peoria, which I sorta like. They had chuck and plate short ribs underneath the briskets, not at all labeled, and cheap at only 2.69 a pound. They come in large cryovac packages of about five ribs each, but if you ask, they'll cut those open and give you as much as you like.

Hi,

Thank you for mentioning Park Packing. A friend highlighted this post and its comparison to Peoria Packing House (PPH), especially the part about it being "less nice." Instantly a new midpoint destination was set and off to Park Packing we went.

What an intense experience it is to visit Park Packing, which is located across the street from Swaporama. It is a smaller space than Peoria, narrow aisles with pig parts to pick over on top of the table and odd bits underneath. The beef was either crayovac or portioned, plated on a foam tray and wrapped in plastic, while PPH their beef is as open as the pig. There were two species of testicles available: pig's and bull's. Some goat parts were found underneath the table, too: legs, heads and some meat chunks.

At PPH the butchers and buzz saws are behind a barrier. At Park's it was up close and personal, you could ask the butcher a question while he cuts away.

I heard pig snouts were 29 cents a pound, but apparently all the pig snout devotees snapped them up before I got there. If I wanted some, I had to return after the weekend. I use them mostly for making treats for my nine dog nephews. Pig ears were a lofty $3.49, which was no surprise though I miss the days I bought them for 59 cents a pound.

It was nearly body to body in there and two lengthy checkout lines. There was a lady frying Polish sausage samples, who said the lines moved swiftly.

I am coming back, though I hope to go on a weekday with less people hopefully. There is so much there to soak in and learn.

I had left my Mom in the car. When I got back, she told of all the huge meat portions walking past her. Just sitting in the car she was highly entertained.

Thank you for highlighting this store, it is certainly my kind of place.

Regards,

Whatever your heart desires can be found at Park Packing, including pizzle, balls and bung.





Watching an older gentleman don gloves and help himself to an unusually large amount of cow cecum, it was hard to keep from asking, Just what do you plan to do with all that bung?

Park Packing Meat Market
4107 S Ashland Av
Chicago
773-843-2200
http://www.parkpacking.com/

Park Packing also runs Kiki D's, a taqueria next to the packing house. It's a pretty basic setup—just order whatever looks good at the counter, get your own drinks and salsa, grab a table and eat.





That's half a pound of carnitas ($5.95/pound) and a taco de labio ($1.75; it's not everyday you find a taco with lips). A dozen tortillas brings the bill to around 6 bucks. Decent food and a terrific value.

Kiki D's
4117 S Ashland Av
Chicago
773-254-3526
http://www.parkpacking.com/restaurant

Rene G wrote:Watching an older gentleman don gloves and help himself to an unusually large amount of cow cecum, it was hard to keep from asking, Just what do you plan to do with all that bung?

So what was his response?

boudreaulicious wrote:

Rene G wrote:Watching an older gentleman don gloves and help himself to an unusually large amount of cow cecum, it was hard to keep from asking, Just what do you plan to do with all that bung?

So what was his response?

It was hard to keep from asking, but I did manage to restrain myself. I can only assume he was making sausage. The bung or cecum is a pouch at the beginning of the large intestine that's sometimes used as a casing for large-diameter sausages.

Rene G wrote:

boudreaulicious wrote:

Rene G wrote:Watching an older gentleman don gloves and help himself to an unusually large amount of cow cecum, it was hard to keep from asking, Just what do you plan to do with all that bung?

So what was his response?

It was hard to keep from asking, but I did manage to restrain myself. I can only assume he was making sausage. The bung or cecum is a pouch at the beginning of the large intestine that's sometimes used as a casing for large-diameter sausages.

Darn! Just seeing how you would pose such a question would be entertaining, let alone the answer

HI,

You forgot to suggest people keep track of their sale items. Last week, they had made-on-the premises loose breakfast sausage for 39 cents a pound. Highway robbery was ground pork for 59 cents!

Could not resist the siren call of baby pig for 99 cents a pound. Dreaming of a 10-12 pound suckling pig, I learned their definition of baby is 40-50 pounds. A real deal if I was about to dig a small pit to roast.

They can arrange a small pig of a net weight 12-20 pounds for the relatively lofty price of $2.99 per pound.

Just before the holidays, they had pig snout for 59 cents a pound.

I have not been to Peoria Packing House in a while, but I have been here at least once a month for a while.

Interesting place to visit and if you are lucky, you get to see someone delighted to buy lots of bung.

Regards,

In another thread, Rene G wrote:It's on the South Side, ruling it out for many, but Park Packing currently has pork butt for $0.99/pound and spare ribs for $1.49/pound. Both are fresh, never frozen, slaughtered on site. They also have pork snouts (previously frozen) on sale for $0.19/pound, an unbeatable deal. Maybe it's time for a batch of barbecued snoots?

If anyone is still looking for pork butts, they're down to $0.79/pound at Park Packing. Spare ribs are still $1.49/pound and ground pork is $0.69/pound. All fresh, never frozen. The super-cheap snoots and jerk sausage are history, though fresh Mississippi sausage can be had for $0.79/pound. No meat shortage at Park.

Park Packing
4107 S Ashland Av
Chicago
773-843-2200
http://www.parkpacking.com/specials