machined inner of a grinder head...

[Wrench]

A #32 1.5hp is PLENTY. That big bastard got replaced with a smaller one. We do 10ish elk a year and it was ridiculous. Fast, but ridiculous.

 

[Tod osier]

A #32 1.5hp is PLENTY. That big bastard got replaced with a smaller one. We do 10ish elk a year and it was ridiculous. Fast, but ridiculous.

Don't want to ever grind 10 elk. , but an elk or 2 or a few deer. I wonder about a #22, saves quite a bit of $$.

Anyone want to comment on a #8 vs #22 vs #32? The increase in supposed pounds per minute is about double from an #8 to a #22 and nearly triple from a #8 to #32. The Watts using cabelas carnivores are 370W for an 8, 750W for a #22 and 1125W for a #32. My biggest issue with the current grinder is I have to kind of beg it to take the meat, it can grind plenty fast if you put the right stuff in, but often I'm fussing with it to get it to go at max speed. I'd like to just drop it in as fast as I can.

 

[svivian]

Making sausage and brats this weekend… I’ll let you know how long it takes per pound to double grind.

 

[JoeDirt]

I tend to not double grind unless I need that consistency like in summer sausage.

A #22 head or larger helps on double grinding because the throat is a lot larger, I will make large meat balls and drop them down the hatch.

Also look into LEMs and MEATs double grind heads.

 

[Snowwolfe]

Money buys speed. How long you want to spend grinding meat depends on how much you want to spend. Suggest you look for a 3/4 hp model or bigger.
Would a 1/2 hp model work? Absolutely. So will an old hand crank machine or kitchen aid attachement. Your trying to reach a compromise of time spent grinding vs the cost of the machine. It is all about time vs money.

If you only want to make 5-10 pounds at a time any grinder will work. Most of us make 25 pounds + at a time and that is when more power shines.

If you pay attention to your technique, you can grind almost as fast as you feed the machine. If you decide to do a coarse then a fine grind make sure the meat is partially frozen and the process will go easier.

Other advantages of a bigger machine is the meat can be cut into bigger pieces to feed into the throat.

Final words: Buy bigger than you think you want because soon you will be making your own sausages and other stuff. It is an addicting hobby. Just last week we made batches of breakfast and italian sausage. It is amazing what you can do with pork butts bought on sale for $.99 a pound.

Good luck with your choices, and don't forget to buy some meat lugs

 

[svivian]

200lbs ready for the grind tomorrow

 

[Tod osier]

Thanks everyone!!! Got sick of thinking about it and don't want to regret going too small again. Ordered Cabela's Carnivore 1 1/2 HP.

Still have a card with some points, plus there is a members discount (-$40, it only adds to the cart if the 10% off members promotion is not added first) plus a 10% off members special (-$ 66) plus 12% active junky (-$77), plus ($21 in points). Made it pretty reasonable. What would have been better would have been to not buy the 1/2 hp in the first place, but I've got some good use out of it the past. Can still sell the old one for a good bit too.