My Grinder Sucks - Grinder reviews

[Caseknife]

I have a 1hp Cabela's that I've had for 10-12 years. It had a cover thing over the hopper feed downtube that got in the way, so it got cut off. Just don't stick your fingers too far down! Definitely add the feed pedal. Goes through the first grind slick as a whistle, have to use the plunger to push the first grind(stickier) down the tube. It grinds faster than you can put meat in the hopper. It is heavy, the weight on the box says 66lbs.

 

[PNWGator]

My hunting partner and I have a Cabelas 1hp grinder. It’s been great. Use it to grind and mix with the mixer attachment for sausage.

That said, I’d consider a “Meat Your Maker” if/when I/we have to purchase another.

Buy more HP and capacity than you need. No substitute for torque and power and in the long run it’s just a few bucks more at the time of purchase.

 

[DanWyo]

LEM big bite #12. That thing will grind a muffler! Probably. Eying a foot pedal though.

I keep the tube, auger, blade, plates and cap in the freezer to help keep temps down when grinding.

 

[Pucky Freak]

I have the KitchenAid Artisan mixer with the KitchenAid grinder attachment. The two biggest issues are the grinder has aluminum parts, and the Artisan has an anemic motor. Aluminum parts are hard to sanitize because the metal reacts with heat and chemicals. The grinding is a little slow - maybe 12 lbs./hr once through with no second grind required.

If I were to do over I would get the high-end KitchenAid ProLine mixer which is much more powerful (1.3 HP vs. 0.325 HP), and a compatible aftermarket stainless steel grinder attachment. I use the mixer a lot anyways for baking and cooking, so I really have no use for a standalone meat grinder.

I used to borrow my friend’s LEM - I don’t know which model for sure, but I think it was the Big Bite #8 or #12. It was “OK” - really nothing impressive for the cost.

 

[Bigjay73]

Every kitchen needs a kitchen aid. If you're doing 50-100 lbs a year, it's enough Grinder, plus all the other things it can do. Takes me an hour ro do 30 or so pounds with mine. That's pure grind time once it's cut up and ready to go.

 

[seeth07]

When it comes to butcher supplies, I've found it best to look at the restaurant business. My dad used to work in the food service equipment industry so growing up we had all kinds of big and fancy commercial kitchen grade grinders, slicers, vac sealers, stuffers, etc. When I moved out, I made the mistake of buying fleet, gander and cabelas stuff. That was almost 10 years ago and it's all in the trash. I went back and have my whole setup repurchased with high quality commercial grade equipment. Granted, I process probably 300 to 500 pounds of meat a year so I certainly get use out of everything.

Btw, my grinder is a vollrath and you'll probably freak at the 1k price.

 

[Tomahawk]

I’ve got the Cabelas Carnivore 3/4hp. I generally avoid Cabelas branded stuff, but this thing is very well built and I imagine it will last most of my lifetime. I’ve had it 6 years and do a couple elk and antelope each year.

As others have said, it will grind the first pass as fast as I can feed it, second pass needs the plunger. I had to modify the plunger as it was too small originally and meat could squeeze out around it.

The 3/4 horse seems to be about the right size. A foot pedal isn’t required, but would be a nice addition. It’s slow for stuffing casings though so if you’re doing more than a token amount of sausage you’d probably want a dedicated stuffer.

 

[Gerald Martin]

I have a 1hp Cabela's that I've had for 10-12 years. It had a cover thing over the hopper feed downtube that got in the way, so it got cut off. Just don't stick your fingers too far down! Definitely add the feed pedal. Goes through the first grind slick as a whistle, have to use the plunger to push the first grind(stickier) down the tube. It grinds faster than you can put meat in the hopper. It is heavy, the weight on the box says 66lbs.

I have the same set up. A foot pedal is great. I grind all my burger once with the fine plate right into 1 lb bags.

I wouldn’t go less than 1hp if I were ever buy again.
Grinding 60-80 lbs of elk into bags takes less than an hour. Mainly because the bagging slows it down.

 

[mxracer317]

Meat! 1.5hp #32 with foot pedal was been bliss.

 

[schmalts]

I have an STX I got from Amazon about 6 years ago. I have zero complaints with it. Handles everything I throw at it, just do a little trimming and cubing first. I never freeze it (lazy) first, and it doesn't miss a beat. It gets great reviews, including from people who grind up chickens for cat food (didn't know that was a thing or that those people existed).

https://www.amazon.com/STX-INTERNATIONAL-STX-3000-MF-Megaforce-Patented/dp/B005F55EUQ/ref=sr_1_8?crid=2G9AJJ0D0PM0B&keywords=stx%2Bmeat%2Bgrinder&qid=1638503069&sprefix=stx%2B%2Caps%2C249&sr=8-8&th=1

I have the same. Been beating the crap out of it for 10 years. If you are only doing 100 pounds a year I would say this is all a guy needs. It has been talked about before, but I will say this again that having a reverse on a grinder is a great thing to help clear silverskin blockage

 

[Addicting]

I would get the biggest neck size you can afford. We bought a big one a few years ago as a joint purchase with my hunting buddy. Each of us chipped in 300.

