Boston Chefs on the Meatiest Dish They've Ever Eaten

In honor of The Five Days of Meat, we've asked Boston food and drink personnel a variety of meat-related questions, and we'll share their responses throughout the week. Up first, here are a bunch of Boston chefs on the meatiest dishes they've ever eaten, from the once-a-year Hare a la Royale at Le Bernardin to a sandwich that incorporates ham, carne asada, chicken milanese, beef milanese, chorizo, barbacoa, hot dogs, cheese, and a fried egg.

"We used to serve this goat tasting where a guest would be presented with six to nine preparations of goat all on one plate. Each individual would wind up eating about a quarter of an animal...that's pretty meaty. Also, when I was down in New Jersey on the mangalitsa farm, we would eat blood sausage, liver, and brain for breakfast. And while I'm not sure if that qualifies as 'meatiest,' it's a pretty intense way to wake up." — Joshua Lewin, chef of Bread and Salt Hospitality
[Photo: Rachel Leah Blumenthal]

"The meatiest dish I've ever eaten was a three-bone chuck short rib that Wayne Mueller — owner/pit master of the iconic Louie Mueller Barbecue restaurant in Taylor, Texas — cooked over post oak wood and topped with just a bit of salt and pepper." — John Delpha, chef/partner of Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar (opening summer 2014)
[Photo: Provided]

"The thing that comes to mind is a dish I had when I was very young. There was a buffet that my parents took me to with cuisine from islands like Jamaica and that area, and they had a goat stew. I really didn't know what it was, but I was serving myself some because it smelled good. Halfway through eating it, I was noticing that there was more than just traditional meat in there; they probably had a lot of offal in there. I definitely remember seeing some heart parts. At first I was put off, but then I was like, I'm eating this and enjoying it. Why, just because I can identify something that I wouldn't necessarily think that I would be interested in eating, would I then not want to eat it? I think that was a very pivotal turning point for me in terms of my appreciation of offal, and it certainly it stuck in my head. Really meaty dish." — Jesse Hassinger, butcher at M.F. Dulock Pasture-Raised Meats
[Photo: Chris Coe]

"Hare a la Royale. It is a dish we used to do once a year at Le Bernardin. We strayed slightly from tradition. The hare was de-boned and left fully intact. We made a stuffing from the most luxurious ingredients that were available at that time, such as truffles, foie gras, porcini mushrooms, black trumpets, brioche, eggs, onions, and garlic. Then we stuffed the hare, re-rolled it, and soaked it in red wine for two days. From there, it was poached, sliced, and served with a sauce made from the poaching liquid and some hare blood. It was a very intense and decadent dish." — Robert Sisca, executive chef of Bistro du Midi
[Photo: Official Site]

"When I was 19, I worked at a restaurant in Bologna, Italy over summer vacation. The owner of the restaurant took me to his mother's house, where she taught me the old-fashioned way of making bolognese. This way is more gelatinous and even richer than modern day bolognese. Before refrigeration existed, the way to preserve the sauce would be to keep the thick layer of fat from the veal, pork, and beef on the top." — Dante de Magistris, chef/owner of Restaurant dante and il Casale
[Photo: Official Site]

"I always loved the ragout dishes at Craigie on Main. They would vary, but I remember one in particular that consisted of six types of mushrooms (mushrooms can be very meaty), homemade chorizo, sweetbreads, meat jus, and a soft poached egg. It was incredible meaty, even though there wasnt much meat...genius." — Matt Foley, executive chef of The Merchant
[Photo: Official Site]

"I just recently had something that was a stomachache waiting to happen, but it was delicious. I had a torta bamba at Taco Bamba, in Virginia of all places. This sandwich had — ready for this? — ham, carne asada, chicken milanese, beef milanese, chorizo, barbacoa...I believe there were some hot dogs in it, I swear. Everything you could ever name. And on top of that, they put cheese and a fried egg and jalapenos. It weighed three pounds. It was like a joke. They sent it out and we had to try it. It was very hard to eat, but it was delicious." — Michael Schlow, chef/owner of Via Matta, Tico, and Alta Strada
[Photo: Sophia Tsakmaklis]

