im looking into getting a meat grinder for processing deer and was just wonder what kind you guys suggested. ive seen some that work effortlessly and seen some that bog down and get choked alot. im trying to stay $150.00 to $200 or less. i have always processed my own , but at a buddies house who already has everything there, but i would like to do it my house when i cant use his. any help will be appreciated!
huntinhoosier
i bought a cheap cabelas model last year. I think it was $129 marked down to $89 in the bargain cave. I've yet to be able to figure out how to grind meat without it clogging up almost immediately. And I clean the meat of silver skin almost to the point that I think I'm wasting meat, and it still clogs right away.
From my experience, I woulda bought the most expensive one I could afford at the time.
From my experience, I woulda bought the most expensive one I could afford at the time.
Get a LEM grinder. They start out at $200 and go up from there. Trust me it is worth the extra $$$ to get a good one the first time. Basspro has them on sale right now.
Ive got the old hand crank take forever & wear you out kind but have thought about getting the Kitchen aid with the grinder attchment. Anyone have any experience with those. LEMs are good a buddy of mine has a large one but $400 & all you can do is grind with a KA you could mix sausage & stuff with the same machine. At least thats my thought.
My father has a huge old hobart you could grind an oak tree up in. I have a 1hp grinder from cabelas that is great.
I got a LEM #5 last year. But I have to say that the amount of force between the blade and plate is CRITICAL. Even with a brand new blade and plate if there is not enough force then sinue or whatever will get between the blade and plate and it will not cut no matter how hard you push. But once you put just enough force it is like magic. For instance, last week first pieces clogged, like the first .25 lb, but I cleared the blade and plate and tighted till there was just a hint of motor strain and viola- 20 lbs of burger, ground twice, in less than 15 minutes. That blade/plate tolerance is controled by the grinder head end cap, but if the bushing behind the auger wears too thin you may run out of sufficient adjustment at the cap to get the force you need for proper cutting. When I have the force right it doesn't matter what you put in, and I suspect that many cheaper units suffer the same problem as the LEM that I have ran into- User Error or improper adjustment or worn bushing.
A buddy of mine made this and I'll be modeling mine after it...Get a heavy duty manual grinder with a fly wheel and hook it up to an old dryer motor...
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I've found if you partially freeze your chunked meat before grinding that you will not get no where near as many clogs, even with a cheaper grinder.
The big expensive LEM grinders will grind faster than you can dump in meat, silver skin and all. Plenty of attachments and all that but they are big heavy and bulky.
I use my buddies kitchen aide with the attachement. Works great. Can't speak to any others but his works so good i am looking into buying the KA for myself because of the grinder - mine does not have that capability. Plus I think their are other attachements (sausage, choppers etc) you can get
I have a Cabelas 1/2hp commercial meat grinder and it grinds faster than i can put meat in it.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Home...estination=/catalog/browse/home-cabin-food-processing-food-grinders/_/N-1101293
Or get a LEM or Hobart.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Home...estination=/catalog/browse/home-cabin-food-processing-food-grinders/_/N-1101293
Or get a LEM or Hobart.
I also have a half horse Cabelas grinder and it is a mean motor scooter. They were $300 for years, but new catalog shows them at $350. Yes, it will grind as fast as you can cut cubes and strips to shove down the throat. And I have not felt it necessary to grind twice.
Wife loves her KitchenAid mixer and the grinder attachment works great for making venison burger - it's a Win-Win for our happy household!
I like my small, LEM Model #: EM-2. My sons got it for me about 6 years ago for my birthday. It was on 1/2 price sale for $69 at Bass Pro. It's perfect for when I want to grind up to 15-20lbs of meat at a time.
I hand ground for 35 years. Just ran an elk through my first electric (Cabelas Pro) and kick myself in the butt for not getting smarter, sooner. 
LEM #8 . 35 horse i believe. It works great for my needs, 1-2 whitetails a year. I can also stuff summer sausage and pepper sticks with the attachments that come with it. Great investment!
i'll be trying mine again tomorrow probably. i'll try to tighten the screw on end cap tighter this time to see if it works better, but I can't imagine tightening it more than I do already. I'll check it out.
LEM #8. On deer number no. 19, and using same blade and grinding plates. It's a tad on the small side but has paid for itself. I use food grade silicone spray to store it and I believe helps to keep it from clogging up.
i bought a used hobart grinder at an auction for 300.00 it will gring anything you ut in it... i mean anything...
eventhough i didn't start the thread, I figured i'd post an update since I posted earlier. Maybe it will help someone else out. My small grinder had been clogging, and a couple people suggested tightening the end cap more. I did that this morning, as tight as I could get it, and almost couldn't get it off. i also sharpened the blades a little. Either one of those things, or a combination of both made the grinder work flawlessly. Not one clog from start the finish.
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