For meat lovers across Southern California’s Inland Empire and beyond, Hottinger Family Meats stands as a true treasure. In an era where the traditional art of butchery seemed to be fading, Hottinger’s has steadfastly maintained its commitment to quality and expertise since 1948. This family-run butcher shop offers an impressive array of fresh and frozen meats, coupled with a wealth of knowledge that’s readily shared by their seasoned butchers. Don’t hesitate to ask – you’ll receive insightful answers about every cut, from its origin on the animal to the best cooking methods.
The story of Hottinger Family Meats began with Henry Hottinger, who immigrated from Switzerland to the United States in 1926. He and his wife laid the foundation for their meat business in 1942, initially operating from their home. In 1948, they established their permanent location in Chino, California, where Hottinger Family Meats continues to thrive today. The business remains a family affair, currently under the guidance of their son, Ben Hottinger, ensuring the legacy of quality and tradition endures.
Beyond their exceptional butcher services, Hottinger Family Meats also provides a convenient lunch menu, perfect for a quick takeout meal. While seating is limited to a single outdoor table for four, their $4.99 lunch special is a remarkable deal. It includes a satisfying sandwich on a 6-inch French roll, accompanied by chips, a 4-ounce salad, and a drink. Their tri-tip sandwiches, featuring various marinades, are also a popular choice, often selling out quickly. For those seeking heartier options, plates of carne asada and pollo asada are also available.
Stepping up to their fresh cold case at Hottinger Family Meats is an experience in itself. You’ll discover a diverse selection of marinated carne asadas, succulent spencer steaks (ribeyes), and an array of ribs, including baby back, spare, and country style – and this is just a glimpse of their offerings. Their tri-tip is particularly noteworthy, available in several marinades like wine garlic, mesquite, Cajun, and the classic Santa Maria style, catering to a variety of palates.
During a recent visit to Hottinger Family Meats, we opted for a Santa Maria marinated tri-tip. Following the butcher’s advice, we smoked it at 220 degrees for three hours. The result was nothing short of extraordinary. It was arguably the finest Santa Maria barbecue we’ve ever tasted, surpassing even renowned establishments like Jocko’s in Nipomo and The Hitching Post in Buellton. The tri-tip was incredibly tender, cooked to a perfect medium throughout, even in the thickest part. We enjoyed it on onion rolls with caramelized onions, enhanced by a homemade sauce. Our sauce was a blend of Hottinger’s Spicy Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce and Sweet Baby Ray’s Hickory and Brown Sugar sauce, creating a complex smoky, spicy, and sweet flavor profile with a delightful lingering finish.
Even Hottinger Family Meats‘ frozen selection maintains their high standards. They stock a wide range of sausages, including those from premium producers like Silva, as well as their own handcrafted, small-batch sausages. These homemade sausages are frozen fresh on the day they are made, guaranteeing peak flavor and quality upon defrosting.
For those who enjoy a spicy kick, Hottinger Family Meats’ Texas Hot Links deliver. They also offer unique sausages like Lukinka, a Basque sausage seasoned with two types of peppers, salt, and garlic; uncooked linguica; and Boerewors, a South African ring sausage made primarily from pork and beef, spiced with coriander. The selection extends to chicken and pork bratwursts, Swedish potato sausage, garlicky French Saucisse de Toulouse, chicken and pork chorizos, and Portuguese sausages by Silva, including Morcella (blood sausage). Each package typically contains four to five links and is priced affordably around $5-$6.
But the offerings at Hottinger Family Meats go far beyond the ordinary. You can find grass-fed ground beef and patties from Australia, as well as American Wagyu beef patties and ground meat, the domestic equivalent of Kobe beef. For game enthusiasts, they stock quail, bison patties and ground meat, and elk patties and ground meat – excellent for creating a leaner Bolognese sauce. Steak lovers can also find bulk deals, such as (10) 8-ounce T-bones for approximately $50 and (10) 8-ounce filet mignons for $79.50.
Don’t overlook the bargain bin in their freezer section at Hottinger Family Meats, where you might discover a whole rack of St. Louis ribs for an incredible $9.69. If you have a specific meat in mind that isn’t currently in stock, the team at Hottinger Family Meats will go above and beyond to source it for you, from crown roast of pork to a prime rib rack.
Planning a feast for a group of dedicated carnivores? Hottinger Family Meats‘ money-saving budget packs are the perfect solution. Ranging from $50 to $210, these packs offer anywhere from 5 to 61 pounds of meat. The marinated products pack is an exceptional value. For around $78, you get a 2.5-pound tri-tip roast, 3 pounds of carne asada, 3 pounds of pollo asado, 3 pounds of marinated chicken breast, 2 pounds of puerco asado, 2.5 pounds of St. Louis ribs, and 4 pounds of meaty beef back ribs – a total of 20 pounds of high-quality meat for under $80.
For an unparalleled selection of quality meats, expert butchery, and a family tradition you can taste, Hottinger Family Meats in Chino, California is your destination. It’s more than just a butcher shop; it’s a Southern California institution for meat connoisseurs.
