ST. CLOUD — Meat markets are as Minnesotan as, well, hotdish and ice fishing. But they can be intimidating territory for newcomers. 

Millennials are turning away from the big box stores their parents favored to seek hyper-local, transparent  versions of their grocery staples, especially when it comes to meats, seafood and cheeses. 

But buying your steaks, sausages and burgers from a real-deal meat market is a different animal than buying from the local box store — you're unlikely to find pre-packaged, pre-portioned, heat-it-and-eat-it "meal solutions" here. 

To ease the anxiety for first-timers, we teamed up with Joe Thielen, co-owner of Thielen Meats of Pierz, to give insight on what to expect when you approach the meat counter. Here's a list of five questions to keep on hand when you're chatting up your butcher: 

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As many meat markets and butcher shops do most of the animal processing and product manufacturing in-house, your butcher will be able to tell you what is "hot off the presses," as it were. 

"That's the nice thing about coming into a shop, whereas if you're buying (your meat) from a box store, it's shipped from who-knows-where and made with who-knows-what," Thielen said. 

If you're concerned about the origin of your meat, or how the product is processed, your butcher can give you the lowdown — and, often, can give you a real-time peek behind the curtain. 

"We pride ourselves on the fact that we do everything in house," Thielen said. "If you're out shopping for sausages and stuff like that, I think it's a good idea to find out where it's made. You can see a lot and learn a lot by coming in. You can come here and see the sausages being made right through the window." 

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Butchers don't just prepare meat — they eat it, too, and their inside-and-out knowledge of the animal can help them guide you to the best preparation for each cut. 

"I think all the employees here have a love of cooking," Thielen said.

He said his staff runs the gamut of preparation knowledge, with experience in grilling, smoking, baking and more. 

"There's always someone around here that will know the best way to cook whatever they're buying," Thielen said. "There's a lot of techniques that the younger people might not be familiar with, and we can help with that." 

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Maybe you're a grillmaster who wouldn't touch an oven with a 10-foot pole, or maybe you're dead-set on making your grandmother's beef bourguignon recipe for the first time. No matter what dish you're planning to conquer or how you like to cook, your local butcher can point you in the right direction. 

Thielen said, when in doubt, customers should always ask their butcher to select the best cut. 

"I think a lot of times, (customers) come in here and pick out the steak or roast they think is best, but oftentimes, it's not right," he said. "If you ask your meat cutter to pick it out, we'll certainly grab you the best one." 

And don't forget: The "best" cut of meat isn't necessarily the best cut for the dish you're preparing or the style in which you're cooking.

For example, the porterhouse steak has famously been referred to as the "king of steaks," but you'd never want to use one chopped up in a stir-fry.

If you're not sure what to reach for, or are interested in options beyond what your recipe dictates, just ask! 

Budget-friendly options are on the top of the collective millennial mind these days, with the prevalence of student loans, high costs of living, and low wages. But that doesn't mean the younger set can't eat well. 

Just as you might ask your butcher to tell you which cut is best for a particular recipe or style of cooking, you can also ask about price point. Many recipes will list the most expensive cut suitable for that preparation, but other cuts may do just as well. 

For example, if you're gently braising a piece of meat over a long period of time, it's going to emerge hours later soft and tender, so you may not need to drop a lot of money at the meat counter selecting the most tender cut money can by. 

On the other hand, the cheapest — and sometimes, seemingly "healthiest" — cuts aren't always going to give you the most flavorful meal, particularly if you're not preparing them in a manner that will imbue them with fat and flavor. 

"A common misconception is people leaning towards a leaner piece of meat," Thielen said. "And for health reasons, that might be wise, but usually you want to pick a steak that's nicely marbled, because it has more flavor." 

The bottom line? Fat equals flavor, which sometimes equals a higher cost, but cheaper cuts can serve certain preparations just fine. Your butcher can tell you what selection will serve both your taste buds and your wallet. 

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Can you wrap this for me? Can you debone this for me? Can you cube this for me? Can you grind this for me? 

Yes, yes, yes and yes. Your local butcher can do a lot of prep work for you right there in the store, from tying roasts with twine to creating custom-blend ground meats for the perfect burger. 

Local butchers are well-versed in all things meat, so helping you cross some of the prep work off your list, or even verbally walking you through some cooking techniques, is all in a day's work. 

"We've got a lot of knowledgeable staff here," Thielen said. "Everyone's been here five years plus; our meat cutters have been here up to 20 or 30 years." 

If you're nervous about asking more of your butcher than simply grabbing the steak you pointed to: don't be, seriously. Butchers are trained in a lot more than weighing out ground chuck, and they want to set you up for success with their skills. 

"Most grocery stores and big box stores, their meat department opens up boxes and puts stuff on the shelves. That's the extent of their knowledge," Thielen said. "We can break sides of beef down here from hanging quarters. We make all our sausages in house. If there's a specific cut you want, or a specific meat, we can get it for you." 

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Follow Alyssa Zaczek on Twitter: @sctimesalyssa, email her at azaczek@stcloudtimes.com, or call her at (320) 255-8761.