Food Processing Equipment

The Tumblers’ Ugly History Before Bruce’s Beautiful Idea

Before Challenge RMF introduced its pioneering “Meat-on-Meat Massage™” to the meat processing industry in 1980, the equipment available for meat massaging was, at best, marginally satisfactory. 

The Start of Industrial Tumbling

Imagine a square, open vat with a paddle wheel suspended in the center. The axle of the paddle connected to a motor, and the paddle rotated at a fixed speed. Workers loaded meat into the vat, they set the paddle in motion, and for 18 to 24 hours the paddlewheel bludgeoned hunks of meat. 

Because of the square shape, the vats created “dead spaces” where meat would get lodged. When the “processing” finally ended, results were inconsistent and often detrimental to the product quality. The vat’s action would severely beat up some of the meat, while other chunks spent their time in corners and near the outside edges, receiving virtually no tenderizing. 

Those vats also resulted in product loss. The violent paddle action tore apart portions  of meat, reducing  them to mush. Without vacuum pressure available in modern Challenge RMF meat massagers, foam formed in the liquids, creating air pockets in the meat.

Cylindrical Tumblers: an Incremental Step

Next in the industry came the development of cylinder-style  tumblers. These were a notable  improvement over the square, open-vat, paddle-style tumblers, but still crude by today’s standards. Of course, a busload of over-sugared 4th graders with baseball bats might have done a better job of tenderizing than those vats. Even as a step in the right direction, these new designs still offered inadequate action. 

Imagine a 55-gallon drum, laid horizontally with straight metal shelves welded to the inside. As the drum rotated on its horizontal axis, the shelves lifted  meat from the bottom of the load, carried it to the top of the drum—and dropped it back onto the load of meat in the bottom of the tumbler. 

While more effective than paddles, the shelves often damaged the meat in the process of lifting and dropping it. The hydraulic impact when the meat fell back into the load also caused damage. 

About the only positive was the introduction of vacuum pressure, which did improve product quality. Processing time was also reduced, increasing product throughput while lowering the risk for contamination or bacterial growth. 

Changing the Game for the Best

With the introduction of the Challenge RMF Meat Massager, all other systems used for massaging meat became obsolete. Instead of pounding, tumbling, or battering meat, our  Meat-on-Meat Massage™ process massages the meat using helical, precision-welded flights. 

Once product is loaded into a Challenge RMF Meat Massager (sometimes erroneously referred to as a meat tumbler, vacuum tumbler, marinater tumbler, or tumbler massager), our system creates a vacuum and the massaging vessel begins rotating. 

In the way that the original designer, Bruce Gould, imagined, the weight of tons of product  moves from one end of the vessel to the other, sliding over and under for beneficial compression and expansion. 

There’s no pounding or breaking of delicate meat fibers. This massaging also activates proteins at the muscle’s core without inflicting damage to the surface, meat fibers, or connective tissues. 

Because of how we engineer these flights, they:

• Deliver gentle yet aggressive Meat-on-Meat Massage™.
• Prevent yield and quality loss from hydraulic impact tumbling.
• Have smooth, continuous welds for minimized damage and loss.
• Reinforce the drum integrity for longer run life, no matter the load.

Imitation as the Sincerest Form of Flattery

Since the introduction of the Challenge RMF Meat Massager, numerous competitors have attempted to produce their own versions of “vacuum meat massagers.” In most cases, these units offer much smaller capacities than Challenge RMF units. They’re basically modified versions of earlier tumblers, rather than from-the-ground-up designs.

Our Challenge RMF Meat-on-Meat Massage™ technology is the only original, true meat massager equipment on the market. 

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow’s Best

Historical fact: Challenge RMF sold its first vacuum meat massager to Farmland Foods in 1980 for use in its plant in Dennison, Iowa. 

Still a fact: 45 years later, that vacuum meat massager is still in production in Crete, Nebraska! Our reputation for excellence continues with other major brands, too.

Hormel Foods + Challenge RMF: A 40-Year Legacy of Tenderness and Trust

Introduced in 1963, Hormel’s Cure 81® ham was the first boneless ham on the market—developed after consulting 1,000 homemakers to create a “nearly perfect ham.” The “81” in its name looked ahead to 1981, the future of food innovation.

That future arrived when Hormel adopted Challenge RMF’s first Meat-on-Meat Massage™ vacuum massager in 1981. The technology delivered exactly what Cure 81 needed: uniform brine distribution, higher yield, and consistent tenderness.

Every Cure 81® ham is individually stamped with a Curemaster’s signature—a mark of unmatched quality and craftsmanship, backed for more than 4 decades by Challenge RMF technology. Hormel continues to rely on our equipment as a critical ingredient in its success.

Built to last and engineered with precision, Challenge massagers uphold the excellence behind one of America’s most trusted hams—and they can bring that same reliability and performance to your operation.

RMF’s Personal History

1960s: The First Draft

Bruce M. Gould launched his career as a draftsman with TL Smith Company in Milwaukee, WI, a pioneering force in concrete mixer design and construction. 

1969: Nothing Like a Good Tan

POP-UP: In his late 20s, brimming with ingenuity, Bruce envisioned adapting the cement-mixing technology of a rotating drum with helical flights, set on an inclined axis, for tanning leather hides. Inspired by the mechanics of cement mixers, he designed a revolutionary hide-tanning process. 

