Meat Grinder Recommendations?

[bow4elk]

I've been searching auction sites and Craigslist for a long time and haven't found anything worthwhile so I'm thinking of investing in a new rig.

Been eyeballing  the $300-$500 grinders on sale at Cabela's but am wondering if anyone has any other recommendations.  Looking for something that will be used a few times a year for grinding deer and elk, and to support my forthcoming addiction to sausage-making.  I've made sausage in the past but not 50# at a crack.  I want to get set up right but not pay for overkill HP, etc.

 

[hunt4]

Don't laugh but this thing is pretty hard to beat.  It is huge hard to tell from picture but this thing will CRANK out the grind
and it is not that difficult to turn..My 4 year old was turning it just fine.  Take a look at one of the bigger hand grinders
before dropping 400 to 500 for something you only use a couple of times a year.

[bow4elk]

Thanks.  I have that same one but after using one with a motor, I'm thinking of making an investment for life.  I've thought about rigging up a motor to this manual grinder but it just seemed like yet another project to drag out my sausage making efforts this winter.

[Goldeneye]

I have the 1 hp Cabelas grinder you've been looking at.  It just works, no complaints here.


http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat602009-cat280028&id=0025603516401a&navCount=2&podId=0025603&parentId=cat280028&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=9IS&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat280028&hasJS=true

[olsy]

I don't have any experience with this brand, but this is taken from an article on Field & Stream:

For do-it-yourselfers who prefer to butcher game at home, L.E.M. electric meat grinders are the industry standard. The .35-horsepower #8 model ($249; 800-536-7763; www. lemproducts.com) grinds up to 240 pounds of meat per hour and comes with four stuffing tubes for making sausages.

[workstohunt]

  Goldeneye
I used to use the $99.00 .35 hp ones. I have been through 4 and on the 5th. Before #5 went bad I purchased the 1 hp and and after using it feel like--are you stupid!!! what took you so long??
It is worth every penny I spent on it. The many long nights grinding burger is now accomplished in less than a half hour.

[Goldeneye]

Kind of nice to just take care of business with grinding isn't it.  No messing around with an under powered machine. 

[WCTaxidermy]

I have the same grinder as Goldeneye and workstohunt.  It is a fantastic machine and will give you many years of trouble free grinding.  John

[dogtuk]

I agree you cant go wrong with the Cabelas Grinder they are great machines i belong to the smoking meat forums and they make a lot of sausages and a lot of guys reccomend this grinder from northern tool i do not own this grinder nor have i seen them work but a lot of people like them for doing smaller batches of sausage here is the link

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_36989_36989

if your interested in building your own hand grinder into a electric i can find you the link to do this a few people have done them the only thing is they are not as safe as a electric grinder but they do crank out the meat

[carpsniperg2]

i need to get a good grinder, been pimpin the kitchen aid grinder and the bimart special

[turkey buster]

In my opinion buy the biggest one you can afford or you will be disapointed, you say you will only be using it a couple times a year, but just from experiance you will use it alot more than that, you stated that you like making sausage, well if you are making say for instance brats you need ground pork, so why pay $2-$3 a lb for ground pork when you already have the grinder and you can pay $1.50 a lb for country style pork ribs and grind them your self , I bought the #8 .35 HP lem grinder  and for what it is it works fine but I wish I had a birgger one.
chuck

[fishcrazy]

My dad just pick up the BIG one from Cabala's. We have mixed feelings. Wouldn't want anything els but think they could have done better.

It's a good machine. We ran allot of my elk. Maybe 150+ lbs of meat and our beef in just a few minutes the other day. This thing made short work. The stuffer attachment is nice as I made about 80 lbs of Elk breakfast apple sausage and then put it in the 2 lb. plastic bag/tubes from cabelas. Also something I will use more in the future.


GO big or go home.

Kris

[NRA4LIFE]

I'm still using the old Kitchen Aid.  Works good if you're only doing small batches.  I rarely grind more than about 15-20 lbs at a time.  The Cabela's models look nice, I may invest in one some day.  If you really want to get into sausage making serious, I would also suggest buying a separate sausage stuffer.  Even a small one works so much better than any grinder.  I have one of the old black cast iron Enterprise models.  Holds about 10 lbs only but can stuff anything, even real dry stuff.