[Lord F]

Hey! My first forum post.
We recently got a puppy (he’s now 4 months), and since getting him we’ve switched 2 of the dogs onto raw. We feed a mixture of Preference by Honest Kitchen with either Primal or Vital Essentials. LOVE Vital btw.
But since reading all about raw and the benefits, I am avid about switching them to a more natural raw! I’d like to start buying my own meats for them and grinding them up with the occasional raw bone.
Any suggestions for a first meat grinder? Nothing too fancy.

[Hound Dog Mom]

I have a Sunmile that I paid $80 for on Amazon. I’ve had it for about a year and it’s been great. I don’t do a whole lot of grinding and when I do it’s boneless stuff. If you’re looking for a reasonably priced starter grinder I’d highly recommend this.

Here’s the link to it on Amazon.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Hildie V]

I bought a meat grinder and tried to get away with a cheaper $100 one

It sucked!! It was an Oster one, but I didn’t try bones in it. I have heard to grind bones you need the fancy $500 ones

For boneless meat I found the quickest and easiest way is a food processor. Way, way faster.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by Hildie V.

[pugmomsandy]

If you’re just grinding meat, then a meat grinder attachment for a stand mixer might work. I’ve heard manual grinders are a chore. Some people have also bought a meat grinder from a hunting/camping store for around $200 or less and it works great.

There’s a demo video in the Weston 22 section here (but you can probably just a #8):

http://northcoastpets.com/barf_hardware.htm

Cabela’s has some demo videos as well:

http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/browse.cmd?N=1101293&WTz_l=SBC%3BBRprd744936

[Kristin C]

I use my food processor too. Works fine. I feed RMBs separately.

[aquariangt]

If you have a kitchen aid or other stand mixer, I love the meat grinding attachment. I don’t make my own dog food right now, but I use it for homed sausage and whatnot. One of my favorite kitchen tools

[Melissaandcrew]

I think the one I currently have is the Wesson 32. Love it. My first grinder was the Tasan 108 aka TS 108. I could grind chicken quarters with it no problem. You do have to cut the quarters up small in order to fit them through the shoot, and it is a slow process, but I managed. I did burn out the gear within the first year I had it, but lets face it, I was grinding a lot. The company I bought it from covered it under warranty(chicken bones or other soft bones covered, no turkey) They replace the gear box thingy free of charge, just paid shipping back. I bought the second one from them as well when the first broke and now keep it as a back up. I got them through the One Stop Jerky Company. Wonderful customer service as well.

[Lord F]

Thanks for all the recommendations! I wouldn’t be able to use a processor because I do plan on grinding up bones, rabbit, duck, and chicken to be specific.
I’ve heard that Weston is really good! It says on the website that the #8 can grind all the bones I’ve listed above. Does anyone have experience with this one personally?

[Gabe F]

Just recently got into this myself. I needed a meat grinder for an upcoming elk hunt. I ended up with the STX Megaforce, sold on Amazon for around $200. Rave reviews and not too expensive. I got it because many reviewers specifically mentioned using it to grind up chicken wings.

So far I am very happy. It will grind just about anything I put in there. After processing my “human” food, I used this grinder to make a 30 pound vat of ground elk (left over bits, organ meat), dove, rabbit, peas, carrots. The dove were whole and frozen (no feathers or head). Just sliced them in half, and fed them through, bones, guts, skins and all. I ran it through twice but the resulting burger looked and smelled delicious! And oh yeah, the dogs loved it too!

You might need a commercial grinder if you really plan on doing bigger bones from the rabbit or chicken. The Weston looks like it might fit the bill. Good Luck!

[Lord F]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys! I think I’ll probably opt for a little pricier one for the quality. I wouldn’t want to get one just for the cheaper price and end up breaking it when I try to feed it a rabbit carcass! lol
thanks again.

[Mark J]

I am immensely benefited to read the above post. Thanks for the share.

[Mark J]

I have been using a best meat grinder for sausage and it is more suitable from others and I don’t have to change the parts of it. Though I have 2 different device but it is comfortable to me. You can check out website here.
http://pro-meat-grinder.com/best-product-reviews/

[poodaddy]

Weston Pro Series #22 – for us this was the right balance of price for performance. We make 60 days of food for two dogs at one time, i.e., bones and all. Also important is the food processor for the non-meat portions of the menu.

Did my own comparative analysis of meat grinder specifications, price, company longevity, number of units in circulation, performance, risk, warranty, reviews, and then made the decision based on best value for us. For about a month prior, we used lesser capacity, lesser capable food processor devices when starting to mess with raw food augmentation of dry food, then when we were comfortable with raw food preparation in its entirety, and we committed, the decision was made. After 6-7 months of complete raw food preparation, we are convinced we made the right choice. The only reason we did not step up to the #32 was our volume did not call for it, otherwise if I were making raw food for friends or commercially, the decision would be for a more robust unit. As far as Weston, we love its sturdiness, and I really like its engineering/design. Anyone going 100% raw food preparation, which in our case includes the entire chicken or and bone-in red meat products (pork chops etc), a grinder that handles the bone, gristle, etc with ease is the key. Getting in the middle of a 10-hour production process the size we now do once every two months, and having a grinder break, is not a good thought. My wife cannot lift the Weston #22 from the pantry where we store it and onto the kitchen counter-top so be forewarned, good quality grinders (designed to handle bone, are heavy units).

[Joe S]

If you’re using it on a regular basis for grinding your dog’s food, definitely don’t cheap out. The worst thing in the world is to get halfway done with something and suddenly have your meat grinder quit on you.

The STX Turboforce II is the way to go in my opinion.

We just reviewed 10 meat grinders on our blog. You can check it out here: https://theuplandhunter.com/best-meat-grinder-reviews/

[Chris C]

Joe S, is the STX Turboforce II powerful enough to grind chicken bones? We’d like to feed raw, coarse-ground, whole chicken. I want to be able to go to the grocery store, buy a whole chicken, quarter it (or whatever sized pieces fit into the grinder), and coarse-grind bones, giblets, and all.

The $200-ish price tag on this is definitely attractive, but I want to know that it is powerful enough for chicken bones before I spend the money.

[Julie T]

Poodaddy, What kind of red meaty bones will the Weston Pro Series #22 handle? For example, whole rabbits, any non bearing weight bones such as tails, ribs, necks, etc?

[Julie T]

Does anyone have a “bone dust” source? If so, then I would not need a meat grinder that would grind bones. I would just need to a grinder that was robust enough to get through the connective tissue and fat (of so I think). My local butches will not sell their dust…

[Spinning G]

Meat grinders are used to chopping or cutting meat. They come in a variety of styles and can chop both tough and soft types of meat. They can be operated manually or electrically. The working principle is the same, place the meat in the grinder and the wheels are operated resulting in the required operation.
For a large quantity of meat, electric meat grinders are the best.

[Sarah D]

Fan of LEM grinders – really handy for our big family. 5 pounds of venison sausage made in minutes.

[Joe D]

I am also fan of LEM grinder:) This is my third grinder. Yes, it’s not exactly cheap, but it’s the best one I’ve had. We also feed our dog raw meat and use it all the time without any problem.

[sophia A]

Did my own comparative analysis of meat grinder specifications, price, company longevity, number of units in circulation, performance, risk, warranty, reviews, and then made the decision based on best value for us. For about a month prior, we used lesser capacity, lesser capable food processor devices when starting to mess with raw food augmentation of dry food, then when we were comfortable with raw food preparation in its entirety, and we committed, the decision was made. After 6-7 months of complete raw food preparation, we are convinced we made the right choice
192.168 l 8.1.

[Author]

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