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If you do your grocery shopping from a tree stand or you buy your meat in bulk from a co-op, you’re probably in the market for a meat grinder. But meat grinders vary from small, stand mixer attachments to commercial grinders able to process a moose. How to choose the best meat grinder for you becomes the hard part. We tested and reviewed five. Three are similar in horsepower but vary in specifics. All will help you take that pile of meat from your freezer to your dinner table. Sausage Smoke House
To review the best meat grinders in each category, I used a variety of functions to create different products primarily using venison.
I evaluated how the LEM products managed different sized-pieces of meat and subsequently converted them into straight grind, burger ratio with pork butt, breakfast sausage with pork butt, and finally summer sausage with pork butt. The Stand Mixer attachment was tested with both chicken and bread. Outdoor Life staff writer Tyler Freel also reviewed two grinders using wild game that he’d taken on hunts in Alaska.
Throughout the testing process, each machine was observed for speed, consistency, efficacy on different sizes of meat/material and quality of finished product.
This unit was full of surprises. My 8-year-old son read the Quick Start Guide aloud to me as we sat in the kitchen and then washed and dried the pieces and assembled the grinder.
I cut chicken breasts into bite size chunks, and the mixer whirred through them with effortless efficiency. I transitioned to strips and noted a solid performance, if not better.
We then washed and cleaned all parts and pieces before moving along to another food group. The only other thing I had handy that could be considered grindable was leftover French bread from a previous nights’ dinner. I cut it into bite-sized pieces and put it in the tray. The “Musher” went to work, and pretty soon we had bread crumbs.
This is one of the best meat grinders for someone who wants to grind their farmers’ market turkey breast for patties or grass-fed lamb for a gyro and does not want something heavy that takes up a lot of space in their kitchen.
The first thing I noticed about the LEM Mighty Bite #8 was the manageability. It was sleek, compact, light and the housing came equipped with a black plastic carrying handle. The directions were clear, straight forward, and followed the same framework as other LEM products I have tried.
I had about 30 pounds of venison I wanted to grind into burger along with a pre-measured quantity of pork butt. Working solo, I have found I prefer to use a foot pedal instead of relying on the controls typically located on the back or far side of the grinder.
I pulled out my LEM foot pedal and it hooked up perfectly. The Mighty Bite #8 took strips of venison and pork that were 1-inch by 1-inch by-six inches like a champ. It chewed through the chilled venison without any audible change in motor function. The heavier fat content pork butt pieces would slow it down slightly for a brief second before resuming its steady pace once again.
Upon transitioning to stuffing, the pace was steady and consistent, though not quick. This grinder is great for grinding, say, one deer at a time, but would not be efficient grinding multiple animals at a time.
When all meat is ground and stuffed, clean-up is a breeze compared to a larger grinder. All washable components fit easily in my single basin farmhouse sink for a nice, hot soak. This is a great unit for quick grind sessions and new technique and recipe development, as well.
If you’re one of the folks who needs a no-nonsense, heavy-duty grinder, this is a great one to take a look at. A 1-horsepower grinder is overkill if you’re only handling a deer or two per year, but I regularly have to process a moose, several bears, and sometimes a caribou or two per year. This commercial-grade grinder is simple to assemble, use, and clean, and I used it to grind an entire moose this year in short order. Many grinders will bind up if you aren’t careful to remove tendon and silver skin from the meat. Not this one. I fed chunks and strips of moose meat three inches in diameter, sometimes over a foot long, and could barely keep up with the grinder’s output.
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I prefer to grind my burger a second time with the fine grind plate, and it was a chore to push it through the grinder a second time—perhaps because of the large diameter tube. My ¾-horsepower grinder pulls once-ground meat through much faster. Perhaps keeping the burger partially frozen would speed that up. It comes with sausage-stuffing tubes, and accessories can be stored in a pull-out drawer under the base of the unit. —Tyler Freel
If you’re looking for the largest grinder you can reasonably find, this is a great option. It’s big, heavy, and excessive for most hunters’ needs. But if you process large volumes of meat, it’s your huckleberry. One of my annual tasks is grinding the meat from several black bears and turning them into sausage. The meat is stored in freezer bags, which I then thaw just enough to break apart and feed them into the grinder. This grinder works as fast as you can feed it, and it won’t hang up on anything. The only hitch I ran into with this grinder is that running burger through for a second grind is slow and requires a lot of effort.
