Meat Grinders

[Bill Score]

Anybody got any experience with meat grinders? My brother in law had a small one that we burned up last deer season. I’ve been looking online at Cabelas, Scheels, etc. and the reviews seem to be all over the place. We would be grinding 3-5 deer a year and probably a hog in the near future. What does everybody use and how do you like them?

 

[muleystalker]

Go the biggest you can afford, LEM'S has been around for a long time and work good. A key is to get a stand alone sausage stuffer if you do a lot of sausage and save the wear and tear on the grinder, you will also get a better sausage and it will be a lot easier to stuff.

 

[PA Jeep]

I also have a LEM's grinder. No complaints. All they do is meat processing equipment. Give them a look.

 

[Clancy]

Bigger is always better when it comes to a grinder. Spend some money the first time and you won’t end up buying 3 of them like I did. Also, just in case you didn’t know, meat with a hard chill, not quite frozen, makes a very good grind.

 

[timeout]

I have an LEM 3/4 Hp. We do about 5 deer a year. I also purchased a dual grind attachment for it last year. We have a sausage stuffer but it's a hand turn and a PITA. We make brats and stuff them right through the grinder. It works slick using a foot switch. By all means purchase the foot switch. I don't have any complaints with the 3/4 Hp but I'm sure a 1 Hp. would be a little bit faster. Here is the one I have

#12 BigBite® Meat Grinder - 0.75 HP | LEM Products

The LEM Products 0.75 HP Stainless Steel BigBite® Meat Grinder offers a substantial step up from our smaller BigBite® units. Grinding approximately 11 lbs. per minute, this grinder packs a wallop to make short work of your grind time.

www.lemproducts.com

 

[rayporter]

i burned up two half horse grinders before i got a deal on a gander mt 3/4 hp.
i like it so much i have 2 now. one here and one in Ohio.

you can feed them as fast you possibly can and they keep on chuggin.

 

[Bill Score]

I appreciate the feedback guys.

 

[Lonny in ID]

Check out the MEAT Your Maker brand of grinders. I got one last year and its been great.

MEAT! | Meat Processing Tools

Sausage stuffers, meat grinders, and jerky dehydrators are just a few of the high-quality meat processing products MEAT offers to home cooks, butchers, and hunters. Make sure it's made with MEAT

www.meatyourmaker.com

 

[5spd]

LEM 5lb grinder here.
I do 4 deer p year, not a issue in the 3yrs I've used it.
Wish I'd a got the 8lb or 12lb though.
Go a tad bigger like stated above.

 

[nakneker]

LEM 1HP here. It’s flawless. We do a couple deer and a couple elk a year. I would get a size bigger then you think you’ll need, even two. It took three grinders to find one that could hang.

Meat Grinders | LEM Products

Transform your meat processing with professional-grade meat grinders from LEM Products. Choose from a variety of electric meat grinders or tried-and-true manual grinders. We have the meat grinder that's right for you.

www.lemproducts.com

 

[lazyMlazyK]

My first grinder was a gift, and a pretty cheap one at that. I tried it out, and it maybe got through a pound of meat before it burned up. I invested in an LEM #8 with the Big Bite auger, and it works great for me. I typically just do one deer a year, and two or three pork butts to make sausage. If I don't have the meat semi-frozen, the auger will heat up a bit near the rear of the grinder, especially if I'm feeding it constantly without a break. I do wish I would have gone one size bigger for the grinder, but the one that I bought works just fine after learning what I can get away with. I'd recommend an LEM!

*edit* - in total, I usually run around 50-60lbs of meat through my grinder per year. That's not much compared to others here, but I figured I'd throw that info out there in case it helps with your decision.

 

[OmegaRed]

We do an avg 15 deer a year with a 3/4hp and it's on its tenth year. Probably on borrowed time.

Make sure you check the oil/grease level occasionally and sharpen blades as needed. Depending on your processing process, mouth diameter of the inlet is almost as important as hp. Having to cut up frozen hunks smaller to fit the inlet sucks and really slows the process down.

 

[jepp2]

Anybody got any experience with meat grinders?

When I first got serous about deer hunting after getting out of college, I got a small Rival meat grinder. Slow, not very capable and after about 50 deer that shaft twisted off and I was glad. Pretty negative experience. Went several years using a great commercial processor. Family run and the woman running the place got old and it shut down.

So I went on the search for another grinder. Read all the reviews, watched lots of YouTube videos. Wound up with the Cabelas commercial grade Carnivore grinder. I got the 3/4 HP model. I"ve used it 4 years now and couldn't be happier. Fast, love the quality of the meat it produces, and easy to clean up.

