Best Meat Grinders - Buyer's Guide and Reviews
If you've come to this site, chances are you are either looking to purchase a meat grinder or replace one. There are many grinders to choose from based on your budget, what you plan to do with it and how much meat you plan on grinding. With our research of meat grinders, we are confident we can direct you to the best purchase choice. Take a moment to check out the reviews, you should find a grinder that suits your needs.
LEM Products 0.75 HP Big Bite Meat Grinder
Overall Rating: 4/5
Powerful 0.75 HP electric meat grinder with all-metal construction. Stainless steel grinder head and attachments. 3 plates for coarse to fine grinding. Large capacity and meat stomper. Great for wild game.
STX 4000 Turboforce II Meat Grinder
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Heavy-duty electric meat grinder with 3000W peak output power. All-metal housing and motor. Includes 3 stainless steel grinding plates and sausage stuffing tubes. Reverse capability prevents jamming. Large capacity tray and meat pusher. Great for wild game, deer, and pork.
Weston #8 Butcher Series Meat Grinder
Overall Rating:4/5
Commercial grade electric meat grinder with 800W heavy-duty motor. All metal construction with stainless steel grinder head. Includes 3 grinding plates and sausage tubes. Large capacity tray and meat stomper. Reverse operation prevents jamming. Perfect for hunters, butchers, and processors.
A Few Things to Consider When Choosing a Meat Grinder
Meat grinders are a great way of ensuring you have control over what goes into your ground meat and sausages. The design concept behind the grinder has changed little since the first-hand grinders made their appearance in the nineteenth century. Before rushing out and buying the first grinder you find, it’s worth your while to develop some criteria so that you end up with the best meat grinder for the job.
Quantities of Ground Meat
The amount of meat you plan to grind is an important consideration when choosing a grinder. If you are going to be a casual user, making the occasional batch of home-made burgers, the model you choose should likely be a simple hand grinder or one of the less expensive electric grinders. On the other hand, if you are going to regularly make your own sausages, process blends of ground meats, and possibly grind your own pet food, you will need a large and powerful grinder to process large quantities of meat. Electric grinders come in a range of sizes and also feature a range of different-sized motors and features.
Stand Mixers
If you already have a stand mixer and aren’t planning on grinding large quantities of meat, you might find that purchasing a grinding attachment to use with the stand mixer is your best option. These are great for casual grinders or if you occasionally like to make your own sausages. You can also blend meats and other ingredients to develop your own unique recipes.
Budget
This is an important consideration when choosing a model because prices can range from less than $100 to high-priced commercial models. It is advisable to set a budget and stick to it after you have determined what type of grinder you need. It is easy to be wooed by the many varied functions and features of expensive models. At the end of the day though, a meat grinder is for grinding meat and a basic model will do the job if you aren’t prepared to pay high-end prices.
Here are just a few that will help you narrow down and decide on your best choice of grinders. Check out some of the more popular grinders listed below and you should be able to find one that will meet your needs.
Read The Latest From Our Blog
Categories to choose from
Finding the Best Meat Grinder - Buying Guide
There are many different types and models of meat grinders available to purchase and because they are all somewhat similar, it can sometimes be difficult to decide which meat grinder to buy. The many benefits associated with grinding your own meat, include having total control over the thickness of the grind as well as control over any additives you might choose to add.
Different Types Of Meat Grinders
Heavy Duty
If you intend to grind meat on a regular basis, the heavy-duty meat grinder is for you. It is ideal for grinding large quantities of meat. However, these grinders cost more than a manual grinder or a mixer grinder attachment.
On the other hand, if you are going to regularly make your own sausages, process blends of ground meats, and possibly grind your own pet food, you will need a large and powerful grinder to process large quantities of meat. Meat grinders come in a range of sizes and also feature a range of different-sized motors, grinder plates for different grinds, and making sausages, something that you can explore and experiment with.
For anyone who has to observe a strict diet or just wants a great tasting burger, grinding your own meat provides a sure way of controlling the type of meat you consume.
There are basically three categories of meat grinders and they are:
- Manual Grinders
- Electric Grinders
- Grinder attachments for food processors
Each type has its own benefits and you should select the best meat grinder that suits your individual circumstances and budget.
Manual Meat Grinder
If you don’t intend to grind huge quantities of meat and only tend to grind meat occasionally, a manual grinder will likely be your best bet. Also, if you plan to grind meat in an area where there is no electricity available, the manual grinder is a must.
The manual meat grinder is the least expensive of the different types of grinders available.
Except for the Norpro grinder, most of the metal grinders are suspect and I would recommend reading reviews online before purchasing.
