09/18/2023
Meet Braeden Kraft,
General Manager of Butcher Block Meats in Mandan.
Located at 108 W Main St, Mandan, ND.
Business hours
Sunday: 9a-6p
Monday-Saturday: 7:30a-6p
When I stopped into Butcher Block the other day, I was able to sit down with Braeden Kraft, General Manager, and get his perspective on things. Come to find out, Braeden has been unofficially helping out since he was about 8 years old, making this truly his second home.
I’m happy to see that the future of Butcher Block Meats is in good hands.
If you haven’t stopped in, I encourage you to swing by this week and grab some protein. Even if you don’t know where to start, these folks will get you setup with anything you need.
—Phil, Phillip On Food
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Find the full interview here:
https://bismaneats.com/mandan-mondays/Butcher-block-meats-2
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Phil— How’s life outside of work, Braeden?
Braeden— Well, I got a puppy! Her name is Kiara, she’s sort of a rescue. I like to spend a lot of time with her and I try to take her out as much as I can. I try to stay pretty fit, so I hit the gym once and a while. I love guns, and I shoot bow a lot as well. Anything that goes boom is a fun time. I work on cars a lot, too. A lot of stuff like that.
Work is fun for me, though, so I try to spend a lot of time here.
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Phil— Awesome! I recently rescued a dog as well and it’s been incredible. What kind of pup did you save?
Braeden— She’s a little shepherd-pit bull mix! I don’t know what else is in her, but yeah, she’s a good dog. Mixes are some of the smartest dogs. They tend to care a little more, it seems. I don’t know why, but mutt’s are the way to go. I got her here in Mandan. The previous owners just didn’t seem to have enough time for her and stuff like that.
I just went to see her, I wasn’t planning on picking her up or anything. And, yeah, you know how that goes. They run right up to you and you’re like, oh, okay.
She hadn’t even been in a pickup yet or anything, so, just getting her into the truck was a crazy one. It’s been interesting! She’s at a better home now.
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Phil— I know that moment! When they look at you with those puppy dog eyes and run to you like you’re their new safe place. It all makes sense right then and there. I’m happy to hear things are going well!
So, what do you like about Mandan? What keeps you here, aside from work?
Braeden— I’d say the people, and of course the businesses. It seems like you can’t really go out anywhere, even to eat dinner, without running into at least a handful of people, you know? I think that’s pretty special. A lot of places don’t have that. Even if you’re out on the river, people wave at each other. It’s pretty odd if you don’t get waved at, or you don’t wave at somebody. If you’ve traveled anywhere else, you know that’s not the case almost anywhere else in the country.
Mandan is a special place, and I’d say it’s the people that make it that way.
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Phil— I couldn’t agree with you more. The people are what make or break an area, and we are very fortunate for the community we have in this area.
What’s your favorite cut of steak?
Braeden— Oh, I’d go with a two inch New York strip as my go-to. Either that, or a good rib eye. It’s always between those two and it’s hard for me to decide. I pretty much smoke everything, even burgers. So I usually end up putting them on the traeger for about an hour at a low temp, and sear it up for around five minutes. It’s pretty good!
I use our house seasoning, and put it on pretty much everything. I’ve tried most of the seasonings, you know, being here and waking a bottle of seasoning home every week. Our house blend is what I keep coming back to!
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Phil— You got me hungry now! Is there anything you’d like to add as we wrap up this interview, Braeden?
Braeden— I’d like to say thank you to all of our customers, especially those who have been with us over the years. Hopefully I can start to learn everybody’s names more than I already do! We just love the opportunity to meet new people in the area. People who don’t know where to begin, you know, as far as what cuts to get. They’ll use what we call “describer words",” and we can get them to where they want to be. It’s super common for us to have folks come in here who don’t even know where to start. But that’s where everyone starts, so just ask questions! That’s what we’re here for, and we’d love to help you out.
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Want to continue reading? Click the link to read more!
https://bismaneats.com/mandan-mondays/
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This is our ninth installment in our series entitled, ‘Mandan Mondays,’ which, in partnership with the City of Mandan, aims to highlight local Mandan businesses and the owners, staff, and community members behind them.
New restaurants are posted the first Monday of each month, with posts scheduled for every Monday of the month. We hope you enjoy!
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