A brand new meat shop has moved in near the intersection of Ina and Thornydale Road.
Davison Meats is hosting a Grand Opening for its 3840 W. Ina Rd. #100 location with samples, games, and more on Saturday, November 6. The festivities will be happening from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., with an official ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m.
Let’s get to know the creative minds behind the shop, though.
How it all began
Back in 1988, the Davison family began ranching Angus beef cattle. Today, Reb, Vicki, and their son Tyler Davison own a cattle ranch in Southeast Arizona, which led to the family purchasing George’s Meat Processing shop in 2015 over in Elfrida, Arizona.
In 2019, Reb, Tyler, and Tyler’s fiancé, Billie Stephenson, wanted to offer more customers another option for quality meat at an affordable price. Therefore, the idea of Davison Meats was wrangled into a reality.
When chatting with co-founder of Davison Meats, Billie Stephenson, it’s apparent that she and the crew strive to offer up as much information as possible to buyers before they leave the shop.
“We really, really love educating our customers and just sharing our knowledge with them,” said Billie Stephenson. “We don’t mind the 30-minute discussion about the difference between cuts and it helps them when they come in the shop the second, third, and fourth time. They’ll say ‘Oh yeah, that’s what I got last time.’”
A meat lover’s paradise
After the 15-minute conversation I had with Stephenson, I felt as if I were confident enough to teach my father — a meat connoisseur, so to speak — a thing or two about the types of steaks he’s been missing out on.
“We are going to be offering mostly Prime and what is called Upper Two-Thirds Choice,” said Stephenson. “Basically, if you were to put both of them on a plate and take a bite of each one your average, run-of-the-mill grocery shopper is probably not going to be able to tell the difference. The Upper-Two-Thirds is a little bit cheaper, but it is extremely good quality.”
“We’re going to have sausages like your chorizo, Italian, and an assortment of housemade bratwurst,” said Stephenson. “We’ve also got hamburger and something called the YaYa Burger, which is very near and dear to my heart: My adopted mom. It’s what we call her — and it’s right around 60-40 bacon and ground beef burger.”
Another item that’s been popular during Davison Meats’ soft opening is the 30-Day Butter-Aged Prime Ribeye Steaks. At the moment, they’re available only on Friday – Sunday until they sell out, which has usually been around midday Saturday.
For those looking for a larger meal or perhaps something big enough to munch on for several days, Davison Meats also sells Butcher Box Packages, like the Freezer Filler (you better have a giant freezer for this one), the Weekender Griller (perfect for football season or neighborly gatherings), and the Steak Lovers (steaks galore).
Meet, greet, meat, repeat
When it comes down to it, the family-operated meat shop makes sure that the customer has a better understanding of what they’ve purchased and how it’s best prepared.
“We’re very knowledgeable in meat. Tyler and his dad and his mom have been ranchers since the 80s,” said Stephenson. “They’ve been doing this their whole life. Anyone can call Tyler and ask him anything — he’s a wealth of knowledge. This is really our passion and we just love it. We love the people and we don’t let anyone leave unhappy. Some people are harder to please and others, but we figure it out.”
Hours of operation
The Grand Opening celebration is happening from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Saturday, November 6. The regular hours of operation are 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Davison Meats is located at 3840 W. Ina Rd. #100. For more information, visit davisonmeats.com or call (520) 579-6283.
Article written by:
Matt Sterner
More about MattAt a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.
He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.
If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.
