Butchery Delicatessen in Nairobi

Butchery Delicatessen in Nairobi: A Buyer's Guide

Everything in the delicatessen section is made by us, in our own deli, from the same meat you can see on our own counter. That single sentence is the whole argument for buying it here rather than from a freezer cabinet.

It matters because of what a sausage or a burger patty usually is. For most large producers, these products are a way of turning the cheapest available trim into something that can be sold at a premium, with rusk, water and seasoning making up the difference. Our sausages are made from our own beef. Our patties are pressed to a proper fat ratio so they eat like a burger rather than a hockey puck. Our samosas are hand-folded and sold raw, so you fry them at the moment you want to eat one.

That last point is worth dwelling on. A freshly fried samosa has a pastry that shatters; a samosa fried an hour ago and reheated does not. The difference is not subtle, and it is the reason we sell them raw at KSh 50 a piece with a minimum of ten rather than keeping a warm tray. The same goes for our mshikaki, which we marinate to order and which needs two days' notice because a proper marinade cannot be hurried.

The deli is what makes a butchery a butchery rather than a meat shop. Below is what we make, and how to get the best out of it.

Choosing and Cooking Delicatessen

Sausages: cook them gently

Our beef sausages are ground and seasoned here from our own beef, which is why they brown rather than leaking water into the pan. The most common mistake is heat: high heat splits the skins and forces the fat out before the middle is hot. Cook them over medium heat for ten to twelve minutes, turning often - or, better, add a splash of water to a covered pan for the first five minutes to steam them through, then uncover and brown. And never prick a sausage: you are letting out exactly the fat that keeps it moist.

Burger patties: do not touch them

A good patty needs real beef and about 20 percent fat - less and it is dry and crumbly, more and it shrinks to nothing. We press our beef patties to hit that mark, and our chicken patties include thigh meat in the mix for the same reason. The rule for both is to handle them as little as possible: every extra squeeze compacts the meat and makes the finished burger denser. Season the outside heavily right before cooking, never mix salt into the meat, and flip only once. Beef to medium; chicken all the way through to 74C.

Samosas: fry them yourself, at 170C

Our beef and chicken samosas are hand-folded, sealed at the corners so they do not burst, and sold raw at KSh 50 each with a minimum of ten pieces. Fry them at 170C, not hotter - too hot and the pastry browns before the filling has heated through. Five to six minutes, turning once, until deep golden and blistered. Then drain them standing on edge in a colander rather than lying flat on paper, or the underside goes soft. They also work well in an air fryer at 190C, and they freeze raw beautifully - fry from frozen with two extra minutes.

Mshikaki and marinated cuts: order ahead

Beef mshikaki is KSh 150 a skewer with a minimum of ten pieces, and we ask for two days' notice because the marinade needs that long to tenderise as well as flavour. Once marinated they cook in three or four minutes a side over hot coals - any longer and you dry out meat that has already been worked on. We also marinate lamb chops in-house. Marinated meat browns considerably faster than plain, so watch it, keep a cooler zone on the grill, and add no extra salt.

Meatballs: brown or poach, never neither

Our meatballs are rolled here with the right binder ratio, so they hold their shape in a simmering sauce instead of dissolving into it. You have two good options: brown them hard in batches first and then finish them in the sauce for twenty minutes, which gives more flavour and a firmer exterior; or poach them raw directly in the sauce, which gives a softer meatball and a richer sauce. Both are correct. What does not work is a brief stint in a lukewarm pan. Do not stir them for the first five minutes in the sauce - let them set.

Ordering for a crowd

The deli is where most party orders come from, and larger quantities are no problem with a day's notice for sausages, patties, meatballs and samosas, or two days for mshikaki. A useful spread for twenty people: 3kg of sausages, 40 samosas, 20 mshikaki skewers and a rack of goat ribs. Call us with your headcount and we will work it out properly. Not everything is listed online either - cheese samosas, veg samosas and chicken sausages are all things we make; just ask.

Ordering and delivery

We deliver delicatessen across Nairobi every day - see our pages for Nairobi CBD, Westlands, Parklands, Kilimani, or all the areas we serve. Orders placed before 4:00pm go out the same day, chilled and insulated straight from our cold room. Delivery is a flat fee by area, from KSh 300 to KSh 1,000 depending on where you are, and it is added to your basket total automatically, so nothing is ever sprung on you at the door. Full details are on our delivery and payment page, and if you are ordering in volume for a business, see wholesale and bulk supply.

You are equally welcome to walk in. We are at Stall 55, ground floor, City Market, Muindi Mbingu Street, beside Jamia Mosque in the Nairobi CBD, open every day from 6:30am to 7:00pm Monday to Saturday, and 9:00am to 5:00pm on Sundays. Buying meat in person, where you can see it cut and ask questions, is still the best way to buy it - and it is the reason this stall has been here since 1959.