What did I learn that has proved helpful?

1. You want the grinder and your meat very cold. After I do a rough cube on my meat I put it on cookie sheets in the freezer to partially freeze it.
2. I also take the metal head and put it in the freezer overnight before I use it.
3. It came with a cold pack that wraps around the barrel and I bought a spare. Both of those in the freezer overngiht.
4. I add pork butt roast and bacon ends (apple wood smoked). Also in the freezer
5. With the coarse grind plate I really can't stay up with the grinder. It will grind over 10 pounds per minute. The coarse grind would be great for a stew meat type use. I use to hand cut the stew meat which is very slow.
6. The second grind with the smaller plate goes slower but produces a really excellent texture for burgers.
7. I added the foot switch, useful when you need to stop grinding while you change meat tubes, etc.

I can't imagine needing more than 3/4 HP.

Last year in action and some I cooked up this weekend.

 

[lazyMlazyK]

@jepp2, I've heard good things about those Carnivore grinders!

 

[rjtfroggy]

I only grind a couple of lbs. a year so for me my Kitchen Aide attachment works fine. Twice on coarse once on fine, in the pot and make chili. If I was still hunting and grinding a lot of deer meat, I would look for an old commercial butcher shop model. Do everything on same machine grind, make my sausage, I would also buy a commercial slicer at the same time.

 

[wvlongshot]

Lem grinders and attachments for the win. Excellent customer service and support. Not to mention the specials all the needed supplies in one spot.

 

[jepp2]

I would look for an old commercial butcher shop model.

In between when my Rival died and I got the Cabelas, I bought a meat grinder used by someone that processed beef. It was an Enterprise #33 mounted on a board with a 1 HP motor driving it. Belt drive, nothing guarded. I kept looking at the short throat of the grinder and thinking if some of the sheath wraps around my fingers feeding it, I'm going to lose finger tips or more. Never ground anything and sold it.

I had a meat slicer I bought when I bought the Rival grinder. Used it for several years. It wasn't a band saw type. I wouldn't use those because they spread the bone marrow across the face of the meat and that goes rancid. Finally got rid of the slicer as it was very difficult to clean up. I just toss the steak cuts in the freezer until they firm up good, and cut my steaks with a sharp knife.

 

[timeout]

Like many have stated, cut the meat up and then partially freeze it. The back of the auger can get extremely hot otherwise, no matter whose grinder you purchase. Also important to have your bacon ends and pork butt roast cold to lessen fat buildup on the auger. If you make mixed burger, brats, etc., purchase several meat lugs. Don't skimp here. My son-in-law crafted a plywood table with two holes and a large plastic funnel in them. We put 5 gallon buckets under the funnels and scraps go there as we are cutting. He made slots for a Teflon type cutting board to fit into so it doesn't slide around, and also a slot for a meat lugs. Don't skimp on your cutting board. Purchase the heavy duty large one. Good knives are a must. We like the ready made hamburger packages and fill them with the grinder using the foot pedal switch. We bought the taping jig from LEM and it works slick. Unless you can afford the electric sausage stuffer, I would forego the manual one. It's a slow tedious task using it and just another piece of equipment to clean up. We have an LEM mixer and I have mixed feelings on the mixer. We use it sometimes and hand mix other times. Your equipment setup area and equipment in addition to your grinder are as important as the grinder itself. Unless you enjoy spending days processing and cleaning up the equipment, it's imperative to buy what you need and create an efficient work space. If you only do one deer a year, then disregard my post. We quit processing our own deer for several years, but a few bad experiences at the locker plant put us to buying equipment and doing our own again. We couldn't be happier.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

We bought a 1hp Cabelas a few years ago and have not regretted it in the least. It's never balked at anything yet. Probably ground 35-40 deer with it so far, as well as a few hundred lbs of sausage. It'll stuff too but I agree with the previous poster about getting a separate sausage stuffer. It's easier, faster and doesn't "mush" it up as much. We got a foot switch for it too, that frees up one person's hands to keep feeding it. If it fits, it'll grind it up. For sausage, we usually use about 1/3rd deer meat to 2/3rds boston butt. Never taste the deer but it is a bit leaner, so it's important not to over cook it as it'll dry out if you do.

 

[DaveTooley]

3/4 hp Lem here. Love it. It doesn't take long to grind a small ENC deer. I save the trimmings off ribeye roasts for fat. Grind it first then just mix it in with the venison. I make brisket burgers. Lamb and pork sausages also. Hand crank stuffer. Oh if you have a smoker try making your own bacon. You'll never go back to store bought. Very simple to make.