Everything You Need To Know To Find The Best heavy duty meat grinder

We researched and tested lots of the options out there to pick our favorites in all shapes and sizes. Whether you're in the mood for gourmet burgers , juicier meatballs , or ground beef filling for spaghetti sauce, casseroles, or tacos, we've got you covered with the best meat grinders.

With competitive price and timely delivery, Shengmao sincerely hope to be your supplier and partner.

Whether it's a huge and powerful professional model or a hand-cranked manual machine, there are lots of options out there. All can simply chop meat into little pieces, but some have many options for speed, coarseness, and attachments to stuff sausage or even make pasta.

Even if you've mastered your grilling technique , you can still up your burger and sausage game by making them yourself. Store-bought ground meat is fine, but grinding it at home gives you more control over what you're getting and the ability to make custom blends. Plus, it can save you money.

If you'd prefer a full package with all the bells and whistles, KitchenAid also makes a durable metal food grinder attachment that comes with three grinding plates (fine, medium, and coarse), small and large sausage stuffer tubes, a large removable tray, a food pusher, a storage case, and a cleaning brush. But it costs twice as much as the basic plastic grinder.

While this simple attachment is all you need for grinding meat, there are compatible add-ons that make it even more useful. An optional food tray expands the surface area for holding food, making it faster and easier to keep feeding ingredients into the grinder. And then there's the sausage stuffer attachment , which works with the grinder to feed the prepared sausage mix into casings. It includes both a narrow tube ideal for breakfast sausages as well as a large tube for bratwurst, Italian sausage, and other large sausages.

If you have a KitchenAid stand mixer, you might not be aware of just how versatile it is. You can of course knead dough, whip egg whites, and mix countless combinations of items in the main bowl, but the "Power Hub" on the front of the machine lets you attach accessories like this meat grinder and use the powerful motor to operate them. It's an inexpensive accessory that includes coarse and fine plates and can handle meat as well as stale bread for making breadcrumbs, cheese for grating, and all sorts of fruits and vegetables. The included pusher also has a wrench on the other end to easily tighten the unit firmly in place and remove it when you're done grinding.

The Big Bite is a big grinder, and it comes at a big price&#;but this is not the machine for the mere casual grinder of meat...It is a machine that will last a lifetime.

The LEM 12 comes with coarse and fine grinder plates, as well as three sizes of sausage stuffer for everything from breakfast links to snack sticks to salami. (You can also buy an array of compatible LEM accessories, like a jerky slicer or a full cleaning and maintenance kit .) Operation is super easy, with just a single switch. It doesn't have a reverse function like most grinders do, but on the other hand, it's unlikely to get stuck and need reversing.

This monster of a grinder is not lying when it says "Big Bite." The huge feed tube, oversized hopper, and three-quarter-horsepower motor can take down 11 pounds of meat in 60 seconds. The heavy-duty machine is much the same as you might find in the kitchen of a butcher, deli, or sausage shop, and it'll hold up to constant use and abuse. It's great if you're a big-game hunter, an aspiring charcutier , or any other serious meathead.

The main downside to all those different grinding options is that the machine can be complicated to put together: Different functions require different sets of pieces. Make sure you hold onto the manual, which explains everything. When it comes to cleaning, the blades are dishwasher-safe but none of the other parts are, so you'll have to do some manual scrubbing. Size: 20 x 12 x 11 inches | Weight: 12 pounds | Power: 1,800 watts | Includes: 3 blades, 3 grinding plates, sausage-stuffing plate, 3 sausage stuffing tubes, kibbeh attachment, plastic pusher, burger press, meat claws

The STX's best feature, though, is its range of attachments and extras to help you get as much use out of the machine as possible. It comes with three blades, three different grinding plates, and three sizes of sausage-stuffing tubes. There's also a special nozzle for making homemade kibbeh , a dish of meat stuffed inside a shell made from bulgur wheat and more meat. (Versions of kibbeh are popular throughout the Middle East, as well as in Turkey, where it's known as içli köfte .) The plastic pusher opens up to store extra parts when not in use. On top of that, it includes some useful pre- and post-grinding tools: a burger press to make both standard- and slider-sized patties, and a pair of meat claws for shredding and handling hot items.

