By Sara Rosenthal | Special to The Denver Post

Justin Brunson had never bought meat at a grocery store before moving out of his parents’ home on their farm in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, at the age of 21. He didn’t need to.

“Growing up, we’d buy half or quarter cows and split it with the neighbors. My dad was in agriculture, and we hunted, fished and ate a lot of game meat,” said Brunson, who owns Brunson Meat Co. “I think all of that sparked my curiosity about meat, butchery, sausages, charcuterie, and understanding what’s actually in the meat we eat and where it comes from.”

So Brunson’s decision to get out of restaurants is less about leaving the kitchen and more about returning to his roots. “I’ve been in kitchens from 17 to 44 years old. It’s hard to leave that behind, but I’ve found my calling in life, and the meat business is exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

For more than two decades, Brunson was a pivotal force in shaping Denver’s food scene — helming beloved restaurants like Old Major, Masterpiece Deli, Royal Rooster, Wild Catch and Culture Meat & Cheese. But the pandemic forced him to reassess, closing some of those concepts and selling Old Major, which he’d opened in 2013.

In September, he also closed Culture Meat & Cheese, a sandwich shop, in the Denver Central Market, to focus on Brunson Meat Co., which he founded last year. The dry-aged meat purveyor is Brunson’s second such business. He sold his first, River Bear American Meats, in 2022.

His dry-aging facility is located in Iowa, and he is also building another in Denver, in the Park Hill neighborhood, that will open in January 2025.

Although Brunson sells everything from steaks to chops to beef patties, his biggest product right now is bacon. A major milestone in the company’s journey, Brunson Meat Co. recently launched its applewood-smoked uncured bacon and sugar-free counterpart (both priced at $8.99 per 12-oz pack) at 147 King Soopers and City Market locations across the Rocky Mountain region.

“We started last year with $180,000 in sales, and this year, we’re on track to do $2 million. I see that continuing to double for the next five years,” Brunson said.

Unlike many big bacon brands, Brunson’s is free of nitrates, MSG and preservatives. His natural curing process involves rubbing the pork bellies with a special blend of sugar and spices, allowing them to sit for ten days before being smoked. It’s a slower, more traditional method that retains the natural flavors and avoids the water-pumping techniques used by commercial bacon producers, he explained. “I’m committed to keeping our curing process as natural as possible — using celery powder concentrates instead of synthetic nitrates. It’s healthier for consumers, and I wouldn’t put out a product I wouldn’t serve to my own family,” he said.

In the future, he plans to add other products — possibly Colorado lamb — and hopes to launch a fresh meat program as the company expands. But that venture is still in the idea phase.

Brunson’s approach to dry aging is particularly unique. Using a proprietary “Noble Mold” method that blends elements of dry aging with cheesemaking, it involves inoculating fresh cuts with special molds that create a one-of-a-kind flavor profile.

“After week one, the meat looks kind of dusty; at week 2, it looks like a brie cheese mold; and at week three it grows fur almost like cat hair. By the time we’re done, the meat is completely encased in these molds, which imparts a brown butter, popcorn, hazelnut flavor unlike any other dry-aged beef in the U.S.,” Brunson explained. “Chefs are wowed by it.”

Top chefs, including Alex Seidel (Fruition, Mercantile) and Matt Vawter (Rootstalk, Radicato), were early supporters, helping Brunson launch his program.

Despite stepping away from daily restaurant life, Brunson plans to stay connected to the culinary community through pop-ups and events. Reflecting on the evolution of the city’s dining scene, he recalled, “When I arrived 22 years ago, Denver was still a steak-and-potatoes town. Now, there are chefs from diverse backgrounds, and we’re seeing some of the best food in the country.”

“I’m considered part of the old guard here, and I’m only 45. I opened my first restaurant at 27 and launched six others by the time I was 35,” he said. “It was a lot, but I love this industry and have so much respect for everyone in it.”