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Meat Grinders

Posted: Thu May 12, 2011 04:24
by story28
Are manual grinders superior to high quality mechanical ones in terms of the quality of grind they produce?

Posted: Thu May 12, 2011 04:31
by ssorllih
The quality of the grinders depends on the quality of the finish of all of the component parts. The Cabela #10 grinder that I purchased was not "ready to use out of the box". I have had the plates surface ground and I will be able to say more later concerning the quality of the cut. Suffice to say that they are not all created equal.

Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 01:05
by JerBear
An argument could potentially be made for the lack of additional heat from a motor. But one could also say the faster grinding means less time in the "food danger zone". I recently replaced my kitchenaid grinder attachment for a dedicated stand-alone unit and I'm quite happy. It grinds faster win less heat and because everything's metal (same as most manuals) I can freeze the heads and blades for even better cooling during grinding.

Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 02:07
by ssorllih
If the grinder were 100 % efficient all of the energy that was applied would be consumed cutting meat and forcing it though the plate. So the sharper your plates and knives, The better you have trimmed away the tendons, and the colder your meat the better off you will be. With my # 10 grinder I can run 5 pounds of meat in about ten minutes and I can put enough work into it to warm it up.

Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 14:09
by ssorllih
This make good sense. Like stropping a knife. You work away from the edge. I have been using 400 grit on a flat granite plate. It seems to work well. When I cleaned my pieces yesterday I had no tendon drags across the plate holes. I use water for carrier and lubricant.

Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 21:49
by ssorllih
Like any knife man I continue to pursue the perfect edge. I have laped the knife and the plate on a true flat surface and get about 95 percent polishing of the plate by the knife, That is when I clean things up I can see where the knife has borne against the plate. But the knife was still suffering sinew wraps. I resorted to the thumbnail test for a sharp edge and the knife would skid on my thumbnail. so I dug around in my kit and found my set of diamond hones. Image
A few minutes with those and the knife digs into the nail surface with no sign of slipping. I ground 5 1/2 pounds of chicken leg meat and had only a few wraps. When I took this grinder from the box the first time I could only grind about a half pound before it was clogged.

Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 00:46
by Bubba
Hi Ross,

I was wondering if some of the other members here also have a blade matched with every grinder plate size?

When I ordered my Electric meat grinder some time back, I made sure to have a matched set of blade and grinder plate for each of the 3 sizes. The blades are marked with notches to ensure I always use the matched pairs, like yours they are sharpened regularly and I believe the matching also helps to greatly reduce clogging.

Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 02:17
by JerBear
When I purchased my grinder it came with two plates and one blade. I ordered an extra blade with the grinder and keep the plates and matched knives in separate containers.

Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 16:29
by ssorllih
I just want to let everyone know about a franchise called the Sharpening Shack. I was talking to a man a the gas pumps and he had the name on his van so I asked if he could do grinder knives and plates. He said that he does quite a few for the Amish shops just north of here.
His charge is 15 dollars for two plates and a knife. I will let you know how well he did a little later.

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 00:58
by Blackriver
I agree with Ross the sharper the knife and plate the better the grind. I have used a manual #10 for 3 years and have made some good sausage. I think the electric would be better than the manual as long as the knifes and plates are sharp, mainly because it is faster. Unless you are doing larger batches manuals are great. Personally I just upgraded to electric because I am doing larger batches.

Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 15:35
by two_MN_kids
About two years ago I purchased a #32 manual grinder. From the beginning I have had trouble grinding with it. Even using a coarse plate, it doesn`t pull the meat completely and cleanly. When using a fine plate, there is back pressure pushing meat paste back up through the top.

I had always assumed that the feed screw was not properly fit to the grinder, but perhaps the plates and knife just aren`t cutting and pushing cleanly. I tried placing the plastic bushing from the other side hoping to tighten the fit, but the metal to metal contact made the meat paste black.

We paid $80 for it; kind of expensive to be a shelf weight. I will look at the plate and knife condition. Any other thoughts?

Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 16:13
by Maz
Hi Kids,
I think the first thing to check is if the rear bush is worn or too thin. Do this by pushing the auger right back with the cutting blade in place, then fit the plate, the plate should not go all the way in against the grinder housing. If the plate does not protrude slightly from the grinder body you will not be able to apply pressure between the plate and the blade by tightening the ring.
Next is how cold is your meat when you grind it should be just about freezing, if it is too warm the auger cannot push the meat against the plate and it will end up turning into a sort of mush. :grin:

Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 16:15
by Blackriver
You know I have had the exact problem with my manual #12 Chop rite grinder. I had the most problems with beef. I cut the meat across the grain and into small chunks. It was a lot of work but it worked well and eliminated the problem. On the second grind try to put just a little meat in at a time. It took more time but it has worked for me. Also the meat had to be really cold or nearly frozen to grind properly on both grinds. I tighten my lock ring as tight as I could by hand which also helped. The sharper the plates and knifes the better it will grind. Hope this helps

Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 16:49
by two_MN_kids
Thanks for the quick response!

The grinder is still new, so I would hope the bushing isn`t worn out already, but I did assemble and check the fit. There is just less than half the thickness of the plate; so everything gets real tight.

The knife is terribly dull and even has burrs on it. Being a retired toolmaker I just happen to have some diamond files. I will try Ross`s remedy.

Not working now; can`t break it. :twisted:

Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 17:07
by ssorllih
I like to freeze thel meat and then let it warm in the fridge until I can just barely push a knife through. That allows neat clean cuts like these. Image
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