A pedal is a must if you are using bags and saves a-lot of heat from building up.

 

[Wild Bill]

... I had to modify the plunger as it was too small originally and meat could squeeze out around it. ...

I've got the same set up as you. Do you mind sharing a pic of your modified plunger? I think everyone with the same grinder has that issue.

 

[Mallardsx2]

I got a Cabelas 3/4 HP grinder.... pretty sure you could grind rocks into dust with that thing....

 

[Deleted member 28227]

I have the same set up. A foot pedal is great. I grind all my burger once with the fine plate right into 1 lb bags.

I wouldn’t go less than 1hp if I were ever buy again.
Grinding 60-80 lbs of elk into bags takes less than an hour. Mainly because the bagging slows it down.

What's your bagging setup?

If I were to do over I would get the high-end KitchenAid ProLine mixer which is much more powerful (1.3 HP vs. 0.325 HP), and a compatible aftermarket stainless steel grinder attachment. I use the mixer a lot anyways for baking and cooking, so I really have no use for a standalone meat grinder.

I think for hunters two realities are true.
1. You're mostly doing infrequent but big grind jobs, i.e. grinding all your deer and/or elk at once.
2. You're not grinding tenderloin. or even brisket. The stuff going in there is the shanks, silver skin, etc.

A lot of the grinders out there seem to be for folks who want to spend $60 on some wagyu and then make a couple of burgers.

I know for a fact you're not that guy, so honest review, f one buys a 10lbs of pork butt and grinds 90lbs of elk is he or she going to be sitting there for 12 hours, fighting the damn thing as the silver skin goes through.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

I had a #22 Weston. It didn't knock my socks off with speed, so I got a Meat Your Maker #32. Much happier with this one.

 

[SixPoint]

I ran a Kitchener grinder that I purchased from Northern Tool for about a decade. It did dozens of deer and probably ten elk. It was about $100. Last year the nut that holds everything in started to pop off randomly while grinding. I replaced blades and the plate, cleaned my meat extra clean and cut into very small pieces, still that didn't seem to help... on the last grind of it's career it popped off about once every few minutes on a painfully long day and that was it. I ended up finding a screaming deal on a 1hp LEM (22) that a guy bought and used once then needed some Christmas cash so he let it go cheap. This grinder is now one of my prized possessions. It literally takes longer to clean the parts than it does to grind a heaping pile of meat. It's shiny, it's smooth, it's quiet and I believe it does something like 13lb/minute. It's definitely overkill for my needs but I love the thing. If I was buying new I probably would drop down to a 3/4hp due to price. I do meat sticks and salami with a 5lb meat stuffer from Cabelas. They work great, just make sure your meat paste has enough moisture in them if using the small tubes. Good Luck!

 

[Bassf123]

My Meat your maker 1.5 will chew anything and everything I throw at it. And they have excellent warranty

 

[Trial153]

I have two grinders, a free standing hopper top Hobart with with #32 inch neck and 1hp power table too grinder that I got from cabelas about 10 years ago, that has a #22 neck.

Personally for regular jobs a #22 neck is plenty big enough to do anything you need as long as it’s been driven by 1hp or better.
I was looking at prices local for restaurant equipment and it looks like I can sell my Hobart for more then what I paid for it 15 years ago. After the holidays that’s what I am doing …

 

[Irrelevant]

I have an older version of this

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/cabelas-commercial-grade-1-2hp-carnivore-meat-grinder?ds_e=GOOGLE&ds_c=Shop%7CCAB%7CTopPerformers%7CHunting&gclid=Cj0KCQiAnaeNBhCUARIsABEee8UH1R7MjTFFmrAo57SRMbqEDH3a1cCnLhFAoFr-1xW3wVXj0Ayz1rcaAgW0EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

It does not suck and will easy out last me. The best part is that you only need one in your circle of friends.

 

[deer_shooter]

I have a Lem Big Bite 3/4hp I bought probably 8 years ago for around $400 if my memory serves. I've never had any problems at all though I don't grind a ton. I'd say on average I grind maybe 15lbs at any one time and I'm usually done in ~20minutes.