Austell: Patak Meat Products

Leslie of The Food and Me told me that I had to visit Patak Meats in Austell. As soon as she mentioned it, Grant and Marie of Marie Let's Eat nodded vigorously. Austell isn't anywhere near my usual haunts, but I decided that today was the day to try it. Luckily, they are open on the first Saturday of each month.

As soon as I saw the place I knew why Leslie had been so adamant. That's smoke coming out of the chimney in back from their smoker. Given the amount of meat inside the store and the volume of people coming through, that smoker must be running full tilt all the time. Inside, the store is very modern and immaculate. The family is from Hungary, I believe, and so they specialize in middle European style meats. The cases are full of sausages, smoked ham, bacon, plus fresh meat and pork. They also have a huge complement of pickled vegetables, desserts, and all manner of accompaniments. As one would expect in the melting pot of Atlanta food, they also carry sesame oil.

Hyesoon and I made a meal out of some kielbasa, Italian sausage, and a brace of fresh vegetables. We grilled the kielbasa and cooked the Italian sausage in some tomato sauce that I improvised. My first taste of the kielbasa was one of those times when I realize that I've never really had a particular type of food before, just a pale imitation. The kielbasa was rich with pork and seasonsings, but it wans't at all greasy or heavy. The Italian sausage was similarly heavenly. I had some very good Italian sausage in my 20+ years in New Jersey and this was right up there with the best. In short, this is a must-visit place. Bring your cooler and break out your recipe book.

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