We haven’t found a model we are comfortable recommending. Most are made of cast iron/steel with a coating of aluminum or stainless and tend to rust after a couple of uses.
Top Pick From Each Category
Wattage: 1100W
Grinds soft bone: Yes
Max meat grind per hour: 720 LBS
Weight: 75 LBS
Warranty: 5 Years
STX International 3000 TF Turboforce
Wattage: 1000W
Grinds soft bone: No
Max meat grind per hour: 180-240 LBS
Weight: 12 LBS
Warranty: 3 Years
KitchenAid Meat Grinder Attachment
Wattage: N/A
Grinds soft bone: No
Max meat grind per hour: 10-20 LBS
Weight: 2 LBS
Warranty: 1 Year
Weston #8
Wattage: 350W
Grinds soft bone:
Max meat grinder per hour: 240-300 LBS
Weight: 39 LBS
Warranty: 5 Year Limited
Top Rated Meat Grinders from Each Category
LEM Products #32 - 1.5HP - Best Heavy Duty Meat Grinder
OUR RATING: 4.7
Are you looking for a heavy duty meat grinder that can power through 700lbs of meat an hour? Then the LEM 1.5HP grinder will do the job. This 75 pound behemoth will take on any grinding job with ease whether you are looking for a commercial grinder or you want to grind wild game. The grinder receives almost perfect reviews and comes with a 5 year parts and labor warranty.
STX International 3000 TF Turboforce - Best Home Use Meat Grinder
OUR RATING: 4.3
This STX meat grinder comes with three different sized stainless steel cutting plates that can be matched with like sized grinding plates for a precise grind on whatever meat you are grinding.
The standard size 12 grind ensures a larger and faster output which makes it an ideal grinder for large quantities. The STX-3000-TF also comes with three different sized sausage stuffing tubes so that making homemade sausages has never been easier.
This is a powerful electric meat grinder that is ideal for anyone who is looking to grind regularly and in medium to large quantities. One of the best meat grinders for the price.
Weston #8 - Best Commercial Meat Grinder
OUR RATING: 4.6
This commercial meat grinder can plow through 240-300 lbs of meat an hour? If you need something that will produce day after day, then the Weston #8 grinder will do the job. The grinder is ideal for processing wild game, venison and other meats while also doubling as a sausage stuffer. Customers have left great reviews for this grinder and it is covered by a 5 year limited warranty.
KitchenAid Metal Food Grinder Attachment - Meat Grinder Mixer Attachment
OUR RATING: 4.8
This KitchenAid KSMMGA grinder attachment includes three different sized stainless steel grinding plates, sausage stuffer plate, two sausage tubes and a food pusher. If you have a KitchenAid mixer, this is a great alternative to purchasing a dedicated meat grinder.
The all metal attachment is easy to attach and does a good job at grinding. Teardown and clean up are simple and fast.
This is a great addition to your mixer and perfect for small quantities of meat and sausage creations. At less than $100, it's a steal.
Meat Grinder Attachment for Stand Mixers
Stand mixers generally offer a food grinder attachment such as the KitchenAid meat grinder attachment as part of the optional attachments that are available for the mixer. The most expensive part of this arrangement is the motor, but because you already have it as part of the stand mixer, the grinding attachment is all you will need to purchase. You also have the advantage of grinding other foods besides meat and creating your own mixtures right in the bowl of your stand mixer, as well as making your own sausages with an attachment.
Image | Model | Specifications | Rating | Review Link | Get Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | STX 4000 Turboforce II | Watts: 600 Grinds Soft Bone: No Weight: 13LBS Warranty: 3 Year | |||
 | LEM Products #22 1HP | Watts: 750 Grinds Soft Bone: Yes Weight: 63LBS Warranty: 5 Year | |||
 | LEM Products .75HP #12 | Watts: 550 Grinds Soft Bone: Yes Weight: 47 LBS Warranty: 5 Year |
Our Top Picks
STX 4000 Turboforce II
This is the newest edition of air-cooled grinder line from STX. These grinders are popular because of their great features and reasonable price. This model also looks nice because of the black and shiny chrome case.
The specifications for this model are very similar to the STX 3000 MF. It comes with 5 grinding plates and 3 blades, plus other accessories for sausage stuffing.
Though still relatively new, this grinder is getting excellent reviews and with all STX grinders there is a 1 year fix or replace warranty.
LEM Products .35HP
The LEM .35HP grinder is the little brother to the .75 and 1 HP models and can grind 240 pounds of meat an hour. Though not as powerful, this grinder can still power through meat and small bone.
Easy to clean and you can add a host of optional accessories including jerky slicer and patty maker among others. This is another quality grinder from LEM. It comes with a 30 day money back guarantee and a 5 year warranty.
