butcher's pepperoni and other stuff......

[mooseburger]

took my mulie to Sandy View Farms in Spruce Grove to get cut....told them i wanted mostly sandwhich steaks and no burger one or two roasts the rest to be turned turn into pepperoni and cheese center sausage.
What did i get......... almost 24 lbs of pepperoni, no sandwhich steaks, just two inside and outside round steaks and 4 roasts.....cost $156.00, the girl didn't seem to want me to see the sheet with all the cutting and type of cutting that was done and i thought this was strange but payed her and went around the side to pick up my two safeway bags of deer meat.
when i got home i looked at what they had cut my animal into and what they had processed my animal into and it was nothing like i had ordered.
The hind quarters were in excellent shape when i bought them in for processing and were extremely well cleaned for butchering, so there was no loss of meat there.
What the hell should a guy do in this case? sue the jerks, complain to the better business buerue? demand a refund?
i will never get the animal back to have it processed the way i want it.
I would have been happy if they made it all into sandwhich steaks which is what i wanted mostly anyway.....if any one on this board who reads this and is a butcher, please give me an idea of how many sandwhich steaks can be made out of just the two hind quarters?
thanks for taking the time to read and respond to this post.
mooseburger

[hauchk]

I feel for you man, I have had the same experiences. The only way to avoid this type of issue, that I know of is to find a butcher that your hunting pals KNOW that is HONEST. I have been fortunate that I have found a great option in the ole berg of Bruderheim. "Old Country Sausage" is a GREAT place to take your game!

2 safeway bags of meat? go to the Butchers Bus, you wont be disapointed, again. i hae now taken 6 animals to him, and am more and more impressed how much i get back each time, how clean it is(hair free), and exactly to my (how i want it) or dang close. 2 safeway bags of meat? are you just joking? Last deer i can remember the cost of was around $125-130 and that was basic cut/wrap with a nice fat batch of the best tasting garlic sausage i ever had.

my last years elk cost a bit under $400 cut/wrap, with 2 huge batches of garlic sausage, and i had it back in a week (depends how busy he is), not a hair to be found.

[Mad_Mikee]

I've had a similar experience. One place we used to use for a few years did really good garlic sausage. 3rd time we took our meat in (approx 100lbs of deer trim) we asked for 50% peperoni and 50% garlic sausage. What we got back was about 75% garlic sausage and 25% peperoni. We asked the butcher when we picked it up why we didnt have more peperoni and he said that he got tired of making it so just made more garlic sausage instead.
As it turns out the garlic sausage was terrible (really wet, strange color, odd taste) and the peperoni was so salty that nobody could eat it. Tried to feed the peperoni to my friends dog as a treat but even she didnt want it.

Last year we took a ton of trim to the Long View Jerky Shop. I cant say enough good things about them. Quality was excellent and for a minimal charge they'll even vacu-seal everything and label it. Worth the money to me.
Our meat will be going there again this year.

Mad_Mikee.

As it turns out the garlic sausage was terrible (really wet, strange color, odd taste)

My Guess would be your meat was dumped into a big tub with other meat cleaned or not seen it before everything is dumped into one tub your x (lbs)-amount of meat will come out of that tub I can only wonder how long it stays in that water before they do it up .Like you said (really wet, strange color, odd taste)

[Huntnut]

Originally Posted by Nationwide

My Guess would be your meat was dumped into a big tub with other meat cleaned or not seen it before everything is dumped into one tub your x (lbs)-amount of meat will come out of that tub I can only wonder how long it stays in that water before they do it up .Like you said (really wet, strange color, odd taste)

One way I found to avoid this is to tell them to just freeze all the trimming and you will take them home. Then when the season is over and they are slow-(I found just after Christmas the best) I take my trimmings back and have the sausage made.

[The Elkster]

The thing that bothers me the most is that based the info I got from a person at a butcher apparently they make almost double /lb what they would get for butchering Beef or Pork...yet the product that comes out would never be accepted by a retail outlet...bone dust all over and not trimmed properly. I plan on butching most of my own meat from here on out. Deer are super easy to cut up and making sausage and jerky isn't hard either. I'll use the money I save on butchering for Hunting trips and equip.

As far as the amount of deer you get back...depending on the size of the deer I could see only getting a couple grocery bags of boneless meat back. Its amazing how little meat there is on something like a doe when you remove all the crud and specially the bone. 80-100 lbs deer on the hook is probably only 40lbs of boneless meat which would fit in a couple grocery bags no prob.

