meat grinder?

[scudmaster]

    It is a great grinder. See if a hunting partner wants to go half in on it.

[Bean Counter]

I picked up a Cabelas 3/4 HP Commercial at the Bargain Cave. Normally $350-400 but I got it for $280 just because the box was damaged. 

I don't really need a faster one even though it has chewed through many pounds of deer and elk and made much sausage. I could see if you lived back east and needed it to go through 15 whitetails a year that the 1-3/4 HP would make sense.

BTW, as a great bonus it comes with a sausage stuffer 

[fishingnut71]

SORRY guys. Mine is a 1.5 hp instead of a .75 as I said.  Just looked at it and dont know what I was thinkin. Anyways great grinder.

[D-Rock425]

So I need a cabelas grinder the bigger the better.

[woodswalker]

So I need a cabelas grinder the bigger the better.

yup, I'm saving my pennies for one, the 1hp if i cant get more $$ the 1.5 if i can.  We wont talk about the number of Rival, Kitchenaide and other brands I've burned out over the years.  yea i get them cheap at yard sales....$5-$10 for the whole kit...but its not worth the hassles of the ssllooww grind or burning one out in mid critter. 

[KillBilly]

Mine is a 1/2 hp Hobart that weighs in at about 300 lbs. It is 220v and would grind a whole elk feathers and all if you could feed it.

[D-Rock425]

Since we're on the topic of meat grinders what do you guys mix with your meat and to what ratio.

[Alan K]

I've got the Cabela's 1 HP and it'll grind the meat basically as fast as I can feed it.

I go about 90% wild game, 10% beef fat.  That's a guesstimate though, I just rough it.  I prefer my meat as lean as possible while still holding a burger together.

[elkboy]

I'm with previous posters- the Cabela's professional grade grinders are amazing.  Sinew, fat, whatever- it will just get chewed, and in a hurry.  I've done the grinding from six deer with one, and it impresses me every time. Easy maintenance, too!

[DoubleJ]

I go about 90% wild game, 10% beef fat.  That's a guesstimate though, I just rough it.  I prefer my meat as lean as possible while still holding a burger together.

 

For burger meat, I like the flavor of pork fat better if the meat will be used soon but, if it's going to sit in the freezer for a few months, the beef fat seems to hold flavor better so that's what we use.  Kids like the flavor, not too fatty, and I get good beef fat for $0.01/lb. 

This year will be the first year I have made anything with my animal.  In the past, I have cut up the animal into steaks or burger only.  Steaks get steak treatment and burgers get cooked as burgers.  Sometimes I add spices to the burger meat and make a ghetto breakfast sausage.  Tastes pretty good.  Sometimes it gets thrown into hamburger helper.  The wife is an anti and won't touch the stuff.  She saves the beef hamburger for family meals and uses the wild game burger for the kids' meals.

[Whitpirate]

If one were choosing between the 3/4 and the 1HP is there a huge difference?  I typically would be grinding less than 30 lbs at a time (who knows maybe this will change) but the 3/4 is in stock and the 1HP is backordered.  I've got some gift cards burning the holes through my trousers and that 20.00 off coupon is nice too.  Anyone have the 3/4?

[jaymark6655]

I thought I read somewhere that one of the gears in the Cabelas model, inside the motor was plastic.  Maybe it was just a rumor started by a competitor. 

[Bean Counter]

If one were choosing between the 3/4 and the 1HP is there a huge difference?  I typically would be grinding less than 30 lbs at a time (who knows maybe this will change) but the 3/4 is in stock and the 1HP is backordered.  I've got some gift cards burning the holes through my trousers and that 20.00 off coupon is nice too.  Anyone have the 3/4?

see my post above? Sure the 1.5 hp would be even faster.but I haven't once found myself saying that mine is slow. Nor have I found myself wishing that it had a reverse mode.

I would consider saving the difference on a.heavier grinder and looking into a mo betta vacuum sealer. I'm starting to wish I had spent more than $130 on a Food Saver.

[danderson]

If your serious about getting a good meat grinder, go with a Hobart.

[whack em]

We butchered on average 20 whitetail a year for the last 3 years in New England and used a Cabelas 1.5 hp grinder.  The machine is a beast, and also took on an elk and two boar with zero issues.  We bought the patty mold attachment which is cool but definately a two man operation.  The sausage stuffing tube system works great but I highly recommend that you go with the previously mentioned foot pedal to control meat flow.  I have a vertical stuffer, and for sausage, it is absolutely the best.  As far as my ratios for sausage, I typically do a 4:1 venison to pork butt.  If you want to try something real good for burgers, go 3lbs of venison for 1lb of bacon (any old bacon will do).  Grind it, then mix in high temp cheddar cheese (comes pre-cut in little cubes) to your liking, and patty it.  For a good processing resource, check out Con Yeager spice co out of Pennsylvania, they are mom and pop going commercial, have great products and I am thrilled with their customer service.  Here's their link: http://www.conyeagerspice.com/