Lean meat grind poll - what do you do?

[menhaden_man]

I’ve ground quite a few critters using different approaches depending on time and equipment available at the time. Also what I intend to do with it.

What do you think is the best?

 

[Axlrod]

In our family owned sausage & game processing shop everything was ground twice except snack sticks (just once). Most with fine plate, some sausages were with coarse plate.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

Never in my, my father's or my grandfather's lives did we ever grind twice. Never saw the need and too much more work. I worked nights at a butcher/processing shop in high school during the hunting seasons and never seen them grind anything twice.

 

[svivian]

Regular burger single grind through a fine plate.

Depending on the type of sausage I’m making I’ll double grind

 

[Jimbee]

I grind once with a fine plate right into meat bags. If I'm making sausage I mix all the semi frozen meat chunks with seasoning/cure/whatever and grind right into casings.

 

[Jason Snyder]

When I make burger I grind with the fine plate, mix in the suet at 10-12%, then grind with the coarse plate to mix it up well.

 

[HuntHarder]

If Im not worried about mixing the fat and meat together evenly, I single grind thru the small plate. Works great.

If I am trying to get an even mix on the 20-30 % fat added, I double grind. Once thru the coarse, then mix it all up so it looks uniform and then again thru the small plate. The 2nd grind takes probably 5x longer to grind.

 

[jmez]

Single grind. I like a little texture to my ground meat.

If making any kind of sausage I mix spice with meat, grind and stuff.

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[menhaden_man]

Never in my, my father's or my grandfather's lives did we ever grind twice. Never saw the need and too much more work. I worked nights at a butcher/processing shop in high school during the hunting seasons and never seen them grind anything twice.

Fine plate?

I ask because the first 20+ deer I ground was with a #22 hand grinder. I was in heaven using a #32 hand grinder. Now I have a 1 hp and it’ll go.

 

[menhaden_man]

In our family owned sausage & game processing shop everything was ground twice except snack sticks (just once). Most with fine plate, some sausages were with coarse plate.

Double grind with fat course then fine plate after mixing? I’ve done that and like it except when I was hand grinding with shitty grinder.

 

[Axlrod]

Double grind with fat course then fine plate after mixing? I’ve done that and like it except when I was hand grinding with shitty grinder.

Never change plates, it's either fine or coarse. Whichever you wanted the end result to be. It was a big grinder maybe 10 HP/3 phase. If the customer requested suet, it was evenly fed into the ginder w/wild game meat. Then ground a second time. Didn't usually require much mixing.

 

[Corvus Corax]

Single grind fine/medium plate strait into bags. 1 1/2 HP grinder.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

Yes, fine

Fine plate?

I ask because the first 20+ deer I ground was with a #22 hand grinder. I was in heaven using a #32 hand grinder. Now I have a 1 hp and it’ll go.

Yes, fine plate, #22, 1 HP.

 

[BBob]

Other, LEM Dual grind grinder. Does that mean I double grind? I suppose so but it does not match any of your choices since it double grinds in one shot but it would be the close equivalent to course and fine.

 

[butcherboy]

If one grinder with two plates then always double grind. Once coarse then fine. If it’s a grinder with a coarse plate and fine plate being used at the same time, then run the meat through once. It’s still a double grind. Everything is always double ground in my meat plant. We have two #52 3 phase grinders set up. I really want either two mixer grinders or 1 mixer grinder with multiple plates and a separate mixer. Snack sticks, summer sausage, bologna, salami, smoked polish, etc are all ground at least 3 times. The meat needs to be emulsified and extract the protein. It would only need to be ground twice if ran through a mixer for a little while. A bowl cutter would be nice as well for this.

HB and fresh sausages are ground twice
No matter what.

 

[7 rem mag]

For the guys saying it has to be ground twice, have you guys tried just grinding thru the fine plate vs grinding twice and found a different result?

 

[Pony Soldier]

Twice on elk. No suet or any add on.

 

[Wrench]

There's more to the grinding twice than just cutting up the meat. The proteins in the meat change the texture with the working.

 

[Read1t48]

Other: LEM Dual Grind. Quick and easy.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

We mix 10% beef suet, use a #32 to grind course, then fine. Stuff 2lb meat bags with a 15 lb stuffer. We are generally in the 4-6 deer/elk/antelope range per year before we can’t handle anymore. Put up 75 lb of elk burger the other day and that will seal the deal on the freezer for this year.