"80% lean" means 80% lean meat and 20% fat.

I grind mine with just a little pork fat (prolly 15%)to get the burgers to stick together.

anyone grind by hand? That has to be worse than making homemade ice cream!!

I am going to buy a handgrinder tonight, mostly for the workout!

Rushcreek, I went the cheap route and burned it up. We usually grind 3 to 5 a year.Cabelas offers a great assortment of grinders. That's where I got mine. Good luck.
PS. I bought a 1 hp grinder. Very happy with it.

Go expensive. This is one area where you get what you pay for. Plus it will be much easier and faster. If you payed to have the deer butched it would cost you about the same in year one.

Also do you know how to properly sharpen blades? That will add a lot of life to the machine by making it more efficient.

Tom

Statjunk, I'd like to know how you sharpen your grinder blades please. thanks

I don't. Unfortunetly this is something I have very little skill at, sharpening blades of all kinds. Sorry. I have friends do it to my pocket knives and kitchen knives but not to my grinder because I don't own one but my friends do. Several and I've seen the natural progression. A buddy at work bought a $200 unit, tore it up and is now looking in the $400 range.

It's good to have at least one friend with a meat grinder!

Tom

Statjunk, I don't know either.

I usually just buy new ones.
Thanks .

oops

I cut out the tenderloins and backstrap . I will cut some of rump for jerky . I bought one of the JerkyShooters a few years ago that squeezes out the seasond burger into jerky strips .

I got an electric grinder for christmas a few yrs ago. The best investment my wife ever made (or santa)I was never really a pro at butchering, but I feel like I am now. really cuts down on waste because you can run practically anything through it. Even the lower muscles of the legs are no match for the grinder.