Illetschko's Meats and Smokehouse — Local services in South Saint Paul

I HAVE BEEN IN THE SHOP SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE YEARS. THIS TIME WAS DIFFERENT. THE INSIDE WAS QUITE COOL IN TEMPERATURE. IT WAS DIMLY LIT. THE SHELVES AND CASES WERE SPARSELY STOCKED. IT WAS ALMOST LIKE THEY HAD SO FEW CUSTOMERS THEY COULD HARDLY AFFORD TO KEEP PRODUCT ON THE SHELVES. IT ACTUALLY WAS SOMEWHAT DEPRESSING. I DROPPED OFF A DEER AND HAS TOLD THAT IT WOULD BE READY IN A WEEK AND THEY WOULD GET A HOLD OF ME. I ASKED TO HAVE IT CAPED OUT AS I WANTED A HEAD MOUNT. THE GUY BEHIND THE COUNTER SAID IT WOULD BE AN EXTRA 40 DOLLARS FOR THIS. THERE WERE SEVERAL SIGNS POSTED AROUND THE SHOP THAT SAID CAPING WAS 30 BUCKS. I POINTED THIS OUT AND HE SAID, "THOSE SIGNS ARE OLD"! I SUGGESTED THEY PUT UP SIGNS WITH THE CORRECT PRICE. AFTER ALL, THEY WERE JUST SINGLE SHEETS OF PAPER PRINTED OFF A HOME COMPUTER. A WEEK WENT BY AND I HADN'T HEARD ANYTHING. I TRIED CALLING FOR TWO DAYS AND KEPT GETTING A BUSY SIGNAL. FINALLY I GOT THROUGH AND LEFT A VOICEMAIL. THEY DIDN'T RETURN MY CALL, SO I DROVE DOWN AND INQUIRED. THIS WAS NOW NINE DAYS AFTER I DROPPED IT OFF. THE GIRL BEHIND THE COUNTER SAID THAT THE VM WAS FULL AND SHE JUST CLEARED IT. MY CAPE AND HEAD WERE READY, BUT THE DEER HADN'T BEEN BUTCHERED YET IS WHAT THEY TOLD ME. I ASKED IF THEY WOULD PLEASE CALL ME WHEN IT WAS READY. ANOTHER WEEK WENT BY AND I HADN'T HEARD ANYTHING. AGAIN I CALLED AND LEFT A VM. NO CALL BACK. THE NEXT DAY I DROVE DOWN AND ASKED A BOUT MY DEER. IT HAD BEEN 2 1/2 WEEKS SINCE I DROPPED IT OFF.SHE WENT AND STARTED LOOKING THROUGH PAPERWORK. AFTER 10 MINUTES OF WAITING I ASKED WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. FINALLY ANOTHER GUY CAME OUT OF THE FREEZER WITH A BOX OF STEAKS AND A BOX OF TRIM. THE WEIGHTS WERE WRITTEN ON THE BOX AND IT WAS JUST OVER 50 LBS. I HAVE BUTCHERED MY OWN DEER AND HAD THEM BUTCHERED AT OTHER PLACES AND HAVE A PRETTY GOOD IDEA HOW MUCH MEAT I SHOULD GET BACK. THIS DEER WEIGHED 205 LBS DRESSED OUT. I ASKED WHERE THE REST OF THE MEAT WAS AND HE TOLD ME THAT YOU HAVE 60% WASTE WHEN CLEANING A DEER. IF THAT WAS TRUE I SHOULD HAVE HAD 80 LBS, NOT 50! i WAS ARGUING WITH THE GUY ABOUT THIS AND HE SAID WE DIDN'T CHARGE YOU FOR THE CAPE. AS IF THIS WAS MAKING UP FOR THE SLOPPY BUTCHERING. I SAID YES YOU DID, I PAID 100 DOLLARS TO BUTCHER THE DEER AND PAID YOU FOR THE CAPE WHEN I PICKED IT UP LAST WEEK.

BOTTOM LINE, ILLESTCHKO'S HAS TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE AND I WON'T BE GOING BACK TO...

Mike does the BEST in the Twin Cities for processing Venison. I've tried ALL the other smokehouses (you know the names I'm referring to) and NOBODY compares to Illetschko's!!! Best so far, that my friends, family & I LOVE are the Spicy Venison Sticks (not too hot but go AWESOME with a good Micro Brew Beer), Venison Bacon Cheeseburger Brats, Venison Pepperoni Pizza Brats, Venison Sausage Mushroom Brats, Venison Breakfast Sausage, and of course the Venison Summer Sausage. I asked Mike (owner) what was the #1 seller and he said the Venison Bacon Cheeseburger Brats. He wasn't kidding. They are the BEST I've EVER HAD and I can say that with confidence since I've hunted with my father & siblings for 50 years! Mike stands behind his customer service and trust me you won't be disappointed. I drive 40 miles just to drop off my venison for processing and I would drive 100 miles...

Awesome market and great people. Seriously I love the tucked in neighborhood vibe. Absolutely worth making your way there. My favorite items are the snack sticks and potato sausage but their beef cuts are great quality as well. Sticks are by far my go to and I’m very picky on them. Jalapeño cheddar elk sticks are my favorite but if they don’t have them the beef jalapeño cheddar are still phenomenal. Don’t be mad if they don’t have the elk sticks every time. You can always call and ask if they are on hand or when they might anticipate having them BUT REALIZE THEY GO FAST!!! And don’t be mad at them. I really look forward to the next time I can bring my wild game in so they can process also. Thank you for being such a great market and taking care of customers...