Ask Tom Douglas who makes the best bacon in town and he'll likely refer you to Bavarian Meats, a local company responsible for the wonderful, slightly smoky pork featured at Douglas' restaurants Palace Kitchen and Etta's Seafood.
Stop into the popular downtown bistro Le Pichet and you can order a dish featuring Bavarian Meats' landjaegger, sautéed and served with chutney.
Order a ham sandwich from the Virginia Inn and you'll get a couple slices of bread stuffed with Bavarian Meats' genuine Westphalian ham.
Grab a dog from the busy Hotdog Joe's cart outside Safeco Field on game day and you'll be eating - you guessed it - Bavarian Meats, a local company that turns out some of the most authentic German sausages, salamis and other cured and smoked meats this side of Munich.
Despite its popularity with foodies (not only restaurateurs but several food blogger sites contain raves about Bavarian Meats' products), the company is small and remains so by choice.
As such, their output is necessarily limited, and they don't go out of their way to advertise or seek publicity. As one of the owners of this family business told me, remaining small is one way they maintain the high quality that keeps them so popular.
Bavarian Meats' production takes place in a small plant on Western Avenue just north of Broad Street in Lower Queen Anne. When I told my husband that I was going to be given a tour of the factory, he looked as though he might weep with envy. Quite honestly, I wasn't certain I'd even heard of them, but I shared his enthusiasm for watching a small, local company do its thing - especially since I'd been informed that Bavarian Meats makes all of its products by hand.
With my grateful husband in tow, I arrived at the factory for a prearranged visit with the owners and the opportunity to observe and sample.
Starting out
Bavarian Meats was started in 1961 by German émigré Max Hofstatter. He traveled to America from Munich in 1933, when he was 19. After working for several years as a sausage maker, Hofstatter founded his Seattle company just prior to the 1962 World's Fair.
Hofstatter started production of the sausages from a shop in the Pike Place Market, and sold them to fairgoers from the seat of his bike. They were a hit. By the 1970s, the business had grown too large to handle from the Market shop, and production moved to the plant on Western.
Today, Bavarian Meats is owned and run by two of Max's granddaughters, Lyla Ridgeway and Lynn Steward, along with equal partner Manny Dupper. Ridgeway and Steward are relatively young (early 30s, I'd guess) twin sisters who appear to be both well liked and respected by the mostly male staff - many of whom have been working for the company for decades.
Dupper started with Bavarian Meats more than 30 years ago and is virtually indispensable for his knowledge of the business. Each owner is passionate about the company, and both times I visited the plant they were busily working alongside their employees at a fairly hectic pace to ensure that orders were filled and the work was getting done.
Meat magic
For more than three decades, Bavarian Meats' sausages and meat spreads have been assembled by Danny Molnes. All of the recipes, which originated with Max Hofstatter, are now second nature to Molnes, who no longer refers to the handwritten notes. He mixes pork, beef or veal, or a combination of those meats, with different varieties of spices that sit in bowls in the small kitchen where he works his magic.
The casings used for the sausages, hotdogs and salamis are all natural, which gives them a nice snap when you bite into them and makes a tremendous difference in flavor. In addition, there are no fillers, unnecessary chemicals or fat added to increase the weight of the products.
(In fact, one of the things I learned during my tour is that if a hot dog plumps when you cook it, there's something in that dog that shouldn't be there.)
All of Bavarian Meats are processed by hand and, where relevant, smoked with alder chips and dried for several days.
Since my official introduction to Bavarian Meats, I've tried many of their products: from the sausages, such as the brackwurst and the milky-white Bockwurst - a subtle and wonderful sausage made with veal, pork, green onions, parsley, celery and spices - to the rich smoked pork chops and the classic German Westphalian ham.
I've also tried their amazing landjaegger, a dry, hard salami so tasty as to be addictive. Landjaegger is one of Bavarian Meats' most popular products, and the only one whose ingredients Steward wouldn't reveal, other than to tell me that it's made of beef, pork and spices.
One thing is certain: unlike the mass-produced version for sale on 7-Eleven counters throughout America, this snack meat is neither greasy nor overly spicy, and with its superior ingredients and lack of preservatives, you don't even feel guilty for the indulgence.
Braunschweiger uber alles
My absolute favorite Bavarian Meats product is the braunschweiger. Whether or not you've eaten a version of this meat spread before, you're in for a happy surprise. Made from (remove all food prejudice from your mind before reading on) liver, pork, onion and spices, Bavarian Meats' braunschweiger is incredibly creamy and light, and is packed with warm, rich flavor and just the right amount of spice. The night after my first visit to Bavarian Meats Delicatessen, I had friends over for dinner and set out a plate with crackers and the braunschweiger. I watched my guests go at it for a while, practically arm-wrestling over the single, small spreading knife.
When I told them what it was made of, they both confessed to "hating" liver. Too little too late, my friends. You have been bit by the Bavarian Meats braunschweiger bug.
Although it's likely that you've eaten Bavarian Meats products at any one of the many Seattle-area or Leavenworth restaurants where they are served, you can also find them at a few retail locations, such as QFC, Larry's, Central Market in Shoreline and Town and Country Market in Ballard.
Of course, Bavarian Meats Delicatessen in Pike Place Market carries all of their meats, as well as other German foodstuffs such as candies, breads, mustards and vinegar. They also sell a small assortment of freshly prepared foods and offer a couple of simple but very good sandwiches, made to order for about $4 a piece.
The store is located at the north end of the Market, almost hidden inside one of the shopping areas. Still, it's popular enough that each time I've been there I've had to wait in a line. Both the products and the atmosphere are authentically German, from the numerous German customers, to German employees and the extremely helpful manager, Barbara Mueller, who does the ordering and is justly proud of the store and its products.
Bavarian Meats is truly a regional treasure. Those working for the company seem happy to be doing so, and its owners are likeable and hardworking locals who take great satisfaction in the quality of their products and the business itself.
Best, and most importantly, they make great food, and on such a small scale that one feels privileged to share a city with these artisans.
Bavarian Meats Delicatessen is located at 1920 Pike Place; phone 441-0942.
Open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m.-5:45 p.m.[[In-content Ad]]
