I hate the Kitchen Aid meat grinder attachment. It just doesn't have the muscle to push silverskin and connective tissue through the plates (yes, I try to remove it, but when it comes to grinding pork butt there is no escaping it). Does anyone have a recommendation? I'll even switch to hand crank if it works better.
Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
I need a Good Meat Grinder That Is Not Too Expensive
Collapse
X
-
Club Member
- Sep 2015
- 5053
- Tennessee
-
22" Weber Kettle w/SNS, 18" WSM, Bronco, Grilla Chimp, Traeger Tailgater, UDS, Camp Chef Tahoe Stove.
I use the Kitchen Aid with no problems, but I don't grind a lot of meat. But you know your peeps will be along any minute with grinders I have never even heard of, and I will start thinking I need one of them just cause that's what these people to to others lol.
- Likes 2
-
Club Member
- May 2017
- 3248
- North Central Washington
-
KBQ C-60
PK360
Thermoworks Smoke
Thermoworks Thermopop
Thermoworks Dot
What's expensive? And it depends on how much you'll be using it. LEM and Weston are both good brands that you can't go wrong with. This is the one I use, it isn't cheap, but I can grind a whole hog without it batting an eye and putting out as fast as I can put in.
- Likes 1
Comment
-
ComfortablyNumb YIKES! That's a beauty. But I don't make that much sausage to justify it, and I'd like to find one that I can recomment to readers who, like me, only occasionally make sausage. Is there anything of consequence for under $150? The Kitchen Aid is about $80, and I hate it with a passion. I wonder if a hand grinder will be better thinking I might be able to apply more torque than the KA motor.
- Likes 2
Comment
-
I also hate the KA cheesy excuse. I used it several times and gave up. I use a hand crank Griswold handed down from my grandmother. Works so well and keeps cold as it is heavy cast. I see them all the time at yard sales here is one for $9 on Ebay..
-
Club Member
- Aug 2017
- 9849
- Hate Less, Cook More
-
OUTDOOR COOKERS
BBQ ACCESSORIES
WOOD & PELLET PREFERENCES
SOUS VIDE
INDOOR COOKWARE
- Likes 3
Comment
-
Meathead I'll second this one from Steve. I've got it and it's a good "upper end" household use. Can move a lot more product than typical homer would do, but for the price it's a good value. Get the foot pedal to aid sausage making, helps with control.
-
Club Member
- Dec 2017
- 3785
- New Mexico
-
Smokin-It 3D
Weber Kettle with an SNS
Masterbuilt kettle that I call the $30 wonder grill
Bullet by Bull Grills gasser
Anova WiFi sous vide machine
Thermoworks Thermapen and Chef Alarm
- Likes 1
Comment
-
Club Member
- Mar 2016
- 1626
- Sunny SoCal
-
Cooking gadgets
Weber Summit Charcoal Grill Center
Weber Summit Platinum D6
Blue Rhino Razor
Dyna-Glo XL Premium Dual Chamber
Camp Chef Somerset IV along with their Artisan Pizza Oven 90
Anova WiFi
Thermometers
Thermapen Mk4 - ThermaQ High Temp Kit - ThermaQ Meathead Kit - ThermaQ WiFi - ThermoWorks IR-GUN-S - ThermoWorks Signals & Billows - ThermoPop -ThermoWorks ProNeedle - ThermoWorks TimeStick Trio x2 - and a Christopher Kimball timer - NO, I do not work for ThermoWorks...I just like their products.
Other useful bits...
KitchenAid 7-qt Pro Line stand mixer
A Black & Decker food processor that I can't seem to murder
A couple of immersion blenders, one a "consumer" model & the other a "high end" Italian thing. Yes, the Italian one is a bit better, but only marginally
Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus 8-qt + accessories like egg-bite & egg holders
All-Clad pots & pans, along with some cast iron...everything from 7" Skookie pans to 8.5qt Dutch ovens
Weber GBS griddle, pizza stone, and wok
Knives range from Mercer to F. Dick to "You spent how much for one knife? One knife?!" LOL
Just curious Meathead but which KA are you using?
I have a 7-qt Pro Line which has a 1.3 HP DC motor. It goes through everything I've tossed at it. It's essentially the same as their commercial line with a different cord and without the NSF certification.Last edited by surfdog; February 5, 2020, 02:32 PM.
Comment
-
Meathead A quick search and that one appears to be 325 watt. By comparison, the one I have has a 1.3 hp DC motor in it...which would convert to about 970 watts...but it probably delivers around 581 watt to the bowl. Their other models seem to range from 325 up to 575.
The popular Artisan is 325, the Professional HD is 525, and the Professional 600 is 575. How much of that power is actually transferred to the bowl I couldn't say.
But I could see lower power ones choking on silver skin etc.
-
Charter Member
- Aug 2014
- 869
- Orlando, Florida
-
Equipment:
'88 Vintage Fire Magic gasser with over 4000 cooks to its credit
Large Big Green Egg
18 Inch Weber Kettle (Rescued from neighbor's trash)
Rotisserie for 18 inch kettle
Dyna Glo propane smoker
Pit Barrel Cooker
Smokey Joe with mini WSM mod
Garcima paella burner
Anova Sous Vide
Slaiya Sous Vide (gift)
LEM grinder, sausage stuffer and meat slicer (all gifts)
Favorite Beer:
Key West Wheat
3 or 4 years ago, my daughter bought a refurbished LEM #8 grinder probably an older model version of this:
She paid something like $60.
It does not get heavy use, but it is totally acceptable for our use. Two weekends ago we made sausage, we ground 2 butts through a 1/4" plate without any trimming of silver skin, then, for binder, about a half a picnic twice through a 1/8" plate, again without trimming. Meat was nearly frozen, and ground cleanly without problem.
