Photo by Irma Quast
For meat lovers, the selection does not get any better than the offerings at Carnes del Mundo in Bucerias. Kyle and Irma Quast have any meat you are looking for, plus some processed meats you probably haven’t heard of. For many residents from north of the border who are used to the taste of aged beef — something not available in the local meat markets — this is the place to come for a T-bone steak, prime rib or filet mignon that tastes even better than what you get at home. There is also a great selection of processed meats, and specialty meats, like buffalo, ostrich and crocodile.
A few numbers: Carnes del Mundo sells two hundred and twenty different meat products, including fifty kinds of sausage, plus special orders. Italian sausage, rib-eye steaks and marinated, deep-fried chicken strips are the top sellers.
The Cuban Longaniza, a sausage similar to chorizo but much better, is seasoned with pineapple, habanero chile and cane sugar. Russ, my chief taster, took one look at it when I came in the door, cut off a length and threw it on the grill. The knife and fork can be quicker than the camera in our house. I had to camouflaged the cut end with cilantro for the photo.
Carnes del Mundo supplies many of the local restaurants with carnivores’ delicacies, such as all-steak hot dogs. One well known restaurant uses the Cuban longaniza for their paella dish. Other specialty meats include duck prosciutto, cherry smoked duck breast, dry Spanish chorizo and Texas hot links.
Photo by Irma Quast
You will just have to visit the store to see everything — the inventory is too extensive to list — but I will tell you that you can get just about any sauce you need to compliment your meat purchase: satay sauce, chipotle sauce, honey mustard, desperado B.B.Q., and Thai noodle, to name a few. All their sauces are made on the premises.
And they deliver. And they will provide the meat for your party, be it a bar-b-que or a pig roast.
Photo by Irma Quast
And they do specialty orders. And they will be at the Old Town Farmers’ Market in Puerto Vallarta when it re-opens November 6.
Photo by Irma Quast
Next time you have a hankering for meat, you know where to go. It’s well worth the drive from Puerto Vallarta.
Carnes del Mundo; Heroe de Nacozari 31; Bucerias, Nayarit; 329-298-2000
8 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday.
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#1 by Cindy Bouchard on August 24, 2010 - 3:43 pm
Love them! see you end of October!
Cindy
#2 by Lorin Johnson on August 25, 2010 - 3:54 pm
I’m so glad that you are going there now. It’s a first stop on our way home or on the first shopping outing. I load the freezer for BBQ and love their ham for tortas. They have some really good bacons as well. That’s where I get Italian sausage each trip as well when I have a craving for that pasta dish that Maria and Alfredo and Earl always like. Their ribs are great as well. They also keep a freezer with odds and ends that are not as pretty in shape etc. but are the ends of the same good things that sell high end and taste just as good if you don’t need it to look perfect and the prices are very cheep.
I made the salsa with anchos last night. It tasted good, but my texture was off as my blender died while starting it and the processor was too much. Silverton’s Safeway has some great dried chiles in their produce area and a full half row of Hispanic foods with more kinds of chocolate than I have ever seen even in the big Megas and Soreonos of Mexico. Sadly, Roth’s has cut way back on their dried chiles and has no larger varieties, but does have some beautiful fresh (for dried) Mexican oregano. I’m off to Bochsler Hardware to get a new blender!
P.S. What or where is that store front in your last photograph?
#3 by Cooking in Mexico on August 25, 2010 - 4:54 pm
Hi Lorin,
When you get your new blender, I hope you try these salsas again. And how fortunate you are to have such a good selection of chiles and other Mexican ingredients at the grocery store where you live. More and more US supermarkets have a good Mexican inventory. I don’t know if supermarkets in Canada also stock Mexican foods. Maybe a Canadian reader will respond and let us know.
The last photograph is Carnes del Mundo at the Farmers Market in Old Town, Puerto Vallarta. They are there every Saturday during high season. This year, Farmers Market begins again on Nov. 6.
#4 by Lorin Johnson on August 25, 2010 - 7:27 pm
Kathleen,
I already took a break and picked up a new blender. I am nothing if not determined.
Lorin
#5 by ButterYum on August 25, 2010 - 11:44 pm
Oh my, I think my husband would call that market heaven on earth!
:)
ButterYum
#6 by Cooking in Mexico on August 26, 2010 - 7:43 am
Hi BY,
Your husband and my husband would hit it off then. :)
#7 by foodieinberlin on August 26, 2010 - 5:44 am
My goodness! Look at all that meat! It looks really good too!
#8 by Cooking in Mexico on August 26, 2010 - 7:44 am
There must be meat markets to rival Carnes del Mundo in Germany. For Mexico, I don’t know if it gets any better than this.
#9 by cranefixer on August 26, 2010 - 6:59 am
I want that PIG !!!
I agree with the Chief tester it is not food till you taste it :)
We have some amazing meat markets up here for land born critters but Sea Critters are limited to Pacific swimmers.
I am very jealous of the amazing variety of Sea Swimmers you have availble.
#10 by Cooking in Mexico on August 26, 2010 - 7:45 am
I guess we have the best of both worlds in land and sea markets.
#11 by Laura Flowers on August 26, 2010 - 9:29 am
Wow!!!!! What an incredible place to be a foodie. It must be heaven to live and cook and eat in Mexico!
Laura
#12 by Cooking in Mexico on August 26, 2010 - 9:36 am
I’m glad I live in a place where food is such a rich part of the history and culture. There are many great opportunities to eat and photograph colorful, different foods. It keeps me and my camera busy!
#13 by vallartina on August 27, 2010 - 7:58 am
Looks really great! Driving through Bucerias I realized the “carnes del Mundo” but never stopped to shop there. Thanks for sharing!
#14 by Cooking in Mexico on August 27, 2010 - 8:18 am
You are welcome. I hope you visit Carnes del Mundo and sample some of their fine meats.
#15 by Vicki in GA on August 27, 2010 - 11:18 pm
Amazing! I could write something about flies and meat hanging in markets, but I think PV is way past that!
Compared to Chorizo, Longaniza is superior. I can find that here in the GA mountains – there is a little Mexican store in town where I can buy wonderful Chorizo or Longaniza. If I’m really lucky, in the winter months, the Mexican owner makes Carnitas. No one speaks English at the store so it is fun for this Gringa to see how much Spanish I remember. Off topic: in the summer months the grandmother sells fresh cleaned nopales.
Next, you are going to write that people are being kinder to animals and there are fewer feral dogs. Yes? Please!
#16 by Cooking in Mexico on August 28, 2010 - 7:35 am
It sounds like you have a little bit of Mexico near you at that little store. Here, there still are flies in open meat markets. Carnes del Mundo is not that kind of place. It is enclosed and air-conditioned. There are also the large, modern super markets with extensive meat selections.
I still see much that needs to be done in Mexico to be kinder to animals. I can’t say that I see any feral dogs — domesticated dogs gone wild. An organization in our area, P.E.A.C.E, started animal sterilization clinics a number of years ago. These clinics are held in various towns throughout the year, and rely on donations.