Bryan Butler
Salt & Time | Austin
December 2017
Bryan Butler never set out to break down whole animals for a living. He wanted to teach music. But when that wasn’t panning out financially, Butler’s dad told him to take up a trade––and that trade was butchery. An associate program in Waco, Texas, prepared him to cut meat, which Butler did for more than six years at Fresh Plus Grocery in Austin, followed by another six years as a meat buyer at Wheatsville Food Co-op.
Working in the retail sector of the industry for more than a decade helped Butler to understand what people actually want to take home and put on their tables. He applied this specialized knowledge when opening his own spot, Salt & Time.
Butler partnered with Chef Ben Runkle in 2010 to debut Austin’s first whole-animal butcher shop, salumeria, and restaurant. As the shop’s master butcher and co-owner, Butler approaches butchery through the lens of both affordability and accessibility, pushing lesser-known cuts through over-the-counter education and more formalized butchery classes. Drawing influences from the state of Texas, Salt & Time also features an extensive charcuterie program, along with curing and sausage making classes. For his dedication to the craft, Butler was named a member of the six-man Butchers of America team and the “Best Butcher in Texas.