[Redfrog]

It really sucks when you pay for a product or service and it isn't what you bargained for. I would let the owner/manager know about my complaint and concerns. If you still get no satisfaction, then move on and do what you've done here. Hopefully someone will point out this thread to the shop.
There could be a reason for what happened. I'm not saying an excuse, but a reason. In today's economic climate in Alberta it may be hard to get help, and this is the busiest time for these guys. The owner my not even know there is a problem. The girl at the counter likely would not mention it.

I know this doesn't solve your problem, but there are lots of recommendations for next time.

I used to cut all my own game, then with work demands I began to take it to a local butcher. He did it all from jerky to smoked salmon. He was always busy and I've seen him refuse to take game that was poorly handled in the field, or shot several times. He lives in B.C. or I would still be taking my meat there.

The first year I was in Alberta, I took a deer to a butcher in the Hanna area.
I was guiding for two friends from the U.S. The deer was a big mulie shot facing the hunter, The bullet entered the throat where the windpipe disappears into the chest, travelled the full length of the deer and stopped under the hide one inch from exiting the rear of the hip. No meat damaged and the cleanest carcass I've seen from the field.

This butcher gave us a price, [inflated when he found my friends were "Rich Americans"] He then asked about pepperoni and sausage etc. They asked for 20 lbs total.
We skinned and split the deer at the butcher shop. We presure washed it, weighed it and hung it. This deer ws the cleanest and had the least amount of waste I had seen on any game animal. It would be a joy to cut compared to some I've seen.

When we picked it up the bill had ballooned to over $600.

The deer weighed 183 pounds on the hook, cleaned, ready to cut.

All he did in this process was cut, wrap and make 20 lbs of sausages.
Of course I never went bcak and told anyone who hunted about him.

I'm back to cutting my own again.

The other side of what butchers deal with.........
A few weeks ago I was guiding some guys for moose and deer. One of them got a mule deer. Typical chest shot, two steps and dead in his tracks.

He was shooting a 243 with Barnes TRX bullets. 85 gr. I believe. i asked how he liked them and how much damge they did. Well he loved them. So far he had shot two coyotes with them and had loonie size exit.
He had not shot any game animals, but the exit hole on the deer was loonie sized, so he was pleased.

I skinned the deer and it looked good. The bullet indeed had passed right through and killed the deer, graveyard dead. I could see no bruising.

A week later when it came time to cut up the deer, it was a different story. As I began to bone the front end, it became clear thet we wouldn't get 10 pounds of usable meat from the front. Between the muscles was blood jello.

No bruising evident from the outside, but no usable meat once we began to cut it. In this case 1/2 of the deer was edible. If it had gone to the butcher, the hunter would have been choked at getting !/2 the meat he expected.

I've had moose and elk that were hit high in a hind leg and it was not noticed until the hip was cut open a week or two later. The whole hind was lost to rot.

Even the shops with a good rep can get an order screwed up for whatever reason. As I said I would be talking to the owner.

[Mad_Mikee]

I do all my own butchering and deboning. We freeze all our well trimmed scrap until we get a big bunch to take in to the butcher. It sucks when you save a whole season work of trim (from 3 or 4 guys) and make up a big butcher order only to be very unhappy with the product when you have it come back. We trim almost every bit of fat off our trim for the sausage. We've had butchers say in the past that the meat is "too good" for sausage. I prefer to add a bit of pork (not pork fat) instead of leaving chunks of deer fat in our meat.

We've now learnt our lesson from putting all eggs in one basket. Try a few different places, ask others what kind of luck they have had, etc. I now know not to take every ounce of meat from a hunting season into one place for one batch. Could have good luck with the returned product or a whole lot of waste of meat.

[Mad_Mikee]

Redfrog - I also use the TSX bullets from my 30-06. It sure does a number on the animals if you dont hit them right. I think the only saving grace on my 4x4 whitey buck last week was that the shot was broadside at like 25 yards. I bet the bullet didnt even have a chance to open up. Small dime sized entrance hole and a about a nickel sized exit hole.

The 2 deer we butchered that were hit by 270wms by TSX bullets were a different story. Lost of jellied blood under the front shoulder and around the ribs. Not sure if its was the 270wsm that made the mess, the TSX bullet or a combination of both.

Sure did a number on those poor innocent little deer.

Im not much for the new ultra super-duper magnum missile-like ballistic type of rounds. Its hard to argue with a 30-06. I know it all comes down to shot placement but not often does a 30-06 waste meat.