This grinder is extremely powerful, with 3,000 watts of peak power, which translates to 800 to 1,200 watts while grinding and a capacity of 180 to 240 pounds of meat per hour. It also offers two speed options, with a slower mode that's best for tougher, fattier, cuts.

The Kitchen Basics machine has a suction-cup base that won't move (or even wobble) while you crank. And thanks to the lack of electrical parts, nearly all the pieces of this machine can go into the dishwasher. The big downside, of course, is that you have to supply all the power. Hand-cranking a meat grinder is hard work, and you can't grind more than a handful of pounds at a time before getting tired arms.

If you&#;re looking for a budget-priced meat grinder, a manual machine is probably the way to go. It may not have a motor, but this model offers most of the features of much more expensive electric grinders. It includes fine and coarse grind plates, plus three sizes of sausage funnel. It also has attachments that process pasta dough into spaghetti or rigatoni. You can even use it with fruits and veggies to make baby food.

(Note that this is a standalone grinder. If you already own a Cuisinart stand mixer , the brand's meat grinder attachment works similarly to this machine and is a bit cheaper.)

We tested the Cuisinart on family-sized batches of burgers and meatloaf, and even experimented with cheese and veggies, and it had very little trouble. It struggled a bit with a dense piece of very cold fat but still managed to take it down. It's also easy to set up, operate, and clean: This is clearly a machine designed for home use by someone who isn't necessarily an expert in technique. In a really clever design feature, the included plastic pusher opens up to hold the spare grinder plates and sausage stuffers. However, the pusher's lid just pops on instead of screwing down, and it popped off pretty frequently once it got greasy from use.

If you buy meat in bulk, go hunting, or just want to take up home sausage-making as a hobby, this grinder might be the one for you. The powerful 300-watt motor grinds up to 3 pounds per minute, and we managed to power through 12 pounds of meat in a single session with no problems. The brushed stainless steel housing is durable, and the machine product includes plates for medium and coarse grinds. What makes it great for sausages especially is its two separate stuffer attachments: a standard-sized one for links of bratwurst or hot dogs , plus a smaller version for breakfast sausage .

When you're done, cleanup is simple enough: The blade and grinding plates are dishwasher-safe. The grinder head and other parts must be washed by hand, however, and the machine doesn't include any cleaning tools to help scrub out all the stray bits of meat. While the construction within is solid, we're not in love with the looks of the Sunmile. For this price, you'd expect a metal finish that can fit in with a home kitchen, not the white plastic housing that looks rather cheap and utilitarian.

The machine comes with plates for coarse, medium, and fine grinds, as well as a sausage stuffer, to accomplish any task you might want. You can even chill the grinder head, blade, and plates in the fridge or freezer before grinding to help keep fat solid and thoroughly integrated. Its 2-inch feed tube is much wider than other models, so you don't have to cut your meat into small pieces&#;a big time-saver when working with large quantities of meat. We also love the storage compartment in the back, which holds the cord and the extra plates and accessories so you can't lose track of them.

The Sunmile SM-G50 is a beast of a meat grinder. Its extra-large feed tube, powerful motor, and smart design can handle up to 200 pounds of meat per hour. We didn't test it with that much meat, but we did manage to put 2.5 pounds of fatty chuck roast through it in less than a minute, so the math pretty much works out. For the chicken thighs, we swapped out the medium grinding plate for the fine grinding plate. It did slow things down a little bit, but not significantly. Two pounds of chicken was ground and ready to go in just over a minute. The durable gearbox in the Sunmile lets it whip through easier jobs in a flash but can also turn down the speed and crank up the power with tougher cuts (or even bones if you're grinding your own pet food).

Final Verdict

We love the Sunmile SM-G50 Electric Meat Grinder because it checks all the boxes for power, efficiency, and ease of use. However, kitchen darling Cuisinart has a fantastic Electric Meat Grinder which is ideal for homemade sausages.

How We Tested

We sent several meat grinders to a few of our experienced at-home testers. They tested each machine by grinding up large and small quantities of beef, chicken, and even some vegetables and cheeses. Insights were taken down on the ease of use of the meat grinders, as well as how easy they were to clean, and how durable, loud, and quick they were.

