Acceptable quality grinder needed

[Mauser lover]

I’m looking for a grinder that will last me a good long while, but isn’t very expensive (of course I am).

I would only do about three deer a year.
I would not be sending tendons through.
I am not in a hurry when I process meat.

Anyone have this one?

#5 BigBite® Meat Grinder - 0.35 HP | LEM Products

Our #5 BigBite® Grinder with 0.35 HP gives you a Premium Grind in Half the Time. Ideal for smaller grinding projects LEM Products | The Leader In Game Processing

www.lemproducts.com

Anyone have one that is cheaper and equivalent, or cheaper and better? I don’t think this grinder is overkill, but if it is, please let me know that I don’t need one this big!

I’ve just gotten tired of loads of stew meat and no ground going into the freezer.

Thanks for the assistance.

 

[archeryrob]

I have the #12 and LEM is a good product. I got the 12 as I use it with the mixer also. it will also grind the tendons just fine. I cut shanks into long strips and and it sucks them up like a noodle.

You can compare Meat and Cabelas also has good grinders.

 

[buck460XVR]

I think you may be pushing it with three deer a year with that one, but if you are careful it should last. Iffin it were me, I'd spend the extra $50 and get the next step up.......#8 grinder

 

[Chuck R.]

I've got a #8 and a friend has a #12.

IMHO the number of deer, doesn't really matter, I normally do 2-3 and a pig. I was doing that with a cheap Cabelas, it was just slow and a lot louder.

What matters is how far apart. Normal hunting, one deer, maybe two during reg rifle, then another late doe season. I process them over time VS one large seasion, so a #8 works fine.

We get together and do sausage and even then the #8 works well. One thing the #8s and higher have going for them is the mixer attachment. I'm still using a 25lb manual mixer and when doing big batches of sausage it get's tiresome. For that reason alone I'd skip the #5 and at least get a #8.

 

[buck460XVR]

IMHO the number of deer, doesn't really matter

While I agree to a certain extent, what I found, is once you have a good grinder, you use it for more than just grinding venison burger, so going a tad larger is better than wishing you had gone bigger. I have a #12 and have not bought store pork sausage in years. Instead of paying $4 a pound for pink slush, I buy whole pork butts when they are on sale for under $2 a pound. This sometimes includes boneless butts. Not only do I get the texture I want, but the sausage is much leaner. I generally will do about 40# at a time. I will generally do half regular and half Italian. My wife has come up with a great seasoning mixture and we mix it when we grind. I also will do burger from Chuck roasts when they go on sale. Same thing, generally end up with a lot leaner burger for less monies, and using the course plate. end up with a better texture for chili and taco meat. One of the better investments I made for processing venison in the last few years, is a tenderizer. It too gets used for cuts other than venison and I have the Jerky blades for it that work very well.............Meat Tenderizer

 

[Patocazador]

Last year my deer processor had surgery and quit butchering. I bought the 1/2 hp LEM and couldn't be happier. I grind 3-4 deer per year and make sausages with it. It stuffs the casings with no extra attachments. All stainless steel and very well made.

I would suggest buying it not the smaller one. Amazon sells them for less than LEM does.

 

[AK Hunter]

The meat grinder is one of those thing that you can't cheap your way through. Like people say "buy once cry once", that means if you pay until it hurts, you won't be hurting trying to get your grind done.
A trick I have found is to freeze the 1" chunks to the point it crunches before grinding. You also want to put the grinder metal parts in the freezer to get them cold before grinding.

 

[Mauser lover]

Amazon sells them for less than LEM does.

Oops. I ordered it straight from LEM. I don't feel too terrible, because I got a 20% coupon, but still... Oops.

I did get the .5 horse.

 

[Kingcreek]

The LEM gear is good value. Get a foot switch. It’s well worth the little bit extra. Esp if you’re stuffing sausage off of it.

 

[Axis II]

Unsure of longevity but we purchased the Cabelas one for like $400 and it works great.

 

[Captcurt]

Another benefit to the LEM is availability of parts. You can get blades and plates online or at many hardware and farm stores.

 

[Chuck R.]

The LEM gear is good value. Get a foot switch. It’s well worth the little bit extra. Esp if you’re stuffing sausage off of it.

Gotta have the foot switch!!

 

[der Teufel]

Several years ago my hunting buddy bought a smaller LEM grinder - https://www.lemproducts.com/product/8-575-watt-countertop-grinder/butcher-meat-grinders
A few years ago he went and died on me, and I wound up with the grinder. It actually works pretty well. I'm not a deer hunter, but I run anywhere from 3-10 hogs through it each year. I typically only grind between 10-20 pounds at a time but it chugs along without problems. I suspect the one you're looking at would work fine.

I agree with the comments regarding the use of a foot switch!