Meat Processing Equipment 101 - Grinders
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dudeweembo Well the Weston Pro and Butcher #22 and #32 (and some #12s) are now basically impossible to find. I’ve recently heard good things about them being back in stock soon but I’ve been burned too many times to give anyone a date on that until they are firmly in hand!
I will say this, the #22, #32 in either Westons brand our ours will absolutely get the job done. Our grinders will have some advantages in design that will allow you to use commercial-style plates and knives or retail ones but if you wait for them it MIGHT be a month or so longer than the Weston ones. Our Walton’s grinders will also hook up to the Weston 44 lb meat mixer so either way your grinder will do the mixing for you!
Jonathon Which plates and knifes are the commercial ones, How do I tell the difference? Thanks
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Chef commercial plates and knives are only available on #12 and up (i am 90% sure of that) and any plate with a “hub” on it is a commercial-style plate and any knife that doesn’t have the curved blades is a commercial-style plate. There are however commercial-style plates that don’t have hubs on them, on our website any plate or knife that isn’t from Weston will be considered commercial style. You can tell if they are weston by it NOT saying weston in the extended description (scroll down on the products webpage) or if it does not say the size in MM in the image.
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THis is an example of a non hubbed plate that is “commercial” https://www.waltonsinc.com/32-x-3-8-edge-grinder-plate and this is a Weston one that wouldn’t be https://www.waltonsinc.com/32-x-3-8-grinder-plate
Get more help with your processing questions and learn more about processing meat by subscribing to our waltonsinc.com youtube page at https://wltns.link/waltonstv I am a Gorilla, love yourself
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THis is an example of a non hubbed plate that is “commercial” https://www.waltonsinc.com/32-x-3-8-edge-grinder-plate and this is a Weston one that wouldn’t be https://www.waltonsinc.com/32-x-3-8-grinder-plate
Jonathon so do the commercial plates all have the three notches ?
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Chef For the most part, there are also styles called Toledo that has one edge flat and Cleveland that has two edges flat but I don’t know of any plates we carry that are single notched that are commercial quality
Get more help with your processing questions and learn more about processing meat by subscribing to our waltonsinc.com youtube page at https://wltns.link/waltonstv I am a Gorilla, love yourself
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Chef For the most part, there are also styles called Toledo that has one edge flat and Cleveland that has two edges flat but I don’t know of any plates we carry that are single notched that are commercial quality
Jonathon Thanks for being patient, I’m in a step learning curve, but stepping up the game big time. Need that #32 grinder. When it takes me 4 hours to grind and 25 mins to stuff, well, that’s a problem.
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Yeah, 4 hours is too long. On another post someone else was complaining about the time it took to do a second grind and I don’t know if I had ever shared this before but the best way to do a second grind is to NOT force it down the throat with a stomper. It is actually to just put a little bit down, then let the auger take it and once that has cleared the grooves of the auger that you can see from the top of the throat then add a little more and repeat.
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Hey guys, I could use a little info. I usually grind around 3 deer a year and some pork to mix in. I have been using the (Weston 575-watt #8 grinder)[https://www.waltonsinc.com/weston-8-meat-grinder-575-watt]. But because of how small the throat and auger are, I have to cut very small pieces of meat (time consuming) and doing a second grind seems nearly impossible (so I usually just do a single 3/16" grind).
I’m debating about getting a new grinder, especially with the new Walton’s grinders coming out. If I get one (that is, if I can convince the wife), I’m trying to decide between a #12 and a #22. Obviously, bigger is almost always better. But on the same token, it might be easier to convince her of the less-expensive (#12) model.
So… how much better is a #22 over a #12? I’m mostly concerned with the ability to get through a second grind and not needing to chunk up the meat as much. Time savings is ok, but not a huge concern given my fairly low volume (100-200 lbs per year).
PS - I’m not concerned with stuffing with the grinder; I have a separate stuffer.
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keeping your meat as cold as possible almost stiff on the second grind helps a lot with that said my opinion is that a #12 will last you a long time with the amt. that you do , I use a 750 watt #12, small and I have no complaints other than it will wake the dead with the noise
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gChart So with my wife I often start pitching the bigger more expensive thing and then act like I am being reasonable and switch to the smaller less expensive thing. It is a tactic that has usually served me well and one that I think is fairly well known. The issue is, if I see she is going along with it and I try to go back to my larger option she will say “you just said you don’t need that!”
