Site search
sponsored by
News
Sports
Hunters spend good money on licenses, lodging and other expenses, so a reputable and reliable processor is essential in getting their meat processed, packaged and ready to enjoy.
Enter Out West Meat & Processing, Rifle's newest — and only — meat processing plant and soon to be butcher shop.
Out West Meat & Processing, located at West Second Street near the old site of Valley Lumber, opened a week ago, and the business currently processes deer and elk for hunters and offers a number of different processing packages. The business is owned and operated by Jay and Karen Walters of Rifle, who have hired on Rifle resident and lifelong butcher Mark Montgomery.
“We opened because the community basically just needed it,” said owner Jay Walters. “The only other (processing plants) are in Silt or Meeker and a couple in Grand Junction.”
Walters has worked for a meat processing company for 14 years.
“I've worked mainly in sales, but I've wanted to get into the retail part,” Walters said.
He hired Montgomery as his butcher, because of Montgomery's 30 years of experience in places such as IVP Processors in Kansas, Pueblo Beef, Safeway and Chets Markets in Colorado, to name a few. Montgomery takes pride in giving his customers the best cut of meat exactly they way they ordered.
“I like the artistic expression of cutting meat,” Montgomery said. “Other people like to sing or paint. ... I like to cut meat. It's a passion of mine.”
Customers can have their meat processed into anything from ground hamburger to sausage or steaks, along with any other cuts.
“Basically, people have a commodity they don't want to fiddle with and we give them something they can enjoy,” Montgomery said. “It all depends on how they want it prepared and cut to make it edible.”
For example, the cut will be an easily identifiable cut of roast, sausage, steak or sirloin, making it easier for the person cooking the meat to know how they want to prepare it.
Right now, Out West Meat & Processing is processing only game, but once hunting season is over in January, Walters plans to expand his business into a local butcher shop that will offer residents high quality meats for retail sale that can even be ordered in advance.
“If somebody wanted a whole prime rib for Christmas, they could call and order it,” Walters said. “And I'd like to have a customer relationship where someone can make a phone call and say what they'd like and we'll have it ready for them in time for dinner. It will be a convenience for everyone.”
The prices may be a touch higher than what you would find in the grocery store, but the quality will also be higher as well.
“You get what you pay for,” Montgomery said simply.
And eventually, Walters said he would like to expand into wholesale and sell meat to local restaurants.
Jay's wife, Karen, who owns Classic Nails & Day Spa on West Fifth Street in Rifle, also helps running the front part of the shop. Although she doesn't help process the game, she is familiar with it having been raised in this area in a family that hunted.
“We did it because we needed the meat,” she said. “But I've never shot anything. And I don't touch a knife.”
Out West Meat & Processing has a receiving area and maintains separate places from where it is received and where it is prepared and cut.
Both Walters and Montgomery emphasize that hunters can be assured that the animal they bring in will be the processed animal they leave with.
So far, in the short time they've been open, Out West Meat & Processing is getting lots of compliments from its customers.
“We've had nothing but positive feedback from both locals and out-of-staters,” Walters said. “And we're proud of how clean the facility is.”
Out West Meat & Processing is located at 216 W. Second St. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., or call 625-4134.
Enter Out West Meat & Processing, Rifle's newest — and only — meat processing plant and soon to be butcher shop.
Out West Meat & Processing, located at West Second Street near the old site of Valley Lumber, opened a week ago, and the business currently processes deer and elk for hunters and offers a number of different processing packages. The business is owned and operated by Jay and Karen Walters of Rifle, who have hired on Rifle resident and lifelong butcher Mark Montgomery.
“We opened because the community basically just needed it,” said owner Jay Walters. “The only other (processing plants) are in Silt or Meeker and a couple in Grand Junction.”
Walters has worked for a meat processing company for 14 years.
“I've worked mainly in sales, but I've wanted to get into the retail part,” Walters said.
He hired Montgomery as his butcher, because of Montgomery's 30 years of experience in places such as IVP Processors in Kansas, Pueblo Beef, Safeway and Chets Markets in Colorado, to name a few. Montgomery takes pride in giving his customers the best cut of meat exactly they way they ordered.
“I like the artistic expression of cutting meat,” Montgomery said. “Other people like to sing or paint. ... I like to cut meat. It's a passion of mine.”
Customers can have their meat processed into anything from ground hamburger to sausage or steaks, along with any other cuts.
“Basically, people have a commodity they don't want to fiddle with and we give them something they can enjoy,” Montgomery said. “It all depends on how they want it prepared and cut to make it edible.”
For example, the cut will be an easily identifiable cut of roast, sausage, steak or sirloin, making it easier for the person cooking the meat to know how they want to prepare it.
Right now, Out West Meat & Processing is processing only game, but once hunting season is over in January, Walters plans to expand his business into a local butcher shop that will offer residents high quality meats for retail sale that can even be ordered in advance.
“If somebody wanted a whole prime rib for Christmas, they could call and order it,” Walters said. “And I'd like to have a customer relationship where someone can make a phone call and say what they'd like and we'll have it ready for them in time for dinner. It will be a convenience for everyone.”
The prices may be a touch higher than what you would find in the grocery store, but the quality will also be higher as well.
“You get what you pay for,” Montgomery said simply.
And eventually, Walters said he would like to expand into wholesale and sell meat to local restaurants.
Jay's wife, Karen, who owns Classic Nails & Day Spa on West Fifth Street in Rifle, also helps running the front part of the shop. Although she doesn't help process the game, she is familiar with it having been raised in this area in a family that hunted.
“We did it because we needed the meat,” she said. “But I've never shot anything. And I don't touch a knife.”
Out West Meat & Processing has a receiving area and maintains separate places from where it is received and where it is prepared and cut.
Both Walters and Montgomery emphasize that hunters can be assured that the animal they bring in will be the processed animal they leave with.
So far, in the short time they've been open, Out West Meat & Processing is getting lots of compliments from its customers.
“We've had nothing but positive feedback from both locals and out-of-staters,” Walters said. “And we're proud of how clean the facility is.”
Out West Meat & Processing is located at 216 W. Second St. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., or call 625-4134.
