Meat color and smell is wrong.

[Team4LongGun]

It has happened to too many of us. I used to enjoy my trip to the local butcher. Picking out snack sticks, going over what cuts etc.

About 24 years ago I got someone’s gut shot-left in sun nasty meat and built a walk in cooler and never went back.
Like many things in life, change is constant, and generally not for the better. Around that same time in PA, you could get a deer done for $90 bucks and a few dollars more for sticks and sausage. Those prices are gone too!

There may be some legit, get your own meat butchers left, but I’ll never know bc what I feed my kids is too important to gamble with.

 

[Jakey_boy001]

What cuts of meat have been pink vs the red cuts in the pic?
Not that it’ll make any difference, just curious if it’s all different cuts…any burger like that?

Years ago I took an Illinois buck to a butcher, and when I got it back, the burger was this weird pink color and when I cooked it, the pink didn’t go away.

That was around 2012, probably 40 animals later… I haven’t used a butcher since!

the butcher didn’t mark on the packaging what cuts the steaks were from they just said Elk Steak on them but from experience of cutting up animals I would guess the dark one is top round and the light one is part of the bottom round.

 

[Jakey_boy001]

Where did you kill him at? How did the hooves look on that elk? I’ve seen meat look like that on hoof rot elk in western WA and Oregon

southeast Idaho it was a healthy young bull I didn’t notice anything while quartering him up.

 

[Jakey_boy001]

What cuts of meat have been pink vs the red cuts in the pic?
Not that it’ll make any difference, just curious if it’s all different cuts…any burger like that?

Years ago I took an Illinois buck to a butcher, and when I got it back, the burger was this weird pink color and when I cooked it, the pink didn’t go away.

That was around 2012, probably 40 animals later… I haven’t used a butcher since!

(I should read the whole post before I respond) the burger definitely has a off taste to it we have been eating it but the only way my wife can tolerate it is if it’s heavily seasoned like tacos and so on. Color wise it looks normal just smells a little funny like a gut shot kinda tone to it which I know I didn’t hit him there shot one was slightly quartered away and I hit one lung and exited out in front of the offside shoulder blade and then second shot was top of both lungs about 5 inches down from the spine no where near the gut.

 

[BJames]

I do all my own processing after a similar incident up here with a moose. Except grind. I’ve adopted the tactic of waiting till months after the seasons have ended to get my grind in. There’s also a couple of processors up here that will guarantee your meat back.

 

[Yoteassasin]

(I should read the whole post before I respond) the burger definitely has a off taste to it we have been eating it but the only way my wife can tolerate it is if it’s heavily seasoned like tacos and so on. Color wise it looks normal just smells a little funny like a gut shot kinda tone to it which I know I didn’t hit him there shot one was slightly quartered away and I hit one lung and exited out in front of the offside shoulder blade and then second shot was top of both lungs about 5 inches down from the spine no where near the gut.

Sounds like bone sour

 

[High Climber]

Bummer man. I would toss it.

 

[Jakey_boy001]

Sounds like bone sour

Then I know it’s not the meat I brought him, shot was at 8 am bull was quartered by 11 at camp by 1 and hung in camp for 2 hours then at the butcher by 5 and the temp was like 60 degrees and cloudy with a 10 mph wind. And we open the quarters up to the bone to vent the heat out when we pull them off the elk there were 4 of us on this bull so it didn’t take us long.

 

[Jakey_boy001]

Id thaw a few more out and compare. Share the pics please. I was reading this thinking you were being dramatic but that is a very apparent difference, it almost looks like pork.

We already went through the rest I should’ve taken pictures but what we found was 4 more packages were the lighter color and have the funny smell to it while still frozen. The weirdest thing is the meat texture of the thawed meat in the picture the light colored one almost feels gritty and inconsistent under the knife the dark one feels smooth and even and slightly tougher to cut. We threw out the off colored ones I kept a few in a ziplock in the freezer to show my buddy in a few days. First and only animal I will have processed for me.