[Cordur]

I'll back up the be careful with the TSX on your deer. It's like the round carries everything it passes through right to the point of where it exits then deposits it a few inches from the skin. Had the stomach grazed got a piece of the heart and out through a lung. We thought it was a good lung shot when we walked up to the deer, nice bit of pink foam at the mouth. All of the stomach content had been dropped off just behind the front shoulder. What a mess and no way to clean it up. Pretty well lost that shoulder. When I was butchering it up I think maybe 1/4 of it was worthy of burger.

Just for the record though I'm not one to let the meat hang for a while. I butcher 2 days after shooting.

[livesnorth]

For most sportsmen it's very economical to purchase the equiptment to make your own sausage and peperroni,look at the average cost of taking an animal to a butcher that is still willing to work on "wild" meat.The biggest expense is prob the smoker,in which the Bradley is the only way to go or build your own.Takes very lil time to make sausage,and peperroni is a slower process but least you know your meat is clean,your own,and as with anything else you do yourself..........The satisfaction.Even shop's teaching for free i see in the back of the hunting reg's.3-4 season's and your costs are recovered,and with the CWD the day wll come all will need to be done by the hunter anyway.

[Piker]

I have all the necessary equipment to process all the wild game my buddy and I shoot. Bradley smoker was $300 on sale. The grinder was $100 as was the mixer and the stuffer. It has taken us a while to make good sausage we sure love it now. Our stuff is fairly small but large enough for two families. Some of the bills I have seen were more than we paid for yhe basics. It is quite hard work but we really enjoy doing it. Seasonings and all supplies are very easy to get with online ordering. It turns into a very nice experience

[Tuc]

All too many times I hear of (and have had) bad experiences with butchers. Thats why I cut my own deer and may start making sausage this year.
Get set up yourself and save some money. I have a meat saw for sale if your interested.

[bearbait]

that suck's!!!

this is why i do my own...first 2 years was touch and go but now no problem!!!

[elnino54]

I went to Ryans last year (First and Last) in Calgary with about 60lbs of well trimmed meat. I asked for 1/3 ground, 1/3 pepperoni and 1/3 Hot Italian..........What I got was the worst 25lbs of pepperoni I've ever had (over-cooked, odd tasting), 10 lbs of ground, and the rest split between Italian that was not hot (or good) and Maple.........which I didn't order. I paid my $90 bucks and left somewhat concerned and unable to talk to anyone (with any authority)at that time as to why my order got screwed up. I really got ****ed when I tried the different sausages. I could have lived with the error if the product was good, but it wasn't. I have since made the decision to do all my own from now on............

[mooseburger]

yes ..and i think that this is happening far too oftento too many of us.. Other than cutting/wrapping and smokeing your own , what is a guy going to do. this is just plane bull puckey and we all tend to put up with it.
there must be some one on this board who has an idea of how to stop them from screwing up our orders............mooseburger

[chef]

I know the problem well ands have posted many warnings on here to you all.
The butchers being so busy this time of year and do not have the time for seperate orders or to clean your game .
When you deliver your meat ,its put into the cooler with a good variety of other animals to be butchered.
The animals are butchered in mass quantity, you do not get your own animal back what so ever , especially when it comes to sausage or pepperoni.
They do not have time or manpower to do small seperate orders just for you only , so when you drop your clean animal off , it goes into the same bin as some lazy ass dude that doesnt clean his properly.
All is used by the butcher ,dirty bloodshot and fat or cartlidge , whatever is dropped off ,goes into the grinder .
Weight equals dollars to the butcher as well as the filler and pork they have to add ,this makes for a hefty profit to the butcher .
They are charging you top dollar for your own meat ,or should i say someone elses meat.
I do not talk without knowing the truth and have been there first hand and have seen what goes on .

[YamahaMan72]

That is why i do all my own butchering make my own sausage jerky peperroni i have see how some people clean their animals wouldnt want that in with mine just my opinion

[the butcher of the bus]

heh guys not all meat shops mix meat. I have heard of others like myself who don't but I have not confermed this. but after I'm done it is all clean. If a costumer has come back with a complaint I have always made it right but if they haven't then how am I to know there was a problem?

[Bear Ballz]

Originally Posted by the butcher of the bus

heh guys not all meat shops mix meat. I have heard of others like myself who don't but I have not confermed this. but after I'm done it is all clean. If a costumer has come back with a complaint I have always made it right but if they haven't then how am I to know there was a problem?

