Meat processing equipment

[Versatile_Hunter]

I’m looking for recommendations on meat grinders and vacuum sealers. I don’t need professional grade or industrial equipment but I also don’t want something that will crap out on me in a couple of years. 
Thanks!

[Splitear]

We have an attachment for our KitchenAid mixer (hooks to the front). It's not the fastest, but gets the job done. 

https://www.amazon.com/Grinder-Attachment-KitchenAid-Meat-kitchenAid/dp/B07RZLR9ZT/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=kitchenaid+meat+grinder&qid=1621432841&sr=8-5

[Nytracker]

Lem makes excellent  grinders .  Im 8 or so years on a foodsaver sportsmans model for a vacuumed sealer

[LET EM GROW]

8 minutes ago, Splitear said:

We have an attachment for our KitchenAid mixer (hooks to the front). It's not the fastest, but gets the job done. 

https://www.amazon.com/Grinder-Attachment-KitchenAid-Meat-kitchenAid/dp/B07RZLR9ZT/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=kitchenaid+meat+grinder&qid=1621432841&sr=8-5

That is neat, I dont recall ours having that on the front. Ill have to check and see and look into this. Looking for a grinder as well. 

[Splitear]

1 minute ago, LET EM GROW said:

That is neat, I dont recall ours having that on the front. Ill have to check and see and look into this. Looking for a grinder as well. 

I call it "the PTO". They make all kinds of attachments for them, though we only have the grinder. 

[Versatile_Hunter]

9 minutes ago, Nytracker said:

Lem makes excellent  grinders .  Im 8 or so years on a foodsaver sportsmans model for a vacuumed sealer

Thanks, I’ve been looking at LEM. What’s your take on HP? Does it affect the grinder’s ability to process connective tissue or is it more about processing speed.
I’ve dealt with ineffective grinders in the past where minimal sinew would jam it up. Real PITAss

[Nytracker]

Sharp blade ..   meat as cold as you can get it ..  semi frozen even helps with  silver skin and such. Always wish for more power   while mine is a lem 8 I would like to go to a 12  .  Obviously  more hp the more per minute you can grind as long as the entrance and output are up to the task . 

[crappyice]

STX TURBOFORCE 3000 series is what I have ...cheap but had lasted for a bunch of years and numerous deer.



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[Robhuntandfish]

I also have the grinder and sausage stuffer attachment for the kitchen aid and it works well. But this last year my kitchen aid seemed like it was getting tired so I bought a separate unit.  The kitchen aid went thru 7years worth of deer and worked well but the separate unit seems to have more power .  

[Bolt action]

I have a Cuisinart grinder and a FoodSaver vacuum sealer. The grinder works well. I don't know the specs on it, but it hasn't jammed up yet and has gone through 8-10 deer over the past few years that I've used it. The only gripe is that it's either on, or it's off. Sometimes when I make sausage I'd like more control over the speed, so I'm looking into a standalone sausage stuffer unit. Other than that, it's worked just fine. The FoodSaver works well. No complaints with it and it's also worked through the last 8-10 deer over the past few years. I also have a Cuisinart deli slicer that I use when making jerky. It makes easy work out of getting clean, consistent strips.

[Moho81]

I have the kitchen aid mixer grinder attachment that's linked above. It's been grinding meat for 10+ years with zero Issues. I also have a foodsaver vacuum sealer that has to at least be 7 years old at this point. Venison is not the only thing that I process so they both get a good amount of use all year long. 

[BowmanMike]

Another vote for lem grinders. I bought a model for about $180 last year and it ground everything no problem and is also fairly quiet. Metal parts and a slow speed for stuffing,which I didn't use since I own a stand alone stuffer. The food saver vacuum sealers are OK if you don't expect them to seal 50 bags quickly.

[Nomad]

I’ve only had one sealer, a Toyuug . Ah don’t buy one ! I just did 18 pork chops today, 3 pre bag , so 6 bags I’d like to say it sucks , but it doesn’t that well . Also after a few bags it shuts down for a bit .

