Paulie's Chop Shop Brings Local, Award Winning Meats to Ashwaubenon

Ahead of the Draft, Paulie’s Chop Shop opened in Ashwaubenon, and I didn’t go to check it out despite the fact that I often shop at Hy-Vee, which is right down the road from Paulie’s. That changed this past weekend. My favorite markets where I usually seek out local meat don’t come back until the end of the month, and many of these vendors have their animals processed at Paulie’s. Luckily for me, Paulie’s knows no season. They’re available regardless of the farmer’s market season, and you can be assured that almost everything in the building is processed locally. 

If I’m going to be spending exorbitant amounts of money on groceries as prices continue to rise, I may as well do it with small, local businesses.If you turn onto Anderson street rather than pulling into the Hy-Vee parking lot, you’re going to find comparable prices on meat. In some cases, Paulie’s prices are even better than your traditional grocery stores. For example, a pound of ground pork at Paulie’s cost about 3.50. If I got that ground pork across Oneida Street, I’d be spending 4.50 a pound. Only at Aldi would I get ground pork cheaper than Paulie’s at 3.29 a pound.

Not only is it cheaper than the higher end grocery stores in town, I know that these pigs have had good lives. I know where the meat is coming from. The clerk that day assured me that all of their pork comes from Paulie’s own hogs. You don’t get this at big grocery stores. Hy-Vee may have a live butcher counter where you can talk to the associates about what you want, but that counter isn’t the place to find out about where your food comes from. 

I’m fixating on the ground pork, but Paulie’s does a lot more than that. Their impressive catalogue of brat flavors is certainly a draw, and if you want to try those brats before investing, they do a brat fry every Friday. Samples of the meat sticks they make and local cheeses from producers we know like Ron’s and Vern’s are out for you to try every single day. I did not happen to be there on a Friday, but the meat sticks are among the best I’ve ever had. The sweet teriyaki flavor came home with me. Among those samples you can find the ham that they make in house at Paulie’s. Just like the pork in the fridge, this ham comes from the man’s own hogs. Did I mention that this ham was the Reserve Grand Champion Bone-in Ham at the 2024 Wisconsin Specialty Meat Championships?

They also process beef, and in the cases of chicken and fish, they source them from other local companies in Northeast Wisconsin. Pre-breaded perch and smoked fish are among some of the offerings that really caught my eye, but I didn’t buy any this time around. They’re on the list for my next visit, seeing as I get out so rarely for a proper Wisconsin fish fry. Why not recreate it at home with perch prepared locally?

This place is a stop that anyone looking to spend their money locally in Green Bay ought to make during their grocery shopping day. You’ll save money in many cases, and in others where prices may be higher than big grocery stores, you’re paying for quality and the knowledge of where your food is actually coming from. Put your money in the pockets of your neighbors at every opportunity. 

Paulie’s in Ashwaubenon is closed on Sundays, opening during the week at 9:30 a.m.. If you’re a weekend shopper like myself, they’re open on Saturdays at 9 am and close at 3 pm. In support of this local business, I’ll be working on recipes the rest of the month that feature the products I’ve purchased at their Ashwaubenon location. Stay tuned to our social media accounts for videos of those recipes, or you can return to our website for the written recipes.