December 26th, 2009
Hickman’s Meat Markets…Review…Delaware Beaches…Rehoboth Beach…Lewes…USDA Prime Beef…
Let me tell you about my Christmas Eve’s dinner. I figured that I could handle a small crowd of about 10 or so for that evening, so I invited a few friends. All in all, there were 11 of us and a few more that showed up and we loved including them, as well. When my children were younger I never had anyone over on Christmas Eve. It was just too hectic.
The thought of having a relaxing evening where I could have everything pretty much made ahead of time was what I was trying to achieve.
This is how it started. On December 22nd I marched myself into Hickman’s Meat Market. They have 2 locations, but the one that I went to is on Highway #1 (Coastal Highway), Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971. Tel. is 302-226-8345.
I wanted a rib roast for about 10 people. I thought I should get 8 ribs and Mr. Hickman thought I was nuts. I would be feeding people for some time with that many ribs. He thought that 4 ribs would be plenty. But not me because I know best, right? I told him I had big eaters and I would compromise with 5 ribs. The roast was 15 lbs. I could not help but take a picture. And, oh my gosh, thank goodness I had a pan big enough to fit that piece of meat!! It’s the 26 and we are still eating beef.
Cooking the beef was an adventure. The method of cooking I used was the one where you place your beef at mid-day in the oven on a higher temperature for about one hour and then turn the oven off and leave it like that all day without opening the oven and before you get ready to eat you turn it back on and cook it for 50 minutes for medium/rare.
So, everyone was having a great time; drinks, crabmeat courtesy of Shelley, oysters and shrimp courtesy of John and in the back of my mind all I was thinking was “I hope that meat is ready”. Well, it was not. It was raw. So, let’s go the convenction oven route for another 1/2 hour. Well, it was still too rare. Then Debbie, who came from Great Barrington for our beef extravaganza, took over. Knife came out and she started carving and slicing and I could tell the natives were getting restless, but, we put the sliced meat in the oven for a bit more and believe it or not it worked. It had a great taste and the salad and potatoes, sweet potatoes, curried fruit, veggies and ham also courtesy of Shelley were all very good.
I learned that next time I will listen to my butcher. He knows best. And that method of cooking? It works but in a much smaller roast; 3 ribs.
Hickman’s gives you such personal service. They have been voted Best in Delaware Today Magazine 5 years in a row. Hickman’s offers prime beef, award winning and famous hot stix and applewood smoked bacon from their own smokehouse.
Their line of all natural fresh and smoked sausages, hand made by them is a combination of generations of family recipes, plus new ideas. They also have gluten free sausages that are made to order.
In their store you will find desserts to finish your meals. Some of the puddings are gluten free, as well. Sauces and dips, etc. are available.
Mr. Hickman told me that his family started in the meat business in 1881 in the Eastern Shore. In the Hickman’s family, there are 31 relatives; all in the meat business. He gave me a list of all their meats and it really would take a lot of space to mention them all here. Some of their specialties are cured corn beef, farm raised rabbit, farm raised ostrich, frog legs, bacon burger, venison patties and steaks, jerky, spicy jerky, pepper shooters, stuffed bell peppers, hunters sausage, venison steam ship round, and venison boneless back strap.
Please feel free to call them ahead and place your order for pick up. They also have shipping available.
It really was so nice to talk to Mr. Hickman. He was so busy and had about 1,000 orders for rib roasts but he was gracious enough to tell me he was fixing my roast for easy carving. Thank God he was not here to see how we actually butchered that beautiful piece of meat.
I have mentioned before that there is nothing better than the company of family and good friends to share a meal; on Christmas Eve that’s exactly what I found in my home.
Note: The other address for Hickman’s Meat Markets is Highway #1, Lewes, Delaware. Tel. 302-645-0600
Hope your Christmas was nice and talk to you later….
Tags: Butchers, Delaware Beaches, Gluten free awareness, gluten free foods, Homemade Sausages, Lewes, Meat market, Prime Beef, rehoboth beach, review, Reviews
Funny story ! So what time did you finally end up eating? I figured it was probably close to 10 o’clock after looking at and hearing about the weight of the roast 🙂
It actually was not that late. More, like 9:15 p.m. Thanks for your comments.
It was a perfectly beautiful evening_-a great time was had by all -safely made it home before Santa
Yes, it was very nice. A few pounds gained as well. Oh well, there is a New Year’s resolution in the works.
Absolutely delicious roast! Very tasty crab and oysters, too. And, a fun time for everyone despite the additional cooking time required.
yummy:P thanks for your tips i’d love to follow u.anyway happy new year ~~~~~~~~
I just wanted to thank you for this post.
thanks,
Be sure to visit hickmansgourmet.com