Katy area butcher sells only top quality meats

If anyone in the Katy area knows where the beef is, it is Marvin Kropelnicki, owner of Meat Masters.

The full-service butcher shop on S. Fry Road has been serving up restaurant quality cuts of meat since 2008.

"We get it just like the restaurants get it," Kropelnicki said of the Certified Angus Beef brand of meat he sells.

He said he is driven by quality and knows that is what his customers expect. With more than 26 years of employment locally with major grocery chains, Kropelnicki said the standards he sets for Meat Masters far exceeds that of his former employers.

"[The grocery store] advertises that their beef is aged 14 days. Fourteen days, that's nothing. I want 45 days minimum, and I prefer 60 to 90 days," he said.

Kropelnicki spent the first 18 years of his career with Kroger.

"I started in the meat business right out of high school," he said.

From Kroger, he went to Randalls for four years, followed by another four years with H-E-B. After that he took a position with Brookshire Brothers in Columbus, but the commute and his frustration with grocery store regulations got to him.

That is when Meat Masters came into being.

"My wife said I needed to stop talking about it and open it up," he said.

When the store opened, it was run by the entire family. Kropelnicki, his wife Kathy and their two daughters Kandice and Kyla did all the work. Tragedy struck, however, not long after they started.

"We had a very good first year running the business and then [Kathy] passed away from a stroke," he said.

Because Kathy ran the business side, Kropelnicki had to decide to carry on without her or go back to the supermarkets. With the support of his daughters, the decision was easy.

"I like this much better," he said. "I know most of my customers by their first name."

Likewise, his customers know him by name.

"If you want to have some friends over and serve something special for them and yourself, you come to Meat Masters," customer Lori Lindahl said.

Though he prefers to stick to preparing meats, Kropelnicki serves barbecue and other sandwiches for lunch.

"The word on the street is we have the best pulled pork and the best brisket in town," he said.

Kropelnicki said he sells only the best quality meats at Meat Masters, which is why grass-fed beef will not be found in his store.

"The Midwest—that's where all my cattle comes from," he said.

He said grass-fed beef lacks the flavor of grain-fed stock. He said it is dryer and makes tougher steaks.

"The doctor will tell you how good grass-fed meat is for you, but he doesn't tell you how bad an eating experience you'll have," he said.

Laura Evans comes to the store a couple times a month from Old Katy primarily to get the fresh eggs.

"I grew up in a small town, so it reminds me of the meat counter in the back of the grocery store there," she said.

Meat Masters, 2020 S. Fry Road, Ste. G, Katy, 281-646-0505, www.meatmasterskaty.com