"Most recently, the meatiest thing I ate was just straight-up meat: just a turkey leg at Animal in LA. It was so fucking awesome. I have no idea how they prepared it; it was smoked, and I feel like they pulled every single tendon and every small bone out of it. It must have been fabricated by hand and then sous vided and then smoked, and maybe it was cured or brined, and it just blew my mind. It fell off the bone, but it stayed together. There were four of us, and we just passed it around the table. There was a couple sitting next to us, and they kind of seemed first date-ish awkward, and the guy was like, 'Oh, is that the turkey leg?' and I was like, 'Yeah, you wanna try it?' He was like 'Sure,' and he grabbed it and bit it, and then he was passing it to his lady, and she fucking freaked out and totally didn't want in on it. So that made it super memorable, and it was just outstandingly delicious." — Samuel Monsour of The Future of Junk Food pop-up and more
[Photo: Rachel Leah Blumenthal]

"I think camel, definitely. You know how with lamb, you have to have a cabernet to kind of clean it? It had that component to it. It was so rich. Part of it was the style in which we cooked it, with butter, and it's also that it has a high fat content, so it had that sort of coating. You really went, 'Wow, this is beefy.' There's also the yak flatiron, which was very unique because it picked up the grill flavor amazingly. It tasted like brazilian barbecue without doing all of the work — just beefy." — Brian Poe, chef/owner of The Tip Tap Room and Estelle's
[Photo: Rachel Leah Blumenthal]

"Orrechiette with pork offal bolognese at the Washington Square Tavern. They served a version at our pop-up that was just gnarly. All sorts of pig parts, liver, kidney, just really fucking funky and delicious." — Irene Li, co-owner of Mei Mei
[Photo: Katie Chudy]

"The meatiest dish I have ever eaten was Pied Paquet at Papillon in Paris. The dish is gelatinous, unctuous, and delicious. Every grandmother has their own recipe, but the dish can often consist of tripe-stuffed trotter, usually wrapped in caul fat." — Kevin O'Donnell, executive chef of The Salty Pig
[Photo: Provided]

"Cocido madrileno, a traditional meal I had in Madrid for lunch that put me to sleep. Sausages, bellies, hoofs, knuckles, ears, blood sausages, shanks." — Dennis Wilson, chef of Gather
[Photo: Official Site]

"I think any meal at Au Pied De Cochon. So meaty, so rich, so good." — Samuel Jackson, owner of KO Catering and Pies
[Photo: Callaway Photography]

"I have not once, not twice, but three times eaten a 32-ounce steak..." — Peter D'Antonio, executive chef of The Westin Waltham-Boston
[Photo: Facebook]

"Tuscan Porterhouse for two (1.4 kilo) at Castiglion del Bosco in Tuscany, Italy." — Chris Coombs, executive chef and co-owner of Boston Chops and Deuxave
[Photo: Rachel Leah Blumenthal]

"A five-pound pork shank we had the pleasure of devouring in Plzen, the home of Pilsner beer in The Czech Republic." — Tim Wiechmann, chef/owner of Bronwyn and T.W. Food
[Photo: Official Site]

"Sous vide Kobe beef ribeye." — Kyle Ketchum, executive chef of Bostonia Public House
[Photo: Official Site]

"Craigie on Main hamburger (three cuts of meat, bone marrow, and suet) with pork belly confit and a fried egg for brunch. Went right back to bed." — Tony Maws, owner of Craigie on Main and The Kirkland Tap & Trotter
[Photo: Cal Bingham]

"Braised Pork Cheeks in super-rich bordelaise." — Joshua Smith, owner of Moody's Delicatessen & Provisions
[Photo: Rachel Leah Blumenthal]

"I couldn't tell you all the meats that were actually in the dish, but I had a pretty meaty dish at Craigie on Main, during that big snowstorm — was that last year? — with like three feet of snow. He stayed open, and I went the following day because we were still off. It had lamb neck, lamb loin, tongue was in there...you name it. It was pretty delicious." — Leo Asaro, executive chef of Tico
[Photo: Chris Coe]

"HEADCHEESE." — Dan Schroeder, chef of Forum

"A whole hog...shoulder, ribs, head & cheek meat, loin...a real gout fest." — Paul Booras, Director of Culinary Operations of Tavern in the Square

"The meatiest I've ever eaten was at Lola in Cleveland. I think it was a large chunk of braised short rib (on the bone) with bacon cornmeal balls, crispy tripe, bacon-laced mashed potatoes, and this amazing beef jus. So rich and meaty, I loved it." — Carey Dobies, executive chef of Savvor Restaurant and Lounge

· All coverage of The Five Days of Meat [~EBOS~]