Meat grinders
Contributors to this thread:General Topic
From: NorthT
18-Aug-14
Anyone use the cableas grinders? I was looking at the 1 1/2 hp. Anyone have any comments, good or bad.
From: Nick Muche
18-Aug-14
I've got the Cabelas grinder. So far so good!! Actually, we like it a lot.
From: Vids
18-Aug-14
LEM 0.75 HP #12 grinder is what I have. I love it, I can't feed the meat in fast enough to keep up with it.
From: mtoomey
18-Aug-14
It's a very nice grinder. I often shoot several animals a year and I appreciate the size. It may be a bit much in size or dollars if you only use it once per year for a few pounds of burger.
From: carcus
19-Aug-14
X2 on the Cabelas, I have the 1 hp commercial grade grinder, love it!
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Home-Cabin/Food-Processing/Food-Grinders%7C/pc/104798880/c/104723280/sc/104364180/Cabelas-Commercial-Grade-1-hp-Electric-Grinder/733810.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2F_%2FN-1101293%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253BMMcat104798880&WTz_l=SBC%3BMMcat104798880%3Bcat104364180
From: NorthT
19-Aug-14
I usually kill 5-6 deer per year, and if lucky enough an elk.
From: Fuzzy
19-Aug-14
you can do that with the 3/4 HP grinder, but it's a chore, I have one and lots of patience, but wish I'd gotten at least 1 HP, 1.5HP would be more fun...
From: HuntnBigGame
19-Aug-14
Have the 1.5 it's a beast, you have to have all the meat ready to throw through it, if it runs dry it will actually start to cook the meat if you do not stop it while refilling the plan. Overkill for just a deer.
From: beekeeper
20-Aug-14
I agree. 1-1/2 is over kill for deer. I have the 1HP and it blows through the meat. I sometimes wish I bought the 3/4 or 1/2HP. Look at the physical weight of the unit also. The older I get the heavier it is to lift up on the counter.
From: Copperhead
20-Aug-14
I have the 1 HP model and think it's great. I borrowed my cousins for years until I could afford my own so I think with reasonable care they will last a long, long time. I run 3 to 4 deer a year through mine.
From: Chad429
20-Aug-14
I've got a cabela's grinder and I like it a lot, works good.
From: willliamtell
20-Aug-14
Has enybody seen grinders in the bargain cave? Probably the 1/2 horse if at all.
Anybody to real old school and use a hand crank model?
From: Outdoorsman
20-Aug-14
I would not recommend the hand crank model. I received one from Cabela's as a gift. I had about 15 pounds of meat I wanted to grind last year. I gave up after an hour and will never use it again. I am looking at the 1hp for this upcoming season.
From: Fuzzy
20-Aug-14
williamtell, I probably processed 150 deer with a hand crank grinder, (up to about 10 years ago) then as I got older and lazier and started killing more hogs (and thus making more sausage ie: grinding a bigger percentage of the carcasses) the 3/4 HP looked good, bought it in 2004. The last few years I've been into a couple big bears, some big hogs, etc and processing most of my deer into sausage and burger, and canning less, and the speed of the 3/4 HP is starting to chafe.... it's perspective
From: Vids
20-Aug-14
My 0.75 HP grinder has worked well for elk. Every year I usually have an elk and a deer and it blows right through it. Like stated above, you have to have all the meat ready before you start to grind. I usually process mine alone so I cut everything up the night before and then grind it all at once.
Even the 0.75 HP is fairly heavy, I don't think I'd want anything bigger. Keeping the price under $500 is nice as well, go spend the extra dough on a sausage stuffer since they work better than stuffer attachments.
From: bo hntr9
20-Aug-14
I have the LEM #8 it will grind 2-3 pounds per minute. that's ok for a couple of deer per year that I do. ope to give it a workout with some moose this fall.e
From: Ylpmin
20-Aug-14
I have had the 1 1/2 hp cabelas grinder for about 8 years now. It works great. My kids all put in for youth cow tags so we end up putting 2-3 elk through it a year.
From: Fuzzy
21-Aug-14
Pat, I used to like Thunderbird. and MD 20/20 ;-)
From: Woodsman416
21-Aug-14
...and Night Train Express.
From: Woodsman416
21-Aug-14
From: Fuzzy
21-Aug-14
Boones Farm
From: Dude
21-Aug-14
I didn't know you could still by MD anymore. Brings back some old not so good memories especially the next morning.
From: TurkeyBowMaster
21-Aug-14
I got a 1 1/2 cabalas and it is way more than I needed but I still love it.
From: Bou'bound
30-Apr-19
From: midwest
30-Apr-19
Looking for more info, Bou?
From: timex
30-Apr-19
I have a gander mtn guide series #8 got it on sale & last year between my son & myself we did 16 deer it does a good job
From: Tyler
30-Apr-19
Have the cabelas 1/2hp commercial grade and thats plenty. I do 2-3 deer and usually a moose or elk every second year with it. Can hardly keep up with the grinder. I got a hand crank model too for in buff camp and boy its a lot of work!
From: Buckndoe
30-Apr-19
LEM grinder......with some night train!
From: Adventurewriter
30-Apr-19
I got one off Craigslist for like $250 it is an ANIMAL I LOVE it!!! Everytime I use it I am sorry I run out of meat it is so fun throwing anything in it shanks tendons scraps and have it burp it all out ...I should have gotten one long ago....
From: mainecheesehead
01-May-19
beekeeper - you might want to consider a quality utility cart to keep you grinder on as l do - l can wheel it as needed and store my tubs, knives/blades etc etc on the bottom shelf
From: Bowfisher
01-May-19
I have the 1/2 HP carnivore for Cabela’s.. love it! I do average 5 deer a year right now and anything you can fit in the feedback hole it chews up fast. Personally I trim my meat pretty well before grinding because I don’t like ground up silver skin getting stuck in my teeth, when doing this the .5 HP is more than enough I feel
From: APauls
01-May-19
My dad has the 3/4HP Cabelas commercial grinder or whatever they call it and it is awesome. You can't keep up to it. 1 1/2HP is way overkill IMO. I've done 200lbs of meat in one sitting and it goes through it so fast you can't keep up with a few people working it. Deer, moose, elk great grinder.
From: midwest
02-May-19
Had a cheaper grinder for a few years then finally got a deal on a LEM half horse. It grinds as fast as I can shove it in there but the best part is being able to hook it up to my LEM mixer for making sausage, etc.