Diy meat processing suggestions

Gerald Martin said:

or you can pay for a grinder with the money it would cost to grind several deer and elk. My butcher was charging $.50 a pound for grinding when I decided it was much cheaper in the long run to get a 1 hp. Cabelas grinder.

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Gee Gerald - if by "several" you mean fifty I'm with you, but a decent 1/2hp grinder will set you back $350. I wouldn't spend anything less than that because you'll get junk. A 1 hp runs more than $500. Most people don't do #1000 of burger in their life.

I was just saying that if the person had a budget he could put off the grinder for a few years since it is pretty cheap to get it ground - assuming you can find a butcher who will give you your own stuff back. Grinding your own meats adds to the connection to your food, but probably doesn't save money.

Anyway, about 10 years ago I bought a 1/2 hp Cabela's one, probably this one: http://www.cabelas.com/product/Home...Rprd744936&WTz_l=SBC;BRprd744936;cat104364180 (Check out the reviews)

I do 5 or more deer and an elk a year without any problems. It takes about an hour to do all the meat (a butcher's machine can grind it in about 1 minute). The only thing I don't like is that the stuffing tube doesn't seem to fit on the neck with the grinding plate in place. This means if I want to stuff the burger into bags I have to run it through the grinder twice... but maybe I'm doing something wrong there.

You can also save money using freezer paper instead of a vacuum sealer. However, it does take some practice to wrap meat properly.

rg

I had the problem with the stuffer attachment on my 3/4 horese LEM machine heating up the meat plus grinding it again. Sprung for a vertical sausage stuffer. I get the texture I want and no additional heat in the meat.

The colder your meat is going into the grinder the better (NOT FROZEN). I buy a bag of ice and run a few cubes through as I am grinding. Adds a bit of water to the finished product but keeps the meat cool. I try and maintain around 40 +/- 5 degrees F while processing burger. I also grind directly into coolers so I can put a bag of ice on top of the ground meat to maintain the cool temp.

+1 on the immediate cleanup. If I am doing more than 1 round of grinding (pork to Venison) I use a 5 gallon bucket of soapy water to drop the pieces in to soak while I get the rest of things set up. When I'm done grinding I can easily take the bucket outside and use a garden hose for the rough clean-up and finish in the dishwasher without catching it from the domestic supervisor.

Make sure you buy a tube of food grade silocone to lube the shaft of the grinder screw, Doesn't take much. I store my blades in ziplocks with a paper towel in with them to prevent rusting. A little oilive oil keeps the rust away between uses.

Thank you so much. Cabelas had a pretty big sale on grinders and sealers so I went that route and got a cheap smoker on amazon.