Wheatley

Anyone who processes their own meat? I process my deer and since I moved back to Wyoming and am now elk hunting again I would like to get an upgrade in a grinder. I have had a manual grinder as well as a small electric grinder and they are a pain to say the least when trying to make 15 Lbs of sausage.

I will be using it for making hamburger as well as summer sausage possibly from three elk depending on how many we end up with in a year.

I was looking at the LEM #8, #12 as well as the cabelas #8 grinders. Anyone have any expirience with these. It looks like any one of them would work but I wanted some opinions before I purchased one.

Thanks

wyomingtrapper

I don't know about those particular models, but have the Cabela's 1 hp unit. It is a grinding machine. It may be more than you want to spend, but I'd recommend you get the biggest machine you can reasonably afford. It is a lifetime investment. I don't know who makes Cabela's grinders, but the seem well built.

iSnipe

I have something very similar to their #10 grinder, but got mine at Gander Mountain. I paid $40 about 11 years ago and just started really using it. LOL!



It works great. However, the small hopper, 3"x4" is becoming a pain because I have to cut the meat smaller to get things done faster... and because we're in a microwave-want-it-done-now-society, I'm in that boat too, so I'm opting for a larger one real quick! LOL! Other than that, I like it a lot and it's worth every penny. I love double grinding to get the meat nice and tender.

iSnipe

rather_be_huntin

Do you guys add beef fat to your hamburger?

I ask because last year I bought some beef fat (way cheap) from the local supermarket to add a little flavor to the burger so that my wife and kids would eat it and also for some pepperoni sticks. (Can't make pepproni sticks without fat) First I put the meat in and ground that up, then I ground up the beef fat and mixed them together and about 95/5 meat/fat ratio and put it through the grinder again. I had absolutely terrible results and didn't work at all with the little hand grinder. The sad thing is I think for the pepperoni sticks you need more fat than 5% and I never even tried that.

This year I purchased the 1 hp Cabelas unit and hoping it works better but I thought it would be a good question for this thread as it may change what the original poster is really looking for.

Howler

Don't remember the brand on my grinder, it's a heavy stainless thing that I bought through Northern Tools several years ago, but it can grind meat faster than I can feed it.
I always add pork fat/trim to my burger at about 20%. Adding the fat not only adds flavor, but helps the burger pattys hold together, and all burgers need a little fat to them, don't they? I would think sausage and pepperoni would need more than 5% too.
I always double grind, and I add the pork fat/trim as I grind the first time.

rather_be_huntin

I was wondering why nobody was mentioning that...I thought maybe I was the only one adding fat. You're right sausage and pepperoni need much more than 5% but with the hand grinder it was a joke even doing 5%. It would just get all gummed up and quit feeding. I think a bigger grinder (which I have ready to go this year) would work much better when adding fat. By gummed up I mean the spiral feeder at the bottom of the hand grinder would just turn into a solid piece of fat and nothing would feed through it.

Burgers gotta have fat or it's just not a burger!!

justhuntitall

My family is long line of butchers and farmers and we use Hobart grinders they last for ever and they back up there product . Only thing is we use comical size I don't know if they make a smaller size .

I use beef timings in my venison not just fat and will use up to 15% . Lot of shops use kidney fat I don't like it as well as outer fat don't have the same flavor.

Wheatley

Thanks for the suggestions. With sausage I usually add 30% pork with the fat on. For hamburger from an elk I was going to add about 10% beef trim. I usually can get it free from the butcher.

I think I am going to check into the Hobart grinders and see what they have to offer. I don't know that I need a 1HP, I was looking at the 1/2 and the 3/4 HP units.

Thanks guys

Phil from Maine

I have got a 1 horsepower Anvil grinder and I think the 3/4 would have been good enough for what I use it for. I do like the idea that the 1 horse has reverse on it though. The reverse comes in handy at times.. I read somewhere that a 1 horsepower grinder should grind roughly 750 lbs in an hour so it depends on how much or how little you plan on using it..

Wheatley

Phil,

How do you like the Anvil Grinder? I have seen them around in my search but have no information on them. I know the LEM products are good for the average hunter and have heard good things about the Cabelas line as well.