I want to be able to do fresh veggies too. Make salads and other delicate veggies last longer. In order to do that I need a machine with an accessory port so I can seal such items in vacuum containers or Mason jars. I am not sure if a chamber sealer with gas exchange will work for that or not. Otherwise I would need to get both a vacuum sealer and a chamber sealer to properly do all of the things we want to do. Anyone know of a chamber unit that also does vacuum sealing? Or is a chamber sealer with gas exchange the way to go?

johnsbrewhouse Had a similar experience with beer in high school. I’m almost 60 now and still can’t stand even a sip of beer.

Thanks! I did find bone crushers, and they are really cool! But definitely made for large commercial locations and WAY out of our price range. here is a video. I thought the comments were hilarious! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqFeS12Rdik

johnsbrewhouse I actually like sloe gin! A sloe gin fizz is a delicious blast from the past!

Yeah, I get the same feedback. Is there another type of machine (other than a grinder) that does harder bones? I have even thought about using a wood chipper, I think it would work, but the noise…plus cleaning it so that it was sanitary…

Everclear! tastes like rubbing alcohol! Especially the 190 proof stuff that is only available in a limited number of states.

BONES!!! Can anyone do a series on the growing trend for homemade dog and cat food? Specifically the need to grind bones from various species, not just poultry and rabbit? Are there any grinders or machines built to grind bones like pork, lamb, venison and beef? We have a dog with severe food allergies and can have no poultry, fish, lamb, venison or pork and he is currently on a diet that is beef based and we need to grind beef bone - rib and neck bones at least.

Awesome! That is the direction I will go then. I had read about the bags for the chamber machines being much cheaper. Vac sealing it is. I will go for the sealer…It’s the Hobart pictured. Old model in working condition, tens of thousands for a new one, and parts are sketchy for this, but I have a son that is a genius at rehabbing stuff like that, so I think he can keep it working. The hardest part will be adapting to work on our single phase. Odd though that I can see a plug in the pic, but 3 phase is usually hardwired…hmmmm…

Is tilt important for a mixer? We will be blending different types of meat grinds (including bones, organs and skin), with some vegetables, berries and a vitamin mixture. There won’t be grains or root vegetables to take up the “slop”. However we can make it firmer by adding more “firm” meats like beef/pork. However there is a specific ratio of muscle meat to bone to organ meat to vegetable matter that is essential…So if the mix is loose at all, I am assuming a tilt would be necessary?

Grinding bones; since I assume no one here is regularly grinding bones, this probably isn’t the place to ask what I need (that is affordably obtained) in order to grind harder bones. But, just in case…does anyone know what it would take? Is there some other type of machine than a grinder? We are not out in the country either, so I don’t want some super loud machine that will make my neighbors upset. Maybe I need to look up that chick from Tiger King! I bet she knows how to grind bones!! I will make sure I find a good deal on replacement blades in the meantime.

Also, should I just give up the idea of patties or nuggets? They make it MUCH easier to portion/feed raw as opposed bulk chubs or a big bag. With that sealer, could I make a mold or dividers we could place into the big chambers and do a bunch of single serving size portions?

BTW, anyone looking for a killer deal on an old Tipper Tie Senior Casing Sealer? I bought it from an auction sight unseen for $75, because it said Tipper Tie case sealing machine. Turns out it is a machine used to seal and pleat/fold the sausage casing on the end that gets hung up in the smokehouse. Oh well, it was worth a shot. If anyone is interested I can send you the info on it. I got the manuals and schematics from Tipper Tie and could either sell it as is, needing re-hab, or could re-hab it and send it in refurbished condition. Seems to be circa late 60’s to mid 80’s. So…it’s vintage, right!!

Thanks y’all!! You guys have been awesome!!

Thanks and take care,
Lisa & the Rusty Pugs

Hi! Thank you for this resource! We have a non-profit rescue sanctuary for geriatric, special needs and hospice dogs. Currently we care for 18 here and we are assembling the things we will need to make quality raw dog food. We want to package in 2 lb. chubs, but I am not sold on the bags, would prefer to use the poly tubing and clips or tape, that way we can make smaller or larger chubs as we figure out what works for us. We have a 1.75hp Cabela’s Carnivore #42 grinder, a few commercial freezers, a line on wholesale meat, some nice butcher block topped and stainless topped work tables, a cleaver, meat lugs, poly tubing, shelving, commercial sinks, We still need a meat mixer, stuffer and double clipper, or a good, non-messy alternative to a double clipper. We have also sourced an awesome deal on a huge, commercial double chamber vacuum sealer, it’s 3 phase, but we are looking to using a converter so it can run on the single phase 220V in our garage. If it is not practical, we’ll just sell it off as we should be able to make some good money off of it. I also have a slider/patty maker, but don’t have room to pre-freeze and don’t have a gas exchange unit, so not sure that we will go in the patty/medallions direction, but it does remain a possibility.
To start, we plan on processing about 200 lbs every two weeks or so, and increasing our volume as we bring in local folks who would like to purchase our mix to help support the rescue.
We will be processing/grinding raw bone from poultry/rabbit/fish for sure and we would REALLY like to also be able to do beef and pork rib and neck bones. Do you think our #42 will handle that? If not, what do we need in order to process smaller beef/pork bones? Should we use the stuffer attachment for our grinder or a separate manual stuffer? What size? What would a good meat mixer be for us? Is a tilt a real advantage? Can you recommend a good and clean way to seal and separate the chubs? Do you sell a double clipper? Would twisting the chubs and using two single clips work? Are there any good non-metal clips? Is vacuum sealing better?
Thanks in advance,
Lisa & the Rusty pugs