Rocky Mountain Meat Processors Suck!
Elk
I made a mistake by taking my meat to these guys for processing. Last year we got our meat back and it was no good. We took all the proper precautions of getting it cooled and to the processor as quick as we could. Shot my bull in the evening and had it to the processor first thing in the morning. When we got our meat back it stunk and had a funky taste. I dont think they handled the meat properly. This year we took all of our canada goose meat in to have it made into jalepeno sticks and they totally ripped us off. When we took our meat in, it was frozen in bags of water. They weighed it and said that they were going to weigh it again after they defrosted it. They did not do so and charged us for the water weight. Charged us $1250 for 86 pounds of processed meat. I am totally pissed and will be reporting these guys to the better business bureau.
$14.50 / lb for goose meat? Wow...maybe you can get the "all organic" crowd to buy into that fad.
Sorry to hear about your experience.
Fool me once shame on....well, you know the rest.
Good luck in the field this fall.
so after last year's fiasco you thought they deserved a second chance. that is mighty neighborly of ya'll.
on another note when you showed up and they placed 86 pounds of meat on the counter and said that will be one thousand two hundred and fifty dollars please.....................did you laugh before you walked out and left them the meat to do with what they wished or did you walk out first and then laugh when you got in the truck.
It can take a long time to find the processor you like. I know I've gone through a few in my life time.
Is that the one in Wheat Ridge? I have used them a few times....could be time to go back to Steve's Meats.
Really, I think I would have walked out and left it.
Did you actually pay that bill?
Wow, didn't know Pat was into alchemy !
The one and only elk I ever killed was mostly rendered into hamburger by a dumb ass kid left in charge where I usually HAD my deer processed. I did get the steaks from the backstraps though :(
Theys lots of burger in a frickin elk !
Sorry for your experience there Hornhunter, but that's just what it is. Experience ! I wonder why I keep having them over and over............
This is why I process my game myself. I realize that is not possible for all, but if you can make it happen,do it yourself.
Pat, be careful with Colorado Alchemy. Most of it is not legal back in CT.
A quick search, and they got terrible reviews (3 reviews, each 1 star) on yelp. Do your homework guys.
You didn't pay that right?
I always process my own meat and take special care with how it is taken care of. Long ago I took a deer in and was arraigning to have it processed (40 years ago) the processor told me to pull around back and he opened a door with a whole pile of deer carcasses. He said just throw it on the pile. I said how will you know which is mine? He said he'd figure it out. I said no thanks I'll do it myself! Have ever since and the meat has been superior.
Please tell me you did not pay them for that goose. If so might I interest you in some ocean front property right there in Colorado. I will make you a hell of a deal.
Say what.......1250 I hope that was a typo.
Yea I had some elk meat come back from there sour. I killed it and got it there quick. Got the meat back and it has a sour smell to it and doesn't taste that good.
I process my own meat now.
Unfortunately we did not pay the total bill. We walked away with $900 worth of sticks and he kept the rest. I didn't want to let that much meat go to waste as I want to be a responsible hunter and eat the game that I harvest. We have turned a letter into the BBB and hope that people will do some reviews before they ever think about taking their meat to that guy. One good thing was, he had a store full of customers when we let him have it. All of his customers heard about how he charged us for water weight and that he overcharged us wrongfully according to the math we did. I guess in the long run we got the last word in and it was full off words that bleap! Eff you RMM I hope you guys go under.
They have done 3 elk for me without issue. I just got my third one back so i will try a pack of steaks and a pack of burger and report back.
Processing your own elk really isn't that difficult. Plenty of videos on YouTube now and you will always know its your meat.
Keeping it cold is not that hard either. I called the meat place that now owns the locker my buddy used to let me hang meat for free in. He wants $20 per day to cold hang an elk. I said, "OK," hung up and thought, I can buy a lot of ice for $20 per day so even if I tag out on the first day of a 10 day hunt, I'll be keeping the meat in coolers at camp and when I get home and cut it up, it will be clean, cut the way I want it and best of all great to eat. Yes there are some great processors out there, but as someone said above, it just takes one new lousy employee for even a great processor to screw up your meat.
If it were me, and I knew it was 86 lbs of processed meat, I would have had them call me once the meat was defrosted if the weight they came up with was any different. And made sure it was written out that way on the ticket.
We have beef done on a yearly basis, and deer and elk periodically. One thing I've learned with processors, make sure any specific instructions are on the ticket. Otherwise, you're setting yourself up for problems.
Also, any processor who knows his business would be able to do the math on the final weight and realize a mistake had been made. Did they weigh the finished product?
I've used Rocky Mountain Meat several times in the past 5 years with no issues.
Have this years elk there now, so hope it turns out OK - and it Should.
The best way to ruin game meat is to take it to a processor.
+1 WapitiBob
It's also way way overpriced. I had one elk done by a processor, what a rip off. I now do all my game meat myself.
I feel for you. For the past 7-8 years I process all my own meat and the quality is far superior to anything I got done commercially. Get set up yourself and do if possible. Good luck.
Pat, sounds like the OP had some alchemy experiences too...lol
I have only had one deer done at a processor and after getting back that little tiny box of meat decided it was time to do it myself. Much cheaper and I usually get 20-30% more processed meat.
