Sam Rice is bringing years of butchery experience to his first business venture, The Malt House Butcher, which is expected to open at the beginning of September. The butchery will join the raw bar Extra Wavy and speakeasy Prohibition in the Centennial Malt House at 2017 Chouteau Ave., the former Vin de Set building just outside the technical parameters of Lafayette Square.
When The Malt House Butcher opens, Rice will have an extensive cut list that he attributes to the art of seam butchery, which he describes as a more delicate practice – including more knife work and a higher yield – than what is often needed in high-volume processing houses. To begin with, the butchery will focus on cut-to-order halves (also known as “sides”) and quarters of beef. A side of beef totals to over 200 pounds, which can feed a family of four for about a year, according to USDA statistics.
“Find someone who is offering a more extensive cut list than I am,” Rice said as an open challenge. His aim is for every cow to be cut differently from the one before, depending on what customers request. While he is still limited by the anatomy of a cow, Rice’s goal is to be as customizable as possible. His cut list reflects his assertion that seam butchery allows for more variety of steaks and more control over fat content in ground beef. The cut list includes options like filet mignon, ranch steak, bavette and flat-iron steaks, which Rice describes as one of the hardest to cut well. The timeline from customer order to delivery is about three weeks.
“I want to incrementally grow on purpose,” Rice said of expansion. “That’s going to take as long as it takes.” Along with sides and quarters of beef, The Malt House Butcher will also serve several wholesale accounts.
Rice’s long-term goal, however, is a retail store. To get there, he plans on building connections with his customers while focusing his business on employee welfare before expanding. “You run into a number of grumpy people in the meat world,” Rice said with a laugh. “I’m trying to have a happy, healthy work environment that pays well and has good benefits. That’s why I don’t want to do the retail game right off the bat.”
Rice is committed to only using local meat at his butchery. “We’re like an agricultural powerhouse,” he said of Missouri, and according to the state’s Department of Agriculture, it’s the state with the third-highest beef production. Rice is choosing to use Price Family Farms, based out of Troy, for his cuts, but he’s also open to using meat brought to him by customers if they have their own farms or relationships with farmers.
Along with years of experience at area butchers like Bolyard’s Meat and Provisions and Wenneman Meat Co., Rice’s family has been in the business for over 100 years with Wisconsin butchery Weber Meats. “I think it’s in my blood to do this,” Rice said. Construction is underway, and Rice is currently taking orders, with expected fulfillment beginning in September. Follow along @malthousebutcher on Instagram for updates.