Meat grinder recommendations?

[SBrand]

Hi,
I am looking to bring my hamburgers to the next level, by grinding the meat myself. Do you have any recommendations for reasonably priced grinders?
Thanks!

[MBMorgan]

Yep. I use a food processor in lieu of my grinder. Easier to clean and it does at least as good if not a better job.

[SBrand]

Yep. I use a food processor in lieu of my grinder. Easier to clean and it does at least as good if not a better job.

Does it have to be a powerful processor to go through the meat?

[MBMorgan]

Probably. We have a Kitchenaid that is pretty heavy duty. Typically I only grind 1lb. batches. For more I'd probably haul out the grinder.

[Tim Clark]

Do you already own a food processor or, even better, a Kitchenaid mixer? Either way you might not have to get a dedicated meat grinder.

[SBrand]

Do you already own a food processor or, even better, a Kitchenaid mixer? Either way you might not have to get a dedicated meat grinder.

I have a food processor, but I am not sure if it handle meat. It is a Cuisinart mini prep plus. Here is a link to it on amazon, so you can see what it looks like link

[MBMorgan]

You should choose the meat you use even more carefully than the processor/grinder. I only use chuck eye steak these days. No trimming. Meat/fat ratio is pretty much perfect for HB.

[BigBear]

Hey MBMorgan , where do you get your chuck eye steak? I have looked for it at Costco, Sam's Club and a regional grocery chain and have only seen chuck roast.

[MBMorgan]

BigBear , Our local Safeway has an exceptionally good butcher (or butchers) that routinely stocks choice chuck eye steaks (only 2 per cow). Not too many folks know what they are but when I (or a few other enthusiasts) spot them in the display case, we snap them up. Sometimes calling ahead helps, too.

[BigBear]

Thank you!

[Tim Clark]

The mini prep is a little small for doing meat. If you're just going to be grinding meat for burgers you might consider one of those hand grinders you attach to you counter.

[Mickeylou5]

I agree with Tim the mini prep is too small. You can find used ones at garage sales and Craig's list pretty cheap, just remember your meat needs to been real cold. Partially freezing it helps it not turn into mousse.

[MattTheGR8]

If you happen to already have a Kitchenaid mixer the grinder for it would work fine for making hamburger.

[LangInGibsonia]

They come in various sizes. I think the 5lb is the smallest. They're hand crank, easy to operate and very well made. You can't go wrong.

[MattTheGR8]

I have a Kitchenaid mixer with the grinder attachment. It works great for beef, but pork shoulder requires more pre-processing to get out the gristle and sinew. Also, firming it up in the freezer first helps for all meats.

[MattTheGR8]

For stuffing, I use a 5# LEM piston stuffer. It works great, and if you buy it direct from LEM (not Amazon) they include stainless steel tubes.

http://www.lemproducts.com/product/5lb-stainless-steel-vertical-sausage-stuffer-with-stainless-steel-tubes/sausage-stuffers

[Strat50]

If you are grinding relatively small amounts(under 10 lbs. per batch), a kitchen aid grinder attachment will serve you well. However, for the most control, a grinder such as the LEM series will do better, as they can handle any stress you care to dish out(at least for most home cooks). If you really want to get your burger on, use several sizes of die(s) and mix up your meat types.

[TwoWheeler]

If you happen to already have a Kitchenaid mixer the grinder for it would work fine for making hamburger.

I have a KitchenAid mixer and the grinder attachment. Grinding frozen meat for snausage was too much for it. I tore up stuff inside the mixer and was lucky it could be fixed. Unless you're using it very gently and not very often, I wouldn't recommend using the grinder attachment - unless you don't like your mixer. (Oh, and whoever designed the snausage stuffer should be stabbed with a rusty pickle fork).

I ended up buy a dedicated grinder : http://www.gandermountain.com/modper...inder&i=754157

[MattTheGR8]

I always put my meat in the freezer for 30 mins or so before grinding to firm it up, but I never try to grind meat that's frozen solid. My mixer never seems to labor that much when grinding meat, but I could see where completely frozen meat could cause a problem.

[Darchie03]

I have the pro 700 watt Kitchenaid which I was told is the smallest unit that has steel gears they all use to but they made the smaller ones cheaper I had a k45 that is at least 45 years old my daughter has it now & it still works fine

[BriggsBBQ]

I have the pro 6 and it is 575 watts.
http://www.kitchenaid.com/shop/count...and-mixers-3/-[KP26M1XER]-404905/KP26M1XER/

[Dr ROK]

Did you freeze your meat solid? That would definitely do it for the KitchenAid. May even damage a dedicated grinder. I have both and haven't had any problems using either, but I don't freeze my meat. I may put it in the freezer for 15 minutes or so to keep it extremely cold and I also keep my grinder parts in the freezer to assist in keeping the meat chilled while grinding. I often find myself using the KitchenAid because it's so much easier to clean. Just throw everything in the dishwasher. Dragging out the big grinder and then sanitizing everything afterwards (no dishwasher for most of it) can be a pain.

I have not found an efficient sausage stuffer that uses a grinder as the "muscle" to force the meat into a casing. A dedicated stuffer works like a charm. I got mine from "The Sausage Maker".

[SBrand]

Thanks for the help so far. I am looking into the food processor option. Does anyone have any suggestions for a good manual processor? I see several for sale on amazon for example, but I am not sure what to look for in a manual grinder?

[LangInGibsonia]

I agree with everything Dr ROK said. The meat must have been frozen solid for it to tear up a KA stand mixer.

I much prefer the grinder attachment on my KA to using the food processor. I feel that the food processor doesn't really grind the meat but chops it. Totally different texture in the finished product. Not worse, just different. If you already have a KA the $50 for the grinder attachment is a good investment.

And yes, the sausage stuffer attachment is worthless. If you're going to do sausage get a LEM stuffer.

[MattTheGR8]

Sounds like you have the same setup as me, and I agree with your assessment. I've considered a dedicated grinder to get better grinding of pork shoulder and have a wider variety of grinding plates to choose from, but haven't wanted to spend the money on one just yet.

[Darchie03]

If you look on ebay you can find different grinding plates for the older metal kitchenaid grinders I have 8 different sizes for mine. On ebay Butcher-Baker sells them.

[MattTheGR8]

Thanks for the tip, I'll do a little searching for different grinding plates since that's a lot cheaper than a whole new grinder. I have the newer plastic grinder attachment, so I'll have to be sure they fit my grinder.