Palumbo's Meat Market

Palumbo's Meat Market operates at 3600 Hubbard-Middlesex Road in West Middlesex, Mercer County, Pennsylvania, under USDA FSIS establishment number M21867. The federal record lists the plant for both meat slaughter and meat processing, with cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb reported as species slaughtered under inspection. FSIS classifies the establishment as very small and places its slaughter volume in the lowest category, under 1,000 head per year. The grant of inspection on file is dated August 30, 2021. The plant also reports custom-exempt slaughter, meaning it processes animals owned by the customer with packages marked Not for Sale, and reports retail-exempt sales.

The business describes itself as family owned and run by Keith and Debra Palumbo, who opened the doors to the community in 1992. The site traces the family's involvement in the meat trade to 1927, when Keith's great grandfather owned a company store after migrating from Italy, and describes Keith as a fourth generation butcher with a son, Jode, running a separate Sandy Lake market. After a fire destroyed the original building in April 2011, the owners reopened in an expanded 6,000 square foot market. The website states that the business sources from local farmers and processes in two facilities that are USDA inspected and have been awarded a humane handling certificate from the USDA.

The retail side carries beef, pork, chicken, seafood, cheese, and Italian gourmet goods, along with local grass fed beef, pork, and lamb. Smoking with real hickory chips is described as a specialty, and the market makes charcuterie items that customers can view drying through a picture window. An online store page is posted as coming soon. Terms for farmers bringing animals, including booking, minimums, fees, and cut and wrap charges, are not stated in the sources on file.

The federal record lists Palumbo's Meat Market for meat slaughter and meat processing of cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb, and notes custom-exempt slaughter, so animals owned by a customer can be processed and returned in packages marked Not for Sale. FSIS places the plant in the smallest slaughter volume category, under 1,000 head per year, which suggests limited capacity. The website says the market sources from local farmers and processes in two USDA-inspected facilities, and that it has been awarded a humane handling certificate from the USDA. Booking lead times, drop-off procedures, hanging weight or per-head fees, and cut and wrap charges are not stated in the sources on file. Farmers should call (724) 528-6328 to confirm availability and terms, as listed.

Palumbo's Meat Market reports custom-exempt slaughter to FSIS, which means it can process an animal a customer already owns (a whole, half, or share bought before slaughter) and return it in packages marked Not for Sale. Most small farms have one or two plants they book with, and the plant's calendar decides the delivery date.

The business operates a retail meat market of roughly 6,000 square feet in West Middlesex, described as stocking beef, pork, chicken, seafood, cheese, and Italian gourmet goods, plus local grass fed beef, pork, and lamb. The counter lists a long range of beef cuts, smoked items such as ham, jerky, beef sticks, bacon and sausage, a homemade deli line including kielbasa, Italian sausage, blood sausage, hot dogs and seasoned bacon, and charcuterie including salami, sopressata, pepperoni and pancetta. An online store page is posted as coming soon. Halves and quarters, freezer bundles, delivery, and shipping are not mentioned in the sources on file.

If you are buying a half or quarter animal, the plant is where the animal is processed; the farm sells you the animal. Read how to buy a half cow for the sequence and the math.