Polson butcher shop is a meat-lovers paradise

A carnivore’s dream just opened up across the bridge from Polson.

The first impression when you walk into Montana Marbled Meats may be the cozy fireplace and gathering table. But the next moment, giant slabs of aged steaks and a case of smoked bacon call out to the true meat devotee.

Co-owner Max Nash used to run Hog Boss, a barbeque catering business in the Polson area, for several years. He loved working around meats and enjoyed the people.

He locally raises and sells much of his own no-hormone beef and pork and buys commercial meat as well. He is working to build his herd to better keep up with demand, and says he is open to buying others’ local meat if it is slaughtered and inspected to meet USDA specifications.

Dallas Greenwood answered Max’s ad for a professional butcher and brought his family to

Polson last October, helping set up and train others in the new business. This includes Max and two family member co-owners, as well as Junior Parks, an enthusiastic apprentice meat cutter.

They opened the new store, in the old Glacier Lumber building at 46878 Highway 93, in November and are working to build inventory and fill freezers.

Besides the rich array of fresh steaks, burger and roasts, Montana Marbled Meats offers a

mouth-watering array of smoked meats and cheeses. Hams, turkeys, briskets, wieners, many flavors of summer sausage, ribs, snack sticks, even bologna and cotto salami, are made on site.

They accommodate special tastes and needs with everything from tripe and head cheese to no-nitrate bacon.

They smoke many kinds of cheeses, purchased in large blocks from Mission General in St. Ignatius.

Special orders are pouring in.

“We did a lot of turkeys and hams for Thanksgiving,” Max said. “People can pick up a warm smoked ham or a prime rib on Christmas morning. It can help take the pressure off so people can enjoy the holiday.”

Max says it helps to have a special order at least a day ahead of time, or two weeks for large orders. They offer a quarter, half, or even a whole beef or pork on order, and are putting together 20- to 25-pound boxes for around $50, 15% off the retail price.

Bringing meat into the tech era, Max is developing an app that customers can get by texting “64600” which will send notifications of events such as sales, promotions and parties.

This new meat-lover’s paradise is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

But, as Junior puts it, “If you drive by and the lights are on — we’ll serve you!”