The knife that came with it was not particularly effective, so I upgraded to this: https://www.lemproducts.com/product/...grinder-plates
The knife is well worth the additional $20.
Comment
-
Club Member
- Dec 2018
- 3579
- SE Texas
-
"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." ~Benjamin Franklin
I don't know what you consider expensive but if you want something cheaper for small batches go with a vintage hand cranked grinder. I never made sausage before, never really planned to, but I wanted to custom make ground beef blends for hamburgers. I've had bad experiences with new stuff so I went vintage (just like my 1950s kitchen) and I made a low-ball offer on ebay for an old but big motorized grinder and I've made over 100 lbs sausage and processed 4 deer since November. I actually haven't done the hamburger meat yet, having too much fun with sausage making. I wrote about it here:
NOTE: new pics and videos added in the comments below: #10, 15, 21, & 22. I just received this last week and it is a beast. It is a 1/3 hp 110 volt Hobart model 4312 from the 1940s/1950s. The seller said it was used in his grandparent's grocery store in Sioux Falls, SD then was passed down through the family. It weighs 100
Comment
-
Club Member
- Nov 2015
- 4688
- The Great State of Jefferson
-
24X40 Lone Star Grillz offset smoker
Weber Summit Charcoal Grill w/SnS and DnG (Spartacus)
20X36 Lonestar Grillz pellet pooper
SnS 18" Travel Kettle
SmokeDaddy Pro portable pellet pooper
2 W22's w/SnS, DnG (1 black, 1 copper) (Minions 1 and 2)
20+ y/o many times rebuilt Weber Genesis w/GrillGrates (Gas Passer)
20 x 30 Santa Maria grill (Maria, duh)
Bradley cabinet smoker (Pepper Gomez)
36" Blackstone griddle (The Black Beauty)
Fireboard
Thermoworks Smoke and Thermapen.
Gourmet dinnerware by PJ Enterprises
I traded up to the all metal KA meat grinder attachment and it makes quick work out of whatever I've thrown at it, bigger chunks, silverskin, gristle, handles it all with out bogging down the motor. I won't buy a new grinder, but the sausage stuffer component of it kind of sucks (basically takes 2 people unless you're fortunate enough to have a 3rd arm) so I might trade up to a stand alone stuffer. https://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KS...SIN=B07GK7XKJKLast edited by CaptainMike; February 5, 2020, 04:25 PM.
Comment
-
Club Member
- May 2016
- 5615
- Huntington Beach, Ca. Surf City USA.
-
Equipment
Primo Oval xl
Slow n Sear (two)
Drip n Griddle
22" Weber Kettle
26" Weber Kettle one touch
Blackstone 36†Pro Series
Sous vide machine
Kitchen Aid
Meat grinder
sausage stuffer
5 Crock Pots
Akootrimonts
Two chimneys (was 3 but rivets finally popped, down to 1)
cast iron pans,
Dutch ovens
Signals 4 probe, thermapens, chef alarms, Dots, thermapop and maverick T-732, RTC-600, pro needle and various pocket instareads.
The help and preferences
1 extra fridge and a deep chest freezer in the garage
KBB
FOGO
A 9 year old princess foster child
Patience and old patio furniture
"Baby Girl" The cat
Erik S.
I know this doesn’t answer your question but perhaps it’s time to invest in a new KitchenAid.
I use the KitchenAid meat grinder with the regular classic model mixer and I absolutely love my KitchenAid. I don’t make a ton but I do grind a lot of meat and grind my /piork for sausage.
in the interim the single best thing you can do to help your KitchenAid is do half inch by half inch strips as long as you can make them. By just dropping them in there and letting it catch you’ll never need the pusher which just creates a vacuum. I don’t even freeze mine if you’re grinding properly you don’t need your stuff in the refrigerator or freezer. I am uncertain of the model you are using other than it sounds like it’s old.
In fact I prefer the plastic parts because they don’t heat up. I love my KitchenAid grinder. Admittedly it is not for thousands of pounds of meat. Hope this helps a little bit in the interim but that cut on your prepped meat is really the trick and it doesn’t need to be frozen
- Likes 1
Comment
-
Club Member
- Apr 2018
- 4865
- Western Mass
-
Retired, living in Western Mass. Enjoy music, cooking and my family.
Current cookers Weber Spirit 3 burner. A 22" Kettle with vortex SnS and OnlyFire pizza oven. A Smokey Joe and the most recent addition a Pit Barrel Jr with bird hanger, 4 hooks and cover. ThermoWorks Smoke 2 probe, DOT, ThermoPop and a Thermapen Mk4. Recently added 2 TempSpike wireless meat thermometers.
I dont do a lot of grinding. 20 years ago, different story. 😁 I have the plastic attachment for the KA. I do freeze the meat and cutting tools. For ground beef mainly chuck, 2 cycles at course and then fine with freeze at each stage. It solved the fall apart when making patties. I've done bacon, pork and brisket. Again not large volume. I know some of you do pounds at a time so a more powerful unit is needed.
I know this adds no value to Meathead ask.
Comment
-
Club Member
- Jan 2016
- 300
- Chesapeake Va
-
Weber Smokey Joe
Weber 22" with Slow 'N Sear
Pit Barrel Cooker
Engelbrecht Braten Campfire
Maverick ET 733
Thermapen MK4
Favorite Beer - Bells Two Hearted
I watched LEM's site and picked up a big bite #8 refurbished for about $180. Probably more than I'll ever need. They've got a couple of the lower cost models refurbished for sale right now.
Comment
Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
Comment