Though impressed by his inventiveness, TL Smith Company passed on the idea, choosing to stay focused on concrete.

1970: More Skin in the Game

Always willing to branch out when an idea is a good one, Challenge Cook Brothers of Industry, CA, another industry leader in the cement mixing industry, embraced Bruce’s technology for hide processing. A generation of belts and jackets thanks him.

1978: A Great Idea Begins

While drinking beer and reading about cement mixers, Bruce came across an article that, in his own words, “mentioned someone was trying meat massaging using a couple of small Sears concrete mixers. It really caught my attention.” “If a concrete mixer works for hides,” he thought, “why not for meat?”

As he popped another tab and pondered the possibilities, Bruce imagined that the sliding, massaging action he had adapted for hide processing could be transformed to work for meat muscle as well. 

1978: First Designs Sketched 

At a steakhouse dinner, somewhere between a porterhouse and a loaded baked potato, Bruce sketched his first meat-massager concept on a napkin.

Unlike the harsh “lift-and-drop” drums that damaged meat, his design provided a gentle yet effective process—one that preserved muscle structure while enhancing flavor and tenderness.

1979: First Engineers Enlisted

Smart people started building cool stuff. Their design didn’t beat up the muscle tissue like other meat tumblers. Instead, their meat massager increased tenderness, working marinades/brines much deeper into the meat and delivering better yield. 

Late 1979: First Barbecue Featuring Meat-Massager-Processed Meat

You have to test it, so why not taste it too? Bruce and associates enjoyed the first “meat-on-meat” massaged whole beef brisket, smoked to perfection while listening to ZZ Top’s “Deguello” album. And yes, they wore darker shades of cheap sunglasses the whole time…

September, 1980: First Commercial Prototype in Action

Farmland Foods eagerly stepped up as the first to trial Bruce’s prototype Challenge Meat Massager. When the machine ran its very first batch, the results were undeniable.

Right there on the production floor, history was made: Farmland was so impressed they immediately placed an order for the first commercial unit, launching a new era in meat processing.

See? We knew it was a good idea.

May 21, 1985: Patent Granted

Meat-on-Meat Massage™ technology gets secured with patent number 4,517,888. All this work, all this innovation, and 5 years of successful, growing industry use, sees our revolutionary meat-on-meat massager getting its own beautiful patent. 

This 11-page document shows off technical descriptions, demonstrative illustrations, and of course—the best way to tenderize cuts of meat, both bone-in and boneless, in multiple sizes.

1986: Sales Grow and Grow

Since the technology’s commercial introduction in 1980, Challenge Meat Massagers and their Meat-on-Meat Massage™ technology became industry standard.

1986: David Letterman Does a Bit on “Meat-on-Meat Massage”

“Meat-on-Meat” makes it to prime time TV on the David Letterman Show! Paul Schaffer creates a catchy jingle and enlists the audience to sing along: “For a sweet massage that can’t be beat, there’s nothing like the action of Meat-on-Meat!”

1987: A Personal Loss at Challenge Cook Bros

The founder of Challenge Cook Bros. passed away. His children plan to sell the company.

1988: Teams Up With the RMF Family of Products 

Bruce partnered with RMF Steel of Grandview, MO, to form Challenge RMF. Founded in 1943, RMF had already built a 45-year reputation as a trusted manufacturer of high-quality, custom-designed equipment for the food industry.

The partnership was a natural fit—combining RMF’s reputation for craftsmanship with Bruce’s visionary problem-solving. John Robertson of RMF and Bruce forged not only a successful business alliance but also an exceptional personal partnership, ensuring that innovation remained at the heart of Challenge RMF.

RMF’s Present: Currently in Our Client Rolodex

Here are just some of the companies that rely on our technology for superior products.

Domestic Clients

Brakebush Brothers, Burger’s Smokehouse, Cargill, Conagra Turkey, Concordia Foods, Cook’s Ham, Cumberland Gap, Delta Catfish Processors, Dietz & Watson, Dixie Packers, Emge Packing Co., Excel, Farmland Foods, Fiorucci Meat Products, Foster Farms, Four Star Meat Company, Fresh Mark, H.E. Butt Grocery Co., Honey Creek Foods, Hormel, Jennie-O Turkey Store, John Morrell, Johnsonville Sausage, Lloyd’s Barbeque Company, Longmont Foods, Louis Rich, Manda Packing, Miniat Packing Co., Mohawk Packing, Monfort, Morrison Meat Packing, National Foods, Nordic Meats, Oscar Mayer Foods, OSI Industries, Otto & Sons, Publix Supermarkets, Quantum Foods, Russer Foods, Sahlen Packing Co,, Shade Foods, Smithfield, SSI Food-Services, Tyson Foods, Tyson Fresh Meats, Wilson Foods, Wright Brand Foods, and more!

International Clients

D’Orsogna—Australia, Foodsphere—Philippines, Maple Leaf—Canada, Soproval—Chile, Paladini—Argentina, Sadia—Brazil, Creta Farm – Greece, Dawn Farms—Ireland, Guissona—Spain, Olymel—Canada, and more!

Simply Put: We know meat.

RMF is your dependable partner for custom food processing equipment, from a single piece of equipment to complete production systems. We have the knowledge, experience, and expertise to deliver proven solutions that fit your exact processing requirements.