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Q:
Ok guys, I got a meat grinder for Christmas. Been needing one. Had shot a doe a few days before and tried to grind some of the meat. It was a total flop. So my question is, what do I need to know. Any tips as to the prep and process would be appreciated. Be it temp of meat to size or whatever else you can tell me. Thanks ahead of time!
Question by nuhunter. Uploaded on December 28, 2012
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Answers (13)
If meat is at a colder temperature, it seems to grind well. otherwise it just turns to a mush. I've also read somewhere on here if you're grinder is kept cold it will grind better. Never tried that, however.
First off, what type of grinder do you have, what size plates, and how is it driven - hand or electric? I got a small $29.99 electric grinder given to me by one of my two daughters about thirty years ago because they had helped to hand grind with my old #22 and they thought that the electric grinder would keep them from having to do so much manual labor. The plates in that electric grinder had about 2mm size holes and would not grind up sinew or sliverskin. So all connective tissue had to be trimmed from the meat in order to use the light weight grinder. Also too much fat would clog up the feeder screw. I ended up buying a combination pulley handle for my old #22 and adding a 3/4 horse power electric motor to it. I have extra cutters and plates for it that go from 1/6 inch holes all the way up to 1/4 inch holes. It will grind warm or cold meat, sinew, silverskin, fat, and even pig ear cartilage when I am adding it to souse. The electrified #22 grinds just a little too fast to stuff sausage casings off the end of it for my personal skills so I have two separate sausage packers. One is a twenty five pound capacity electric unit with a foot control which allows me to control the speed of the packing and stop and go as needed while being able to use both hands with the working and twisting of the sausage. The other is a manual unit and only holds five pounds of meat.
PS, the only bad side to using the old #22 with the pulley added is that the pulley has to be removed to clean the grinder after use. The pulley fits on a small taper at the end of the feeding screw shaft and is held in place with a thumb screw so it is not too bad to remove. But you still have to deal with the belt that drives the pulley. I have been using the #22 with the electric motor now for the last twenty years or so and have not worn out anything but ta few cutters and several plates. Originally, I was worried that the side load from the belt would wear out the housing and feeder screw, but it has held up fine even during the early 2000's where it ground several thousand pounds of sausage a year.
The size and type of grinder matters, so you'll have to tell us what it is before we can give you to much more info. The one I use is a 3/4hp Cabelas and it would grind bone if I'd try.
Meat prep:
1)Cut into pieces that fit your grinder. If you have to shove the pieces down the throat of the grinder they are to large, cut smaller. I like to cut my meat into long strips to feed the grinder because I can slide it in and the grinder pulls in the rest.
2)I put mine in the freezer to get really cold but not frozen it does make a difference.
3)I use the smaller plate to grind my meat, but I'm not sure what size is what. Then I mix my meat with whatever fat I choose to use and then regrind with the larger plate.
All of this depends on the grinder, and bigger (horsepower) is better. I can grind 50 pounds both times in an hour no problem. However with a smaller grinder it will take longer. Read the instructions on your grinder and do not try and feed it more than it can handle and you'll have no problems.
Yes, the posts above are correct. You need a powerful grinder to handle venison unless you're only grinding choice cuts...oh the travesty of that. The small grinders should come with a label. "Not for Venison".
Grind with 1/8 plate then 3/16. Make sure the knife is tight against the plate before grinding.Loose hub is the biggest problem in grinding keep it tight.
Sorry 3/16 then 1/8
I cool the meat before grinding so it is actually a little stiff. The other thing I do is after 10 pounds or so or if the grinder is clogging is remove the plate and knife and clean the sinew and silver skin out if there is any accumulation. I just grind mine once with a 3/16th plate.
My grinder is a No. 22 that I put a 3/4 hp motor and a "speed brake" on.
Motor rpm is 1760, grinder runs at a cool 80 +/-rpm.
Meat.chunks need to be golf ball to hand ball size (1 to 2 inch).
The colder the meat (firmer) the more easily it grinds. I like ice crystals in the meat!
If your grinder chokes down on fat or soft meat, feed it 4 or 5 ice cubes. The water won't hurt a thing, meat or grinder.
If it is a manual, warm up your arm really well. Chill the meat if possible. Grind it course first, and then grind it again finer. Chunks need to be small enough to pass through the auger. If you want a delectable venison burger, buy a beef brisket and grind one small piece of brisket between every piece of venison. Run a few saltines through occasionally or when you are done clean out all the meat.
When we are grinding I spray the inside of the grinder with Pam every so often.
Make sure the meat is cool and in pieces no bigger then 2 inches. Also make sure you assemble your grinder correctly. The blade is easy to put in backwards and that will totally screw up the whole process.
1) Cut the fat, trim the silver skin, and chunk the meat into 1-2in cubes.
2) Use the grinding plate with the biggest holes, and run your meat through it twice.
3) Grind your meat when its cold.
I have a .2hp grinder I purchased from Gander Mountain a few years back. It works great and have run about a dozen deer through it so far without any problems using the tips above.
Make sure to remove as much sinew as possible. Not only does it taste nasty,it clogs the cutter. use the course plate for you first grind and things will go fast. if you are making sausage then regrind as you need.Cut you pieces long and thin,nothing over 3/4 " square unless you have a larger grinder like 3/4 hp or commercial grinder. I have a small 1/4 hp for when I do single animals in the house and a larger 8hp commercial out in the shop when I have a lot to do. The 8hp will grind 45#'s per minute the 1/4hp by contrast only grinds 5#'s per minute.The smaller grinder will do the job,just slower with smaller cuts and without sinew attached.
