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manual meat grinder?

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chazz75

32 Cal
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What is a good quality manual (hand crank) meat grinder that you guys use? Got my first deer this year, and I would like to try making my own sausage with it. Don't really want to break the bank if I am not successful with it. Thanks guys.
 
What is a good quality manual (hand crank) meat grinder that you guys use? Got my first deer this year, and I would like to try making my own sausage with it. Don't really want to break the bank if I am not successful with it. Thanks guys.
I bought a grinder from Cabelas - it will grind meat and make sausage. Not the best quality, but it will do the job. You may wish to upgrade or sharpen the cutter.
 
I use an old one, but there are plenty out there on places like flea bay for $20-$30.
They work very well, mine is lasting a lifetime. It came with 6 plates, but for the most part I use only the 2 largest. Just don't plan on stuffing casings right from it. Those are more of an over reach than they are good for. They will serve you well grinding. Buy a manual sausage stuffer so you can control the flow when filling casings.
2 simple old fashioned machines will make you feel like you are back in grandmas kitchen.
 
If you don't want to spend the money on a sausage stuffer, you can use a pastry bag. Put on a wide nozzle, pull the casing material onto it, pack the meat mixture into the bag, and start squeezing and twisting.
The Cabelas grinder came with coarse & fine plates was well as a sausage stuffer attachment.
Looks like the one shown here (the Cabelas site doesn't show manual meat grinders any more): https://www.amazon.com/Chard-HG-22-...me-garden&sprefix=#22+meat+,garden,233&sr=1-9

Mine came with a single stuffer tube, while the one from Amazon comes with 3.
 
The Cabelas grinder came with coarse & fine plates was well as a sausage stuffer attachment.
Looks like the one shown here (the Cabelas site doesn't show manual meat grinders any more): https://www.amazon.com/Chard-HG-22-Cast-Iron-Grinder/dp/B009RDV5ZU/ref=sr_1_9?crid=2PHHNF013AYFU&keywords=#22+meat+grinder&qid=1552339140&s=home-garden&sprefix=#22+meat+,garden,233&sr=1-9

Mine came with a single stuffer tube, while the one from Amazon comes with 3.
Fine.

If you find a dirt cheap meat grinder that doesn't come with a sausage stuffer attachment, yada yada yada.
 
What is a good quality manual (hand crank) meat grinder that you guys use? Got my first deer this year, and I would like to try making my own sausage with it. Don't really want to break the bank if I am not successful with it. Thanks guys.

You want one that is "bolt-on" and you secure it to a very large cutting board, and then use a couple of clamps to hold that to a table. Ones made to simply "clamp on" have a single clamp, not a good idea.

You save about half the cost with a hand crank, and anything less than the cost of this one usually means a heck of a lot of shoulder-work. https://www.lehmans.com/product/32-mount-on-meat-grinder/ this one isn't for a slouch, but it should be worth the effort.

First, get your sausage patties right..., then think about putting the mixture into links. ;)

LD
 
Onto my next question: the numbers/sizes of the grinders. Are they universal, or are they proprietary to the brand/manufacturer? I.E. are #8, 10, 22, and 32 all standardized, do they take the same blades and plates no matter which brand/manufacturer? What do the numbers/sizes mean?
 
Onto my next question: the numbers/sizes of the grinders. Are they universal, or are they proprietary to the brand/manufacturer? I.E. are #8, 10, 22, and 32 all standardized, do they take the same blades and plates no matter which brand/manufacturer? What do the numbers/sizes mean?
I believe the numbers represent the size/capacity - as such, the plates are likely larger/smaller depending on the size of the grinder body.
 
Hey Chazz. If nobody tipped you off yet.....grind your meat when it is half frozen. It cuts the work in half.
Heat from grinding can make meat sticky and could result in a rubbery texture for the final cooked product.
 
