#43 The Meat Dudes Visit The Little Beast Restaurant, Plus Steve Cottrell of Legendary Akaushi

Join The Meat Dudes as we head into Little Beast, the brand-new English-style pub from the team behind Beast & Cleaver, for a deep-dive conversation with owner and butcher extraordinaire Kevin Smith (aka The English Butcher).

We talk:

• How his wildly successful butcher boxes and whole-animal butchery setup inspired this pub-meets-production kitchen concept

• The challenges and thrill of turning a butcher shop into a traditional English pub featuring meat pies, Scotch eggs, Yorkshire puddings, and sticky toffee pudding

• What it really takes to open a restaurant while also running a high-output butchery facility

• Inside story on their fan-favorite offerings: 120-day dry-aged steaks, English meat pies, Sunday roasts, and more

• Chef Tyler’s hot takes on Wagyu, why it’s “not just fatty beef,” and how that perspective fits into Kevin’s whole-animal philosophy

Plus, we sit down with Steve Cottrell of Legendary Akaushi to talk about what makes Akaushi cattle unique, why genetics matter in the Wagyu conversation, and how Legendary is shaping the future of American Wagyu.

Whether you're curious about whole-animal cooking, restaurant launches, or the finer points of Wagyu and Akaushi—this episode delivers the full, delicious breakdown.

The Little Beast: https://beastandcleaver.com/the-little-beast

Beast & Cleaver: https://beastandcleaver.com

Legendary Akaushi: https://www.akaushigenetics.com