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If meat is at a colder temperature, it seems to grind well. otherwise it just turns to a mush. I've also read somewhere on here if you're grinder is kept cold it will grind better. Never tried that, however.
First off, what type of grinder do you have, what size plates, and how is it driven - hand or electric? I got a small $29.99 electric grinder given to me by one of my two daughters about thirty years ago because they had helped to hand grind with my old #22 and they thought that the electric grinder would keep them from having to do so much manual labor. The plates in that electric grinder had about 2mm size holes and would not grind up sinew or sliverskin. So all connective tissue had to be trimmed from the meat in order to use the light weight grinder. Also too much fat would clog up the feeder screw. I ended up buying a combination pulley handle for my old #22 and adding a 3/4 horse power electric motor to it. I have extra cutters and plates for it that go from 1/6 inch holes all the way up to 1/4 inch holes. It will grind warm or cold meat, sinew, silverskin, fat, and even pig ear cartilage when I am adding it to souse. The electrified #22 grinds just a little too fast to stuff sausage casings off the end of it for my personal skills so I have two separate sausage packers. One is a twenty five pound capacity electric unit with a foot control which allows me to control the speed of the packing and stop and go as needed while being able to use both hands with the working and twisting of the sausage. The other is a manual unit and only holds five pounds of meat.
PS, the only bad side to using the old #22 with the pulley added is that the pulley has to be removed to clean the grinder after use. The pulley fits on a small taper at the end of the feeding screw shaft and is held in place with a thumb screw so it is not too bad to remove. But you still have to deal with the belt that drives the pulley. I have been using the #22 with the electric motor now for the last twenty years or so and have not worn out anything but ta few cutters and several plates. Originally, I was worried that the side load from the belt would wear out the housing and feeder screw, but it has held up fine even during the early 2000's where it ground several thousand pounds of sausage a year.
The size and type of grinder matters, so you'll have to tell us what it is before we can give you to much more info. The one I use is a 3/4hp Cabelas and it would grind bone if I'd try.
Meat prep:
1)Cut into pieces that fit your grinder. If you have to shove the pieces down the throat of the grinder they are to large, cut smaller. I like to cut my meat into long strips to feed the grinder because I can slide it in and the grinder pulls in the rest.
2)I put mine in the freezer to get really cold but not frozen it does make a difference.
3)I use the smaller plate to grind my meat, but I'm not sure what size is what. Then I mix my meat with whatever fat I choose to use and then regrind with the larger plate.
All of this depends on the grinder, and bigger (horsepower) is better. I can grind 50 pounds both times in an hour no problem. However with a smaller grinder it will take longer. Read the instructions on your grinder and do not try and feed it more than it can handle and you'll have no problems.
Grind with 1/8 plate then 3/16. Make sure the knife is tight against the plate before grinding.Loose hub is the biggest problem in grinding keep it tight.
I cool the meat before grinding so it is actually a little stiff. The other thing I do is after 10 pounds or so or if the grinder is clogging is remove the plate and knife and clean the sinew and silver skin out if there is any accumulation. I just grind mine once with a 3/16th plate.
My grinder is a No. 22 that I put a 3/4 hp motor and a "speed brake" on.
Motor rpm is 1760, grinder runs at a cool 80 +/-rpm.
Meat.chunks need to be golf ball to hand ball size (1 to 2 inch).
The colder the meat (firmer) the more easily it grinds. I like ice crystals in the meat!
If your grinder chokes down on fat or soft meat, feed it 4 or 5 ice cubes. The water won't hurt a thing, meat or grinder.
Yes, the posts above are correct. You need a powerful grinder to handle venison unless you're only grinding choice cuts...oh the travesty of that. The small grinders should come with a label. "Not for Venison".
Sorry 3/16 then 1/8
If it is a manual, warm up your arm really well. Chill the meat if possible. Grind it course first, and then grind it again finer. Chunks need to be small enough to pass through the auger. If you want a delectable venison burger, buy a beef brisket and grind one small piece of brisket between every piece of venison. Run a few saltines through occasionally or when you are done clean out all the meat.
When we are grinding I spray the inside of the grinder with Pam every so often.
Make sure the meat is cool and in pieces no bigger then 2 inches. Also make sure you assemble your grinder correctly. The blade is easy to put in backwards and that will totally screw up the whole process.
1) Cut the fat, trim the silver skin, and chunk the meat into 1-2in cubes.
2) Use the grinding plate with the biggest holes, and run your meat through it twice.
3) Grind your meat when its cold.
I have a .2hp grinder I purchased from Gander Mountain a few years back. It works great and have run about a dozen deer through it so far without any problems using the tips above.
Make sure to remove as much sinew as possible. Not only does it taste nasty,it clogs the cutter. use the course plate for you first grind and things will go fast. if you are making sausage then regrind as you need.Cut you pieces long and thin,nothing over 3/4 " square unless you have a larger grinder like 3/4 hp or commercial grinder. I have a small 1/4 hp for when I do single animals in the house and a larger 8hp commercial out in the shop when I have a lot to do. The 8hp will grind 45#'s per minute the 1/4hp by contrast only grinds 5#'s per minute.The smaller grinder will do the job,just slower with smaller cuts and without sinew attached.
Post an Answer