Butcher & Larder & Red Meat Market | Chicago

Step away from the rib eye and New York strip. There's more to grilling season than mainstream steaks, as two of our go-to sources attest.

The Butcher & Larder: This Noble Square butcher shop is a gold mine for unusual cuts. For grilling, owner Rob Levitt recommends lamb shoulder blade steaks ($11 per pound). Each Thursday and Friday, he also grinds three to five varieties of "goofy sausages." Recent offerings included a New Glarus beer bratwurst studded with cheese curds, and a patty melt sausage flavored with caramelized onions, Swiss cheese and caraway ($10 per pound). When beef is a must, Levitt touts chuck eye ($10 per pound) and chuck flap steak ($10 per pound), "the poor man's New York strip."

Red Meat Market: Get organic Midwest meat delivered to your doorstep with the new online retailer for Wisconsin's Black Earth Meats. The market offers assortments of beef, lamb and pork; the company butchers whole animals and sells everything but tripe and stomachs. Order The Adventurer box ($38) for pork jowls, short ribs, liver and two pounds of a ground blend of beef, liver, kidney and tongue. Chuck eye steaks, flat irons and other alternate cuts are available by request too.