Recommend me a meat grinder

Cafe Society
1

I’ve got a fairly large sausage-based event coming up, to the tune of 30+ pounds of sausage. I’ve done sausage before (although never more than 10 pounds), and discovered I like pretty much the whole process except for grinding the meat.

Up to now, all my meat-grinding has been using an old, fairly dull/crappy meat grinder I inherited from my grandmother - usable, but it frequently gets silverskin and whatnot wrapped around it, and I have to take it apart and clean it. Plus, the input funnel is tiny, which is a pain.

So, I’m thinking it’s probably time to invest in a new meat grinder. I have a Kitchenaid stand mixer, and there’s a meat grinder attachment for that, which I’ve heard is decent, if not stellar. It’s certainly cheaper than any electric grinder I’ve seen, and on par with a second-from-bottom-of-the-line manual. Anyone have/used one?

Alternately, have another brand you can recommend? I’m open to manual or electric, I’m more concerned with large capacity, easy of use, and resistance to jamming.

2

I suppose I could look this up… but what’s silverskin?
Also, why do you need to grind your meat? Do you also have a sausage tube filler?

3

I have the KitchenAid grinder, and use it to grind meat quite a bit.

It’s OK if the meat is cooled in the freezer for about 1-2 hours before grinding. I find that if I don’t use semi-frozen meat, I’m doing what you do - take it apart and clean out fat/silverskin/etc at least a couple times while grinding 4 or 5 pounds of meat. Semi-frozen, I don’t have to worry about it.

The input funnel is tiny as well.

If I were going to do more than four or five pounds with any regularity, I’d invest in a better grinder. As it is, doing <5 pounds and taking the time to freeze it first, it’s OK. It’s not fast, by any means. I haven’t timed myself, but I’d say it takes at least 10 or 15 minutes to grind my 4-5 pounds.

So, in short, for 30 pounds, I’d spend the extra bucks and buy something better than the KitchenAid attachment.

4

Agreed if you’re going to be doing this more than once or twice a year.

I guess I’m luck in that I’ve got a good, local butcher. If I give him a couple days notice then he’ll custom grind sausage for me with my own spice blend. If I just want it loose then he doesn’t charge any extra for this above the the basic cost of the meat. If stuffed into large, natural casings then it’s only a dollar more a pound.

If you infrequently need to do large amounts then this is how I’d do it. Look around and I’ll bet you’ll find someone.

5
  • 1, and agree with all her comments. Freeze partly the meat. Also put all the parts into the freezer as well. (Auger, blades, body)

Cabelas has a nice kit. Buy the parts you think you’ll need, though it’s a good price for the whole kit.

6

We’ve got the KA grinder attachment as well. Does a fine job, if your job is small. I think the most we’ve ever done in one shot is 10 pounds.

Silverskin (that silvery, tough, sinewy gristle-like stuff) is probably going to wrap itself around the auger of any grinder, and unless you find an industrial grinder, any of the ones on the market now will have lawyer-approved small intakes to make it hard to grind your fingers.

Prepping the meat will probably take at least as long as the actual grinding - you’ll want to cube it not much bigger than about one-inch chunks to fit down the chute.

7

This is the one I have. It has made my life exponentially better.

8

For those with the Kitchen Aid attachment, are you using the metal one or the plastic one?

9

emack, I have the plastic KA grinder. I use it to grind all of our meats. Ground sirloin, chuck, pork and I use it to make sausage as well. During canning season, I grind cucumbers, onions and peppers to make salsa and relishes, and the KA excels at this chore.

I don’t have a problem with it as I only grind about once a month. It works fine for me and is easy to clean.

For the record, I also own several convenience stores with delis. One of them came equipped with a commercial grinder; and that thing was a total PITA. It was all stainless steel, with a huge hopper and an equally huge auger. Silverskin still stalled that sucker. It just happens. At home, I have a wicked sharpened fillet knife that I use to remove silverskin before grinding. Better butchering=better grinding in my experience.

10

Interesting idea about asking the butcher. I’m kind of a DIY fanatic, so I almost feel like that’s cheating, but that might be the way to go. I shall have to inquire.

I wouldn’t mind owning a good meat grinder, though, so I’ll have to look into that Northern Exposure one that Bill Door linked. It’s more expensive than the Kitchenaid (and bulkier, which is almost worse), but I’d spend a little more to have a solid piece of equipment.

Of course, given truthbot’s comment, maybe I should just invest in a better knife…

11

I have the plastic KA grinder too, and it’s fine for me- repeating what everyone else says- slowish, but durable and reliable. Has anyone used the pasta extruder attachment for it though?