 

[mtnbound]

Then I know it’s not the meat I brought him, shot was at 8 am bull was quartered by 11 at camp by 1 and hung in camp for 2 hours then at the butcher by 5 and the temp was like 60 degrees and cloudy with a 10 mph wind. And we open the quarters up to the bone to vent the heat out when we pull them off the elk there were 4 of us on this bull so it didn’t take us long.

I would agree with your statement. I got someone else's meat once, and that's why I went back to butchering myself.

 

[Serrano]

I saw some fishermen on an Alaska fishing forum complaining about not getting their same Halibut back from processing. None of the good cuts came back and multiple fish worth of the cheap cuts.

Do you see any of the good cuts? T-bones or Loin?

 

[Idhunter777]

Alright so to start off with I’m not new to elk hunting, this bull I killed September 2025 was my 9th elk I’ve killed. This was the first time I’ve had someone else process my elk for me I just didn’t have time to do it. But I got two packages of elk steaks out to thaw yesterday and from one package to the other the meat color is so drastic I have no idea what could cause it. One is the dark ruby red color (to me that’s how it’s supposed to look). The other is a pale pink color and has an off smell not like spoilage or anything it’s just different and kinda off putting. But here is the kicker all of the meat so far has been that off pink color and weird smell and once you cook it it doesn’t taste right. Now I’m not a pro or anything but I’m definitely not new to elk and I’ve never seen anything like this. Does anyone have any idea what the hell the processor would have done to end up with this.That’s

Alright so to start off with I’m not new to elk hunting, this bull I killed September 2025 was my 9th elk I’ve killed. This was the first time I’ve had someone else process my elk for me I just didn’t have time to do it. But I got two packages of elk steaks out to thaw yesterday and from one package to the other the meat color is so drastic I have no idea what could cause it. One is the dark ruby red color (to me that’s how it’s supposed to look). The other is a pale pink color and has an off smell not like spoilage or anything it’s just different and kinda off putting. But here is the kicker all of the meat so far has been that off pink color and weird smell and once you cook it it doesn’t taste right. Now I’m not a pro or anything but I’m definitely not new to elk and I’ve never seen anything like this. Does anyone have any idea what the hell the processor would have done to end up with this.

That’s such a bummer. I have only taken one elk to a processor and was underwhelmed to say the least compared to when I do it myself

 

[idelkslayer]

I shot a cow elk once with all the meat as pale as the meat in you photo. But I butchered it myself and never had any taste or smell issues. It was odd though.

 

[Ultracarry]

My wife told me we can’t use butchers for our meat since that happened to us with an antelope in Craig Colorado . paid top dollar and was given back garbage - from the smell you just couldn’t eat it - was cleaned and delivered to the butcher within an hour of killing it .
She said never again and now she helps. buys all the new fancy stuff to do our own processing at home - designed the kitchen for it also .

Sorry that happened to you - the one time you make an exception it always comes back to bite you .

 

[Jgill19]

She said never again and now she helps. buys all the new fancy stuff to do our own processing at home - designed the kitchen for it also .

You better keep her!

 

[Jgill19]

My butcher does a good enough job. He does take his time, drinks to much beer, it doesn't seem to a/effect the finished product though... lol

 

[Poser]

Some of the cuts from neck meat and shoulder meat will have more of a pinkish color than the dark red of, say the quad and hamstring muscle groups. That being said, looks to me that pinkish meat was submerged in water for awhile.

 

[IdahoBeav]

You got someone else's bad meat.

That or they let his sit too long and partially spoil.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

That or they let his sit too long and partially spoil.

Or that.

 

[velvet muley]

If it sits too long after cutting it up and it doesn't get packaged/frozen a lot of the blood will drain out and make it look like that.

It will also make it taste off and smell a little weird.

That would be my guess.