Grinder mushing meat

[V2Pnutrition]

Morning!

I have an older Weston #8 that did great on elk and mule deer (1 each per year), but started mushing the meat in the last year.

I’ve done all the tricks- tighten the seal between blade/plate/auger closer, sharpened plates & blades to well beyond factory-sharp, frozen the meat ahead of time, etc. The gear from auger to the motor is good; not stripped. Still has good power and doesn't bog when it does work. I tried again today (mule deer) and didn’t get 5-10 pieces in on a course grind before it started to behave that way.

It seems to not be cutting through the silver skin, gets clogged, and mushes the meat. I trim most obvious stuff off, but I’m not particularly obsessive about it and never have been. My process has been the same for 5-6 or more years (no change in the method that would justify it to start clogging like it is). In fact, I first noticed it when going from a course to fine grind last year on an elk (ie no silver skin and already ground before mushing the fine grind through).

It doesn’t seem like that complicated of a system, but I’m out of ideas and thought I'd ask before trying to pick up a new one.

Thanks for any thoughts!

 

[Poser]

Do you have the blade oriented correctly?

 

[V2Pnutrition]

Do you have the blade oriented correctly?

I wouldn't put it past me to miss something obvious like that, but yes. I double-checked the blade was oriented right, too.

 

[Poser]

I wouldn't put it past me to miss something obvious like that, but yes. I double-checked the blade was oriented right, too.

Whenever I've had mushy results its been because I had the blade installed backwards. I'm hardpressed to come up with another solution. Have you reached out to Weston?

 

[V2Pnutrition]

I appreciate the response and you giving it some thought. I'm in the same boat- I can't imagine what would cause it to go from working great to barely making it 5-minutes.

I haven't reached out to them beyond scouring their online articles/tutorials for remedies and fixes. I've gone through the parts catalog to see if there's something internal that could've caused it, but haven't found anything that would make any sense to me. It's beyond the warranty period, so I'm not looking for a replacement.

 

[The Guide]

Are you getting the plate in the anti rotation notch? I know that it will work but very poorly if the plate doesn't get sealed tight to the auger tube. Sometimes the little bump that holds the plate in the right spot get worn down and cocks the plate and you don't have 2 flat surfaces mating together.

Jay

 

[Poser]

I appreciate the response and you giving it some thought. I'm in the same boat- I can't imagine what would cause it to go from working great to barely making it 5-minutes.

I haven't reached out to them beyond scouring their online articles/tutorials for remedies and fixes. I've gone through the parts catalog to see if there's something internal that could've caused it, but haven't found anything that would make any sense to me. It's beyond the warranty period, so I'm not looking for a replacement.

I'd just reach out to see what the diagnosis is. Its such a simple design that grinders tend to last for years/decades.

 

[go_deep]

I've had this happen with warmer meat. Could try putting the meat in the freezer for an hour to get it cold, colder and see if that helps.

 

[V2Pnutrition]

Are you getting the plate in the anti rotation notch? I know that it will work but very poorly if the plate doesn't get sealed tight to the auger tube. Sometimes the little bump that holds the plate in the right spot get worn down and cocks the plate and you don't have 2 flat surfaces mating together.

Jay

Thanks Jay.

Yeah, plate is secure in the notch and everything is as tight as can be between all the mating surfaces.

 

[go4thegusto]

Sharp. sharp. sharp
Well trimmed sinew
Possible larger holes in plate
Don't double grind
And above recommendations

 

[Roy68]

I’ve not ran into this issue personally but I wonder if the plate and/or blade has changed enough dimensionally from flattening/sharpening etc that it is in effect loose. In other words the blade is not snug enough on the plate and is gapping some. I’m not sure how you would check without shotgunning parts and buying a new plate and knife.

Is there a bushing or washer of some kind at the back end of the auger that could wear and let the auger move back away from the plate and knife causing it to run loose?

 

[MallardSX2]

I have never had any luck with double grinding.

Also, I trim all of the BS out and I grind my meat as cold as my fridge will get it through a fine plate.

 

[LoH]

Does the feedscrew still have its washer? Is it worn? If so, the spacing will be all wrong and the plate won’t protrude far enough to get tightened appropriately against the blade.

Can you share what your sharpening process is for the blade and plate?

If it’s a relatively sudden decline in performance and you otherwise are doing what you usually did with good results, then my guess is either missing/worn washer, or dull knife/plate (or knife installed backwards as other commenters suggested, but you ruled out)

 

[LoH]

…or as @Roy68 pointed out, the plate/blade are no longer truly flat and mating flush

 

[BBob]

How were the plates and blade sharpened?

 

[wytx]

Freeze the meat and check the plate and blade for sharpness and a flatness.
We grind only partially frozen meat and that is the key for us. That and sharp blade and flat grinding plate.

 

[Wrench]

I have a surface grinder that I sharpen plates and blades on and trust me that they do not stay flat. When they are sharp they cut anything you feed it.

You can buy replacement pieces or you can use a flat piece of glass with some 400+ grit to work the plate. I like to cut the blade with a bit of relief so it's not just dragging on the plate.

 

[OneGunTex]

+1 on half-frozen meat and sharpen the blade

 

[Kurts86]

The meat is too warm most likely. It’s amazing how a few degrees can blow up meat processing but I’ve seen it on the industrial scale too. More frozen than not and a bit of extra HP will yield better results.

 

[V2Pnutrition]

Thanks for the replies, everyone.

The meat was in the freezer prior to grinding.
I stuck all parts of the grinder in the freezer prior to grinding.
This was the first attempt with a sharp blade and plate.

Both plate and blade were sharpened via a flat block with 400-600-800 grit. I then used 1000 grit wet sand. Again- all on flat block (I used to do auto body, so appreciate the contour the surface making a difference).

Shape, spacing, etc. of the plate, are things I'll look at. I'll be sure to report back (may be a bit though- I have an elk tag I'm trying to fill until I get back to grinding!).