A Pennsylvania Country Store for Smoked Meats and Local Treats

The scent of smoked meat provides a pretty clear introduction here. This Pennsylvania country store is built around a serious butcher counter, where fresh, smoked and frozen choices go well beyond the usual steaks, chops and chicken packages.

It can be a quick stop for bacon or a sandwich, but it also rewards a longer browse. One case leads to another, and the shelves beyond the meat counter hold breads, sweets, local dairy products, pickles, sauces, candies and the assorted useful things that make a country market hard to leave with only one bag.

The selection is broad enough for a cook who came in with a plan and curious enough for somebody who did not. Along with poultry, deli meats and familiar beef and pork cuts, shoppers may encounter quail, squab, veal, lamb, goat, rabbit, duck, tongue, tail and brain.

That range gives the counter a pleasantly old-fashioned butcher-shop character. There is room here for a straightforward weeknight roast, but also for the ingredients behind dishes that are harder to make when a standard supermarket has only the standard supermarket selection.

Specialty cuts and varieties naturally vary with supply, so it is worth treating the case as a place to explore rather than a promise that every unusual item will be waiting on every visit. Samples are often available, a helpful little courtesy when an unfamiliar meat or sausage has caught your attention.

Smoked meats occupy a large and tempting corner of the store's personality. Summer bologna, Lebanon bologna, fresh sausage, smoked bacon, liverwurst, pork roll and meat sticks give a traveler plenty of reasons to stop without needing to shop for an entire meal.

The bologna selection is especially fun to investigate. In addition to classic smoked Lebanon bologna, there may be jalapeño-cheddar bologna and Buffalo sweet bologna, products that sound like they belong at a picnic table, in a lunchbox or cut into squares beside crackers and mustard.

Smoked liverwurst has earned particular attention from regular shoppers. It is a more old-school choice than bacon or jerky, and that is part of its appeal: this is a store that makes room for foods many markets have quietly stopped carrying.

Cheese keeps pace with the smokehouse side of the counter. Smoked cheddar and smoked Swiss are among the choices, along with a broader cheese assortment that can turn a package of bologna or summer sausage into an easy road-trip supper.

The store's shelves carry the sort of regional foods that make browsing more interesting than simply restocking the kitchen. Pork roll, sweet bologna and mustard pickles bring a distinctly Pennsylvania flavor to the mix, while jams, jellies, sauces and pickles cover the practical pantry side.

There are snacks for the car, too: pretzels, chips, peanuts, candy and sodas, plus jerky and hot meat sticks when a full sandwich feels like more than the moment requires. A stop can remain modest, at least in theory.

Local honey adds another useful take-home item. The dairy case has included local milk and yogurt, giving the store some of the feel of a compact neighborhood grocery rather than a shop that exists only for special-occasion meats.

Baked goods are not an afterthought here. Chocolate shoofly pie, cookies, homemade pies, crisps, dumplings and breads give the store an especially satisfying second act after the meat counter.

Shoofly pie is a sensible thing to bring home if you are already collecting Pennsylvania specialties, but the more ordinary-looking loaves and cookies have their own usefulness. A loaf of fresh bread can quickly become the foundation for bacon, liverwurst, cheese or a few slices of sweet bologna.

The deli prepares made-to-order sandwiches with fresh ingredients, house bread and the store's meats. A smoked bologna-and-cheese sandwich is a fine example of the approach: not fussy, just a well-chosen local specialty put to immediate use.

An ice cream cooler with homemade ice cream offers a pleasantly unexpected finish. On a warm driving day, it can be the item that turns a practical provisions stop into lunch and dessert.

The pleasures here are often in the small discoveries. You might come in hunting smoked bacon and leave with a jar of preserves, a bag of pretzels, a pie, some local yogurt and a packet of dog treats for the household passenger waiting at home.

The pet selection includes organic dog treats and real pet bones, another small detail that suits a store geared toward people stocking up for more than one member of the family. It is the sort of merchandise that makes an errand feel less routine.

Local artwork is also displayed, including work by Ivan Hoyt. It adds a community-minded note to a shop otherwise busy with coolers, shelves and the daily business of deciding what sounds good for supper.

The store works well as a food-shopping destination, but its setup also suits travelers passing through. Access from major roads, including Interstate 78, has made it a convenient stop, while the surrounding country roads offer a slower approach for anyone already wandering the area.

Parking has accommodated larger vehicles, including a motorhome, and the lot has generally been described as ample. That makes it easier to pick up more than a single package of sausage without worrying about how to get it back to the car.

One practical point is worth knowing before the register: the business is cash-only. An ATM is available inside; a $2 usage fee has been associated with its use. With cash in hand, the only remaining problem is deciding between the smoked bacon, the shoofly pie and the ice cream.