Difference between the Walton’s 12 and 22 will be all about HP and lb per minute. I will double check this but I am confident there is almost no difference between the throat from the pan to the auger in a 12 and a 22. Either way you will be much happier with either of those verse the small #8 you are using now.
I second what craigrice is saying about cold cold cold. It always helps, especially with the 2nd grind through a small plate on that second grind.
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Hey guys, I could use a little info. I usually grind around 3 deer a year and some pork to mix in. I have been using the (Weston 575-watt #8 grinder)[https://www.waltonsinc.com/weston-8-meat-grinder-575-watt]. But because of how small the throat and auger are, I have to cut very small pieces of meat (time consuming) and doing a second grind seems nearly impossible (so I usually just do a single 3/16" grind).
I’m debating about getting a new grinder, especially with the new Walton’s grinders coming out. If I get one (that is, if I can convince the wife), I’m trying to decide between a #12 and a #22. Obviously, bigger is almost always better. But on the same token, it might be easier to convince her of the less-expensive (#12) model.
So… how much better is a #22 over a #12? I’m mostly concerned with the ability to get through a second grind and not needing to chunk up the meat as much. Time savings is ok, but not a huge concern given my fairly low volume (100-200 lbs per year).
PS - I’m not concerned with stuffing with the grinder; I have a separate stuffer.
gChart
Not gonna sugar coat this. IMO a #22 is a beast compared to the rest. #12 will serve your purpose for a long time but… Just depends on how much you process and your budget. The #22 is worth it to me even if doing a smaller batch. So much easier… especially the second grind. -
Hey guys, I could use a little info. I usually grind around 3 deer a year and some pork to mix in. I have been using the (Weston 575-watt #8 grinder)[https://www.waltonsinc.com/weston-8-meat-grinder-575-watt]. But because of how small the throat and auger are, I have to cut very small pieces of meat (time consuming) and doing a second grind seems nearly impossible (so I usually just do a single 3/16" grind).
I’m debating about getting a new grinder, especially with the new Walton’s grinders coming out. If I get one (that is, if I can convince the wife), I’m trying to decide between a #12 and a #22. Obviously, bigger is almost always better. But on the same token, it might be easier to convince her of the less-expensive (#12) model.
So… how much better is a #22 over a #12? I’m mostly concerned with the ability to get through a second grind and not needing to chunk up the meat as much. Time savings is ok, but not a huge concern given my fairly low volume (100-200 lbs per year).
PS - I’m not concerned with stuffing with the grinder; I have a separate stuffer.
gChart the best thing to do is just win the one Waltons is giving away this month. And if you dont, buy one and just tell the wife you did. Kidding of course, I have a #12 and am very happy with it. I dont know what the weight of each one is, but that’s another thing to consider. I dont have a place to leave mine set up, so I carry it up and down from the basement.
hey vegetarians, my food poops on your food!
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gChart the best thing to do is just win the one Waltons is giving away this month. And if you dont, buy one and just tell the wife you did. Kidding of course, I have a #12 and am very happy with it. I dont know what the weight of each one is, but that’s another thing to consider. I dont have a place to leave mine set up, so I carry it up and down from the basement.
kyle said in Meat Processing Equipment 101 - Grinders:
gChart the best thing to do is just win the one Waltons is giving away this month.
I know! I’ve made every entry I can. Maybe I’d have better odds if I slip Jonathon a nice package from Crane Brewing…
I tried a blend of tactics with the wife. I talked about our #8 being too small, and saying that I don’t think we need to go all the way to a #32. But the #12 and #22… if we’re going to get one, might as well get one we’ll always be happy with and won’t regret “settling on” (that is, the “buy once, cry once” method). So I’m pretty sure a #22 will be in my shopping cart this weekend. Thanks for the tips Jonathon, craigrice, PapaSop, and kyle! Oh and yes, I’ll try making sure the meat is nearly frozen for that second grind.
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I bought the Weston #12 countertop model a few years ago and after using it twice I realized it was just too loud and too slow. I ended up giving that to a friend I train Jiu Jitsu with and bought the Weston Butcher series #22. It was a night and day difference in performance plus I can cut the meat into fist sized chunks instead of bite sized which saves plenty of time but it is just so much faster on both first and second grinds. I would recommend you go with the #22, you will not be disappointed I promise.
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gChart I assume you aren’[t saying you work for crane, because if you do I want to come out for a tour!
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Jonathon nope, but that’d be cool. Maybe not as fun as a brewery, but I work for an awesome agriculture tech company called Precision Planting. You’re still welcome for a tour if you’re up this way!