I process my own elk also. The last 2, I processed on the tailgate of my pickup! (I bring drop clothes, cutting board, knives, wrapping paper etc). I am not the fastest guy (Last year it took me 10 hours) but I know exactly what I am eating. When I work that hard for an elk, I want to know that every morsel of meat I hauled out on my back is targeted for my mouth!
"The best way to ruin game meat is to take it to a processor."
The second best way to ruin game meat is to freeze it in water.
Been there, done that, but now I own all my own equipment to process my own wild game. Now I have nobody to blame but me if I don't like it. I actually think it adds a whole new enjoyable dimension to the hunt.
I take mine to Steve's Meat Market and never had a problem. I did use RMM one time and I didn't go back. It was on a bear which I didn't care for in the first place so I can't blame RMM for that problem.
Ok has the OP came back and did he actually pay 1200 for some goose Meat. Cause I still have that ocean front property for sale.
No he only paid $900 and got part of the goose meat so it was a pretty well negotiated outcome. Not sure if the KY Jelly came along with the bill, but it should have.
Did you look at the prices in advance? Was the cost for pepper sticks actually that much per lb? That sounds like highway robbery! Think I got 100lbs of deer meat processed last year and I was out $1.25lb for sausage and $2.25 for pepper jack cheese sticks.
I've seen some amazing threads, but this one will be memorable for quite some time...
Quick question: How much would a pound of jalapeno sticks cost at the grocery store? The weight used in the cost should have been the thawed meat sitting in a lugger (rectangular tub for the non-meat processors on here).
"The second best way to ruin game meat is to freeze it in water."
True statement, unless it's fish. The best way is to actually mishandle it by not knowing what you're doing, pretending that you do. It's NOT by taking it to a processor...they're not all the boogeyman.
I cringe at some of the stuff I've seen hunters do to their meat - glad they have to eat it and not me.
I have never taken big game there , but annually take all my waterfowl there for sausage and they have done a great job to date...I have used just about every processor available along the front range at one time or another and they are as good as anyone...JMHO Sorry for the bad experience
How's the old saying go, " fool me once shame on you, fool me twice ,shame on me" after they screwed up you moose you went back? BBB won't do anything, they have no teeth, save you breathe and just don't go back.
I can see why you wanted this to be "debate free" My positive comment to you is that I can positively see your not very bright
Wow, I didn't think this thread had that much life in it.
Sorry you got screwed.
I also do my own meat and for those that don't, I really encourage you to buy a grinder and DIY. It's really not that tough. It seems daunting, but it's really simple. If you want to get started, PM me and I'll talk to you about recipes, techniques, and equipment and how much time it takes and how much it costs.
That said, I did use a processor last year for my elk because I was on day 4 of a 20 day hunt when I killed an elk and took my CO elk to Orvil Springs Meat Processing. I can't say enough good things about these folks. I brought them 2 day old meat that was dirty, covered in pine needles and dirt and had probably 2000+ blow fly eggs on it and I got the best processed meat I've had and at a great price. Great folks.
I usually do all my own animals though and animals for my family. You can get the entire family involved and it's really rewarding. Especially once it comes time to eat what you've killed and processed yourself. It also brings the non-hunters in the family into the process of your food.
And for Christ's sake, stop drying all of it. This is the best fresh meat there is! Stop eating that chicken $#!+. Learn how to cook game meat! You'll never eat chicken again!
Little bit off topic but do you guys from back east ship your meat home if you're flying or do you just take some with you and donate the rest? Must be an arm and a leg to ship it all.
The problem with all the processors that I know if is you don't get your meat back. You only get so many pounds of meat from the community pot as all the smoking/grinding is done in animal like batches not one animal at a time. I may be wrong but that is why no one touches my meat (that just sounds wrong) but me. Good luck this season gents. DIY processing once and you will not go back.
Got my elk back from Rocky Mountain Meats, and they did a fine job for me. Granted I took it in pretty clean, and it was a nice cow. Matter of fact, I am having the leftover butterfly steak for lunch today!
X2 - And for Christ's sake, stop drying all of it. I also cant see turning good game meat into jerkey or sausage. I will on a sage raised antelope, fall bear, or if I didnt make a clean shot and it took a while to recover the animal. But not on a clean killed elk. Get the good steaks, and grind the rest with no beef fat added! Family loves it.
BC - the last time I flew, the processor shipped the frozen meat via Fed X overnight. It cost over $500 for the shipping and it wasn't a big bodied bull!
Now, we drive. It cost our group of 4 (2 driving and 2 flying into Denver) $880 in total this year, including 2 hotel nights at $144 near DIA. While my butt is still dragging from the 25 hour straight through drive and getting home yesterday, we will still drive on out of state trips.
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I typically take my elk to Steve's in Arvada, however, last year I had to debone a cow during rifle season to pack her out. Steve's does not take boneless meat after archery season so I went to RMM. It was OK but not as good as Steve's. Their goose products, jalapeno cheddar brats, Italian sausage and breakfast are excellent. And the cost is right at $4 a lb for your meat plus $4 a lb for the 50% pork/beef that they add. Not cheap but very good stuff (2 years experience)
Holy crap for real! I think I better go into the sausage business. If they advertise those prices and still get business some guys just have way too much money. My cost vac packed making my own with pork is between $1.50 and $2 depending on price of pork butt. Usually bone in butt (shoulder) is $1 or less on sale. Guys get a grinder and have some fun and save some money.