How's it going B of the Bus, I brought my deer into you last year and will honestly say you did an A1 job on the pepperoni and garlic sausage. Not to mention you were busy as hell and still made room for a new customer. To anybody out there looking for a new butcher, I highly recommend this dude.

[the butcher of the bus]

Originally Posted by chef

They are charging you top dollar for your own meat ,or should i say someone elses meat.
I do not talk without knowing the truth and have been there first hand and have seen what goes on .

funny how so many guys think they know so much cause they have been in one shop... I know that there are other processors that are good to although maybe we aren't as many as the ones who do a poor job.. If the profit margin is so great why are so many hunters having a problem finding a good butcher?? get referals and if your guy makes a mistake talk to him if he won't do you good then it is his fault not yours...

First of all let me say that there's a lot of information available from the Internet and various magazines over the years where one can get meat yield figures for various animals, including popular big game species. An average deer will only yield about 40% in dressed carcase weight for example, and it is easy to see why two grocery bags might hold the resulting boneless cuts.

Secondly, despite everybody claiming that their animal is clean and properly dressed before delivery to the butcher: seldom is this the case.

Licensed and professional butchers are used to having carcases from their own kill floor or wholesalers, delivered in a recognisable form and state. Not ill-prepared and in a distorted shape because they were not hung up before rigor mortis set in. Nor are these regular domestic carcases shot badly and spoilt from the effects of overkill. Blood splash is a term most butchers will be familiar with and this alone can render a carcase unfit for human consumption in the most extreme cases.

I suggest that some of you dry-wall finishers and welders, etc., out there, consider your reaction to mudding and taping the drywall hung by a do it yourselfer or being asked to make a good welding job out of the parts ill-fitted by another clown. Because that's what it's like for a good butcher at times and all too often they lose heart in the job and chuck everything in together in sheer frustration.

Sharpedge

[Walleyes]

Some very good points sharp... It never ceases to amase me sometimes when I go in a butcher shop the way some people treat there kills..

For now all we do is cut up our own meat and do our own grinding but I can't wait till I build a shop and I have the room for processing our own meat.. I hope to build a large smoker and do all our own stuff... Its just more of a confidence thing.. This way I won't have to second guess,, I will know its my game...

[bowchaser]

always a good thread on this every year. You hear good things and bad things about various butchers around. In Calgary I would only use Weigles, now Paolinis, never heard a complaint. If you have the time though, go to Backcountry in Cowley. Best you will find. Also had great service and results at Longview.

[Wulfespirit]

Where's the butchers bus located?

[the butcher of the bus]

check the regs on the sunrise sunset page

[mooseburger]

Hey butcher, my complaint was that they didn't fill my order.."I ordered mostly sandwhich steaks 90% if i could get them. I got none, what i did get was 8 regular steaks,, no sausage which i also wanted, and a couple of roasts which i didn't want and 24 lbs of peppreoni! as far as the animal being clean, there wasn't a freaking hair or piece of dirt on it.They felt it was alright to charge me $146.00 for the whole cutting wrapping and pepperoni, but it was not alright to give me what i wanted.the lady there took my order which i was given a copy of with everything listed as to my preference and i left.I DIDN'T GET WHAT I ORDERED!
mooseburger

[the butcher of the bus]

hey it sucks when you don't get what you ordered and unfortunatly in most shops you give your order to one person and another person does your order and another gets it for you and tells you why or why not it isn't what you want.
In alot of shops meat is mixed and switched and I have heard from hunters that their pails or tubs of meat were clearly sitting in the cooler and someone was taking their money and giving them product that of course wasn't theirs.
I don't have an answer for you as what every one can do with their meat or who you can take it to, because many of the hunters that have come to me and yet I am sure that the shops they have complained about to me are doing a good job for some one or they wouldn't be doing any wild game and yet they are..
let me suggest to you instead of perhaps every one killing their game in the last week of november(slight exageration)try killing yours on opening day in August when we aren't so busy..
if you feel they can't do your animal in the way you want then find some one else or I guess do it yourself...
but rather then be negative about your experience which is going to get you and every one who listens to you anoyed and bummed out... find someone who has a good experience and try thier buycher and if you have tried them all then do it yourself....
oh ya bigger shops have a problem here in Alberta in that is, any help is hard to find let alone good help.
good luck to you...

[the butcher of the bus]

heh red frog shot placement is a discussion we have in our shop everyday and it is great that you tell what you have learnt that the outside is not always what is on the inside.