Speaking of tours, I’m actually from Pekin, IL - the home of Excalibur. I’ve had the chance to tour their facility. It was sweet to see all of the different spices and such, the blending process, etc. If you guys ever come up to Excalibur, hit me up and I’ll buy ya’ll a beer while you’re in town.
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gChart Sounds good on the beer if we are ever up that way. Is this you guys? https://www.precisionplanting.com/
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gChart hitting you up on email for something!
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Meat Processing Equipment 101 Meat Grinders
Attend this entry level class from Meatgistics University by watching the video, reading the article and post any questions you have!
What Are The Main Functions?
The main function of a grinder is to take a whole muscle cut of meat and break it down into a ground format that can then be seasoned, cured, stuffed into a casing and then cooked.
How Do They Work?
Electric grinders have a hopper at the top where you load your meat that you are preparing to grind. The hopper has a hole in it that leads down to the throat of the grinder where an auger that is powered by the motor pushes the meat towards the plate and knife that will curt and grind your meat. The grinding knife goes behind the plate with the sharpened surface facing towards the plate, this cuts the meat and forces it through the holes of the grinding plate, the larger the holes on the grinding plate the faster your meat will grind and the coarser your product will be. Many products need to be ground twice, sometimes through a larger plate first and then through a smaller plate and sometimes twice through a larger plate.
How Important is it?
It depends on what type of meat you will most often be starting with. If you are going to be starting with whole muscle cuts then it is the most important piece of equipment that you can have! Other than a Bowl Chopper, which is an expensive commercial piece of equipment, will allow you to take a whole piece of meat and break it down into a ground product.
Alternatives
Like we said above, a Bowl Chopper will offer you similar functionality but the cost makes them unreasonable for the home processor. The main alternative to a Meat Grinder is to purchase already ground meat. If you want to make snack sticks you can buy ground pork, seasoning and cure it and then use a Sausage Stuffer to stuff it into casings.
Should You Buy One
If you are choosing between a grinder and stuffer to make meat sausage at home I would say a wild game processor should go with the grinder as it will allow them to break down the carcass and stuff and the person using beef or pork should get a sausage stuffer and buy pre-ground meat from the store.
Best Choice For Beginners
The Walton’s #12 Meat Grinder is a nice choice for beginners as it gives you a medium-sized plate, with a powerful enough motor to break down larger cuts while staying under $200.
Other Information
Grinders come in different sizes with different grinding capacities, the number associated with the grinder corresponds to the size of the head assembly as well as the plate and knife you can use with that grinder. Standard sizes are #8, and #12 which are the same size, #22 and #32.
A larger grinder like a #32 grinder will use a plate that is 3-15/16" in diameter and something like the Walton’s #32 can grind upwards of 18 lb a minute. The power on a meat grinder also plays an important role in how many lb a minute it can process and how long it can be run for. Power can range from 575 watts on a small #8 kitchen grinder up to 1.5 horsepower for the Walton’s #32 series. The amount of horsepower is important as this is what drives the auger in the head assembly and more power means you can grind faster and use larger chunks of meat saving you processing time.
Some meat grinders do have the ability to act as sausage stuffer as well as a grinder. You can switch out the plate and knife for a star stuffing adapter, attach a stuffing horn and stuff your ground product into casings or meat bags. While the stuffing capability is a nice thing to have it is much harder and will take longer to stuff with your grinder versus using an actual sausage stuffer. Because of the pressure required to stuff a product into smaller casings meat grinders will not work on anything smaller than a bratwurst or hotdog-sized product.
Both plates and knives are available in both disposable and sharpenable versions. Disposable should be used until they are dull and then thrown out, sharpenable plates and knives can be sent into Walton’s and we will sharpen them for a small fee. These types of plates and knives are more expensive initially but it is much cheaper to have us sharpen them than buy new ones, plus they are made to a higher quality and will give you a better-finished product. You can see the difference between a disposable and sharpenable knife just by looking at it, the disposable will look like a pinwheel and just has a flat edge, the sharpenable knife has a quality piece of steel on each arm that sticks up from the body.
Shop waltonsinc.com for Meat Grinders
Jonathon I bought the new #32 Meat grinder for myself for Christmas. I was wanting one that would attach to my 44lb Weston mixer. I assume it will, but it doesn’t have reverse. I didn’t notice this until today. You recommend switching directions every minute when mixing. Is this really necessary, or can I run the motor continuously to get effective mixing? Thanks, and Merry Christmas.
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