Read Next: Is Ultra High Heat Really the Best Way to Cook Venison?
This grinder has some cool features, and comes with a freeze-pack jacket for the grinding tube. Grinding non-frozen meat can create lots of heat, and it can sometimes cause ground meat to cook in the grinder. Leave the jacket in the freezer overnight, then clamp it around the grind tube to help remove that heat. The Carnivore comes with sausage stuffing tubes and augers, fine and coarse grind plates, and features a nice storage drawer under the fan-cooled grinder motor. This unit is a beast, but it’s one of the best meat grinders for folks who do a lot of meat grinding. – Tyler Freel
The LEM Big Bite #22 is a passionate grinder’s grinder. It’s big and heavy. Its 1-horsepower motor happily chomps through the stubbornest sinew and biggest chunks. This is mainly for someone with multiple deer or other animals each fall who wants to grind burger and sausage, make their own summer sausage and brats, and stock their meat needs for the year themselves. This buyer may have a dedicated meat processing room or space prioritized in their home for their food processing passions.
In my first experience with this unit, I found it hard to keep up with its pace. I learned a few things on how to maximize the capabilities of this meat grinder. First, use thick, long strips of meat (2-inch by 2-inch by 6-8 inches) to feed into the grinder. Second, fill the meat pan. This gives you the ability to go as fast as the grinder can without stopping and starting to grab meat from your prep bowl. Third, make sure you have plenty of meat to grind before you start. It can take as much time to clean and sanitize as it does to grind and package one deer.
When set on the counter, the Big Bite #22 has a meat pan height of 18 ¾ inches. In comparison, the Mighty Bite #8 has a meat pan height of 15 inches. That’s important from the standpoint of leverage when attempting to stuff burger or casings with one person. I ended up using a step stool to get enough height to see in the meat pan, use the stomper and hold the casing with my right hand.
Whether buying a car, a gun or a meat grinder, first assess your needs by answering these three questions:
Best wattage depends on desired end usage. For efficient grinding and stuffing with deer-sized animals, 500 watts is a comfortable bench mark.
A food processor will chunk or puree more than grind. You also can’t use a food processor to stuff sausage casings.
It depends on your end goal. If you want a finely ground meat to create succulent pastries, grind twice. If you want coarse ground burger for summer grilling, once is most likely sufficient. The coarse or fine plates on your grinder will also help you determine how many times to grind.
Since 1898, OL has been a leading authority in testing and reviewing hunting gear, fishing tackle, guns and shooting equipment, and much more. We have more than a century-long history of evaluating products, and we’re now bringing that expertise to online reviews. Our editors are experienced outdoorsmen and women, and most importantly, we’re trained journalists. We prioritize field testing and objective data when reviewing products. We conduct interviews with gear manufacturers and engineers as well as outdoor experts so that our readers have an understanding of how and why a product works—or doesn’t.
Advertising does not influence our gear reviews and it never will. While we always focus our coverage on standout products—because we want our readers to be aware of the latest and greatest gear—we also cover the flaws and quirks of any given product.
The best meat grinder of 2023 depends on your goals. What are you going to do with it? What are your needs and wants? The best meat grinder is the one that fits you. From single-serve sessions to high volume game processing, there is a best meat grinder for you.
Since 1898, OL has been a leading authority in testing and reviewing hunting gear, fishing tackle, guns and shooting equipment, and much more. We have more than a century-long history of evaluating products, and we’re now bringing that expertise to online reviews. Our editors are experienced outdoorsmen and women, and most importantly, we’re trained journalists. We prioritize field testing and objective data when reviewing products. We conduct interviews with gear manufacturers and engineers as well as outdoor experts so that our readers have an understanding of how and why a product works—or doesn’t.
Advertising does not influence our gear reviews and it never will. While we always focus our coverage on standout products—because we want our readers to be aware of the latest and greatest gear—we also cover the flaws and quirks of any given product.
By: Outdoor Life Online Editor
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