Dotti Lou Meats

Dotti Lou Meats in Stevensville has been a staple of Bradford County, PA for...well, since we moved here in the middle 1980's. (I'm sorry, vegetarian friends, you can skip this entry, as can anyone who does not eat pork for any reason.)

I can't even remember why, on a trip to acquaint us with this area, we even stopped at this very nondescript roadside store.  I think it must have been the wonderful aroma of wood smoke.  It was a find that helped defined our journey through local food.

We've been coming back every year for...oh, over 20 years now.  We took our son there every year after he was born until he was a teenager and we could make the trip ourselves.  Maybe one day he will go there too, but right now he isn't much of a meat or sausage eater.

Basically Dottie Lou is a rural general store with about 80% of its space devoted to....meat.

Dotti Lou, according to their Facebook page (yes, they are on Facebook!): "We manufacture all of our own meats.  Lunchmeats,hotdogs, kielbassi,hams".   Over the years the place has been brightened, given a new look, but the quality remains the same. Rubs and sauces adorn the counter.  The bacon is first class.  The sausages are wonderful.  Smoked meats, including turkey and chicken, have joined the lineup.   There's a small deli selection including Lebanon bologna.  The prices are right.

But, change happens.  The news is, they have a second location, in Ransom, PA now.  The Ransom location is selling soups and sandwiches which makes me wonder if Stevensville will do this one day, too.

I am going to stick to the original location, as it is closer, but will wonder what will greet me the next time we come to Stevensville next year.  Kind of something to look forward to as we slide into winter.