Meat - Sausage products

Why Beef — and Not Chicken or Pork from Intensive Farming

The question is not whether to eat meat — but which meat, from which animal, under what conditions. Chicken and pork from conventional farming are the most industrialized meat products available. We have consciously decided against them.

Intensive Chicken Farming: 35 Days from Chick to Slaughter Animal — Conventional broiler chickens are raised to slaughter weight in 35 days — through high-performance breeding, antibiotic prophylaxis, and calorie-rich concentrated feed. The result is an animal that is not yet biologically mature when slaughtered. Nutrient profile and meat quality suffer accordingly.
Intensive Pig Farming: Antibiotics as Standard, Not as Exception — According to an EFSA report, more antibiotics are used in European pig farming than in human medicine. The development of resistance is a direct consequence — a public health problem directly related to intensive animal farming.
Grass-fed Beef: Superior Nutrient Profile — Grass-fed beef has a significantly better Omega-3/Omega-6 ratio than grain-fed meat. According to a study in the Journal of Animal Science, grass-fed meat contains up to 5 times more Omega-3 than conventional beef.
CLA: Conjugated Linoleic Acid from Grass-fed Meat — Grass-fed meat contains significantly higher amounts of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) — a fatty acid associated with reduced body fat and improved immune function in studies. CLA is naturally produced in the rumen of grazing ruminants.
Complete Amino Acid Profile — Beef provides all 9 essential amino acids with optimal bioavailability — including creatine, carnitine, and taurine, which are absent or scarce in plant-based foods.

Why Free-Range Farming — What the Difference Really Means

Free-range farming is not a marketing term — it is a farming method that changes the animal's behavior, its diet, and thus directly the meat quality.

Movement Changes Muscle Structure — Animals that move freely develop a different muscle structure than confined animals. The meat is finer-fibered, has a deeper color, and a more intense flavor — because the muscles are actually used.
Natural Diet: Grass Instead of Concentrated Feed — Free-range cattle eat what cattle should eat: grass, herbs, hay. Concentrated-fed cattle eat corn and soy — which stresses their rumen, requires antibiotic use, and degrades the fatty acid profile of the meat.
No Prophylactic Antibiotic Use — Free-range farming with sufficient space and natural diet massively reduces disease pressure. Our suppliers only use antibiotics in case of illness — never preventatively.
Animal Welfare as a Quality Indicator — Stress increases cortisol levels in the animal. Cortisol at slaughter leads to PSE meat (pale, soft, exudative) — pale, soft, watery. Low-stress husbandry and short transport routes are directly recognizable in the meat.

Why Hödl — and What Distinguishes a Viennese Butcher from Supermarket Products

Hödl is not a supplier — Hödl is an institution. Rooted in Vienna for generations, with a commitment to quality that knows no compromise. We consciously chose a partner who lives by the same values as we do.

Direct Supplier Relationships with Selected Farmers — Hödl knows its suppliers personally. Every animal is traceable — breed, farm, husbandry method, slaughter date. No anonymous goods from wholesale slaughterhouses.
Traditional Maturation: Dry-Aged According to Viennese Tradition — Selected cuts are dry-aged — a process that removes moisture, activates enzymes, and concentrates flavor. Industrial meat is wet-aged (vacuum bags) — faster, cheaper, but not comparable in taste.
Artisanal Processing — Sausages and cold cuts are produced according to traditional recipes without artificial flavors, excessive phosphates, or flavor enhancers. The difference to supermarket sausage is noticeable at the first bite.
Short Transport Routes: Vienna to You — Hödl delivers from Vienna — no long cold chains through half of Europe. Freshness is not a promise but logistics.

Best in Combination

Beef + Organic Olive Oil — Omega-3 from grass-fed meat + Oleocanthal from olive oil — anti-inflammatory combination of the Mediterranean diet
Meat + Nuts or Seeds — Animal iron from meat is better absorbed by vitamin C from side dishes — combining with fresh vegetables or a splash of lemon doubles iron absorption