Meat grinders ?


 
E

Eric Michaud

TVWBB Super Fan
Wanted opinions on meat grinders. Manual or electric? What to look for ? What are you using and and you happy with what you bought ?

Thanks,
Eric
 
Go electric - it's not that much more expensive, and you'll like the ability to grind more with little effort.

I started with a cheapo 250W unit I got on clearance at Sportsman's Warehouse, but I was never really happy with it. The diameter of the feed tube is pretty small, and you had to be meticulous about chilling the meat almost to the point of freezing if you didn't want the thing to bog down and just turn meat into mush.

Since then I found a great unit from Northern Tool for about $129 that has a huge #12 throat and is a vast improvement on my previous unit: http://www.northerntool.com/sh.../product_36989_36989

I can highly recommend that unit so far...
 
I have used the same unit as Martin for about 6 years. Have ground a lot of venison though it with no mechanical problems. I would recommend a dedicated sausage stuffer rather than using the stuffing attachment on the grinder.
 
plus 2 for the Northern Tool Grinder... but if your just playing to start (and own a KitchenAid Stand Mixer) the grinder attachment is "okay" for small batches as long as your patient.
 
Thanks so much for your input guys, I searched using 3 different search engines and came up with 3 different conclusions, Northern tool it is.
 
Those look similar to the one I've used for years marketed under the Tasin name (model TS-108). I've used it to grind chicken, bone and all for puppy food. This ones states "1800 watts max", or 2.4 HP max.It's pretty impressive for the price.
From Amazon
 
I'm a little late to the party, but I've been using the grinder attachment that Kitchenaid makes. If you happen to have one of their stand mixers, it's actually a very capable little unit.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by SteveF (Alpine):
Those look similar to the one I've used for years marketed under the Tasin name (model TS-108). I've used it to grind chicken, bone and all for puppy food. This ones states "1800 watts max", or 2.4 HP max.It's pretty impressive for the price.
From Amazon </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Looks like the same unit Northern sells.
 
Researching grinders myself, and was wondering what the difference is between a unit that is a #12 and one that is a #8? Would that pertain to the input throat size or the output throat size?

Which is larger? Which would be preferred for making sausage, brats, grinding beef, etc?
 
T,

Generally grinders are measured in pounds per hour a unit can put out. The higher the number (8,12,22...) the greater the output. Depending on motor strength a #8 will grind about 240 lbs/hr and a #12 will grind about 360 lbs/hr. The plates (circular metal disks that meat passes thru) are standardized. So in that respect, the numbers do pertain to output. That said, the throats generally correspond so as you go up in plate size, the throats increase in size as well. Any quality grinder will do the job; it just really depends on how fast you want to process your meat. I've used a 3/4 hp Cabelas grinder that was fantatic but was overkill for my needs. I ended up purchasing this grinder from Northern Tool and am quite happy with it. Eventually I'll buy a dedicated stuffer as well, but for now it does the job.

Paul
 
Thanx much Paul.I appreciate the info. I was planning on picking up the one from Northern this weekend, but saw a Weston #8 grinder at Sportsmans Guide that was close to the same price. But it looks like the Kitchener from Northern Tool should be sturdy enough for what I need.
 
ts108_electric_grinder.jpg

I have this Tasin 108 for more than 10 years and still working great... it's a bit more than Northen or Kitchener but is a very good grinder. I've paid $100 or so, now is much more.
One Stop Jerky Shop has it, maybe other but i didn't check.. Well worth the money, imo.
For small jobs i use a Cabela's, which is a Waring MG-800 Pro rebranded... good but makes a heck of a noise!
 
Having never used one before, my son bought the northern tool one mentioned for venison, and I must say I was impressed.
 
For venison sausages you should mix pork or pork fat with the ground venison. Venison and other game meats are usually very lean, 95%-99% lean.

For sausages unless you use a fat substitute like protien powder or similar, you want fat percentages around 20-30%

So for venison sausages I mix some ~30% fat pork butt with the venison at about a 1:1 ratio.
 
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