Grinder 2nd Grind Question

[calldoctoday]

@kschroeder-dvm Are you keeping the meat for the second grind cool, very cool. That should help. I keep mine just about frozen, but not quite for both grinds & keep it moving in & out of the freezer. Hopefully there is not a lot of sinew or any other membrane getting caught in there too.

[bocephus]

@kschroeder-dvm The second grind is always slower, meat is finer and auger doesn’t grab and pull it in as well as it does chunks on first grind, plus smaller plate. Put it in freezer after first grind and get it near frozen and it should help but again will always be slower than first grind.

[samspade]

Also the guys have said not to overstuff the grinder let it almost clear before adding more

[mdseaside]

Do you put the grinder head assembly in the freezer also? It really helps.

[marzig20]

@kschroeder-dvm is your fine plate in good shape? If it’s worn more than your course plate that could be a problem too.

[bocephus]

Do you have separate knives and keep each with there respective plates?

[Deepwoodsbutcher]

Second grind always takes longer. As everyone has said, temperature is very important. Feed the grinder slowly and avoid using the pusher. This will help keep it cool. Make sure your knife and plate are on good shape. They should be paired together, don’t use one knife with various plates. This will keep the parts in better condition. Most importantly, be patient and let the grinder do the work.

[Dr_Pain]

I agree that 2nd grind is smaller but your meat does need to stay in the 30s. I always refreeze my meat when I process. And as it was pointed out, I also freeze the head

[DJS303]

I tried to stuff my bags during the second grind and it went too slow and inefficient like you are saying. I now do my second grind and then run it through the grinder a 3rd time to stuff the bags without a plate or knife, just using the stuffing tube and auger support. This also helps me get the bags filled tighter.

[Chef]

bocephus I do mate my plates with specific knifes. Even mark the plates to insure that I use the same side for the given knife.

I have sets that are nearly 40 years old and still do a great job by using this method.

[JohnG5]

@kschroeder-dvm How cold is the meat when you move to the second grind? Do you put in the freezer between grinds?

[YooperDog]

@kschroeder-dvm as everyone else has stated, keep meat very cold, grinder head assembly in the freezer, second grind will go slower, no need for stuffing plunger. I use a stuffer to load my bulk bags.