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I came across a cheap oster food grinder years ago. It worked great for sausages. When I found pork for sale cheap, I would stock up and make sausage. The thing paid for itself many times over. Lost it when my house burned. Now I have the monster Kitchenaid mixer with the attachments, including the grinder. Oh by the way, the first grinder I had did not have a spout for stuffing. So I cut the top off of a three liter soda bottle, trimmed it to fit under the ring and used that to stuff sausage. It worked fine.
 
I grew up with hand crank grinders, but Grandpa had a commercial grade electric meat grinder that made short work of a whole deer and enough pork to match. We made dried sausage, but you could boil, or split a section in half and fry before it got to a certain point in the process.

As mentioned, we would always make some patties to fry to check the seasoning and fat level before stuffing, which again was large commercial grade with a screw wheel on top.

We would then hang the sausage in a smokehouse and smoke without heating it with hickory until the strings turned brown.

I recently bought an LEM electric meat grinder that does a pretty good job. My main complaint with it is the grinding plates, only 3; a course, a fine, and a stuffing plate, mainly that the fine holes are smaller than most of the manual ones.

I tried using the stuffing tube and was surprised at how well it actually did, especially considering I didn't even have it hooked up correctly. Normally, I use a manual stuffer that's probably 100 years old, but I have it broken down to sandblast and fill the seam where meat used to get trapped.

I don't know why anyone would want a crank grinder unless they were without electricity. Having used both, I can't go back to manual, but, a dedicated sausage stuffer is definitely my recommendation.

Finally, partially frozen meat does grind better. Cabelas sells electric grinders that have freezer pack collars that wrap around the outside of the grinder to help keep the meat chilled while grinding. A bit pricey, but knowing Cabelas, probably worth every penny. I'll probably get one in the future.

Also, a large stuffer wouldn't hurt my feelings either.
 
It will take a bit of work to hand grind enough product such as deer or pork to make sausage even if it is partially frozen. I have a HOBART commercial grinder that will grind a 30 lb. batch of burger efficiently and fast, also use it to stuff the casings, using a stainless stuffing horn, never used a regular sausage stuffer for deer products but have in the past for pork sausage. Pricey yes but if you grind by hand enough meat you will appreciate the electric grinder. There has been a bunch of sausage and bologna that went through the grinder in past years. As a matter of fact here in the next few days we will make a batch of Antelope bologna, clean up last years harvest and get ready for this years Antelope hunt in Oct. Plates, knives and maintenance issues are easily taken care of as there is a Hobart dealer about 4 miles from my shop.Used to grind by hand but no more. My advice is to shop around and find a medium electric grinder.
 
Of course, if you want to be authentic you should be grinding the meat with a mortar and pestle.

According to who? Do you actually expect me to believe the "modern" ( in relationship to gunpowder and ancient weaponry) guns this forum covers) preceded a simple mechanical meat grinder?
 
It will take a bit of work to hand grind enough product such as deer or pork to make sausage even if it is partially frozen. I have a HOBART commercial grinder that will grind a 30 lb. batch of burger efficiently and fast, also use it to stuff the casings, using a stainless stuffing horn, never used a regular sausage stuffer for deer products but have in the past for pork sausage. Pricey yes but if you grind by hand enough meat you will appreciate the electric grinder. There has been a bunch of sausage and bologna that went through the grinder in past years. As a matter of fact here in the next few days we will make a batch of Antelope bologna, clean up last years harvest and get ready for this years Antelope hunt in Oct. Plates, knives and maintenance issues are easily taken care of as there is a Hobart dealer about 4 miles from my shop.Used to grind by hand but no more. My advice is to shop around and find a medium electric grinder.

You reminded me of something. I also smoke chickens and turkeys and bologna. Sometimes I will run the meat through the grinder and celery, onions, pickles and jalapenos and make sandwich spread by adding a little Lawyres and a sufficient amount of salad dressing.

I also grind up canned ham, along with the above named vegetables, and a can of knockoff Spam to make a spread. (Of course, salad dressing.) Don't ask me why, but that makes the best ham salad sandwich ever.
 
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