Bjs had boneless chops 1 1/2 thick 9 per package for about $9, we got three packages all together .

[Robhuntandfish]

2 hours ago, crappyice said:

STX TURBOFORCE 3000 series is what I have ...cheap but had lasted for a bunch of years and numerous deer.



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5 hours ago, Versatile_Hunter said:

I’m looking for recommendations on meat grinders and vacuum sealers. I don’t need professional grade or industrial equipment but I also don’t want something that will crap out on me in a couple of years. 
Thanks!

get whatever Crappie suggests - 2000 doe have been thru that thing!

[518BowSlayer]

I used the kitchen aid grinder for years and it always worked fine but 2 years ago my old man bought me one from the sausage maker and it's a vast improvement. Much faster

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[Versatile_Hunter]

I went with the LEM #12. Thanks for the input!

[Chef]

Thanks, I’ve been looking at LEM. What’s your take on HP? Does it affect the grinder’s ability to process connective tissue or is it more about processing speed.
I’ve dealt with ineffective grinders in the past where minimal sinew would jam it up. Real PITAss

Partially freeze the cubed meat before grinding it will stop this


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[Culvercreek hunt club]

On 5/19/2021 at 12:40 PM, Bolt action said:

I have a Cuisinart grinder and a FoodSaver vacuum sealer. The grinder works well. I don't know the specs on it, but it hasn't jammed up yet and has gone through 8-10 deer over the past few years that I've used it. The only gripe is that it's either on, or it's off. Sometimes when I make sausage I'd like more control over the speed, so I'm looking into a standalone sausage stuffer unit. Other than that, it's worked just fine. The FoodSaver works well. No complaints with it and it's also worked through the last 8-10 deer over the past few years. I also have a Cuisinart deli slicer that I use when making jerky. It makes easy work out of getting clean, consistent strips.

I have a 5 # hand stuffer and it's worth the money but since we bought this I can't say enough about ow nice it is to not have the grinder working all the time. It would really help in stuffing with a grinder too

https://www.harborfreight.com/momentary-power-foot-switch-96619.html

 

[Culvercreek hunt club]

We got this sealer 2 years ago after out Foodsaver started to get tired. It was a huge upgrade and pulls a much better vacuum but the Food saver line is very good. Found out part of our problem with it was handled with a cheap rebuild kit and it works great again too. 

 https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/cabelas-12-commercial-grade-vacuum-sealer

 

[Bolt action]

4 minutes ago, Culvercreek hunt club said:

I have a 5 # hand stuffer and it's worth the money but since we bought this I can't say enough about ow nice it is to not have the grinder working all the time. It would really help in stuffing with a grinder too

https://www.harborfreight.com/momentary-power-foot-switch-96619.html

 

Well that's a nifty idea. I think I'll pick one up next time I'm out.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

1 minute ago, Bolt action said:

Well that's a nifty idea. I think I'll pick one up next time I'm out.

it gives you that extra time to fill the hopper and position the casings. 

[Bolt action]

1 minute ago, Culvercreek hunt club said:

it gives you that extra time to fill the hopper and position the casings. 

My son (7 years old) helps me out when I make the sausage. Anything I can do to help him help me, and keep the area a little cleaner in the process, is a win.

[PertnearOutdoors]

Great choice on the LEM grinder. As for vaccum sealer, this is what I am using, works great https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/cabelas-heavy-duty-vacuum-sealer

[Versatile_Hunter]

10 hours ago, Chef said:

Partially freeze the cubed meat before grinding it will stop this


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I’ve put about 40lbs of meat through it in 2 runs. Cuts with no struggle. I did have everything very cool.
I do find that the base of the auger gets extremely hot to the point that it cooks bits of meat that happen to fall there. I can’t imagine this is acceptable for a new grinder. I freeze the head before running and I clean and lubricate in between the coarse and fine grinds too. 
 

 

[dbHunterNY]

I've used the cabelas "commercial" carnivore grinder and sealer. They've worked well for years now with no issues. Keeping meat cold grinding just keeps it from sticking and getting messy.

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