What to Look for in a Meat Grinder

Power Source

Meat grinders can be powered by an electric motor or by a hand crank. Manual grinders are quite a bit cheaper than electric ones, and they're also easier to clean as you don't have to worry about keeping electrical parts dry. However, grinding by hand is a serious arm workout, and you probably won't be able to handle more than a few pounds at a time before getting tired.

Electric grinders vary in power and capacity, but even a small and low-wattage machine will be able to handle more meat more quickly than a hand-cranked one. If you already own a stand mixer, there are grinders designed to attach and use its motor, but make sure you're buying a model that's compatible with the exact mixer you have.

Whether you use a manual or electric model, Flannery advises grinding everything twice. An extra run through the machine will help create an even blend of fat to lean. But don't grind more than twice, as multiple runs will negatively affect the texture.

Material

Meat grinders have lots of different parts, which are usually made of either plastic or metal. Plastic parts are cheaper but somewhat less durable and harder to clean, especially as they get scratched up with use. Pricier stainless steel is hypoallergenic, rust-resistant, and more likely to stay sharp. A metal grinder will be more of an investment upfront, but it will also last longer without needing repairs or replacement parts.

Metal also gives you the ability to refrigerate or freeze the parts before grinding to help keep the meat colder. Grinding generates heat, which can start to melt the fat and make the final product slimy and unevenly mixed. You can chill plastic parts, but they won't stay cold for as long and you might need to grind smaller batches at a time.

Accessories and Extras

If the only thing you plan to do with your grinder is grind chuck roast into hamburgers, you'll be fine with a basic model that has only an on/off switch, but there are lots more options out there to make a wider variety of items. Some machines come with multiple plates that can make a coarser grind best for a dish like chili or an extra-fine grind for smooth-textured sausages. Speaking of sausages, grinders can also include nozzles of varying sizes that stuff sausage into casings. A few grinders have multiple motor speeds so you can go slower with tougher ingredients or a reverse mode to unclog the blades when they get stuck.

On top of that, there are grinder accessories to take the machine beyond meat. Pasta extruders are a common option, with different sizes and shapes of plates to turn dough into various types of noodles. You can even get specialty attachments to make specific dishes, like kibbeh with the STX model above.

The Spruce Eats / Vicky Wasik

FAQs

How do you sharpen meat grinder blades?

It might take years, but at one point or another, your meat grinder blade will dull&#;you'll notice when it starts to smear and jam. Here's the good news: It's fairly easy to sharpen. One of the simplest methods is to use sandpaper. Use a little bit of water, and then rub the flat side of the blade back and forth about 10 times. (For best results, repeat the process with a finer grain of sandpaper.) You'll also need to do the same thing with your grind plates; just run both sides over the sandpaper a few times to ensure the best performance. Make sure to rinse all the parts thoroughly to remove any stray bits of metal, and then dry them before reassembling the grinder. If you have a sharpening stone, you can also use it in place of sandpaper.

How do you clean a meat grinder?

As you're working with raw meat, it should be no surprise that your grinder needs to be washed immediately and thoroughly after each use to avoid cross-contamination and foodborne illness. To start, run one to two pieces of bread through the machine. This will help remove any small bits of meat stuck inside. Next, unplug your machine and carefully disassemble it. Some parts may be dishwasher-safe (check your manual), and those can go right in the dishwasher.

To wash by hand, soak all removable parts in warm, soapy water for a few minutes to help loosen oils and other residues, and then wash softly with a sponge. (Be careful with the blade's sharp edges!) A bottle brush can be used to scrub out the insides of parts.

The actual motor base of an electric model should never be submerged, but it also shouldn't get any meat bits inside. A damp cloth is all you need for wiping down the inside and outside of the motor housing. After cleaning, dry all the parts immediately with a dishtowel to avoid rust and other premature deterioration. You should never put the grinder back together until the pieces are completely dry.

What kind of beef should you use with a meat grinder?

Despite all coming from a cow, there are many different kinds of beef. Flavor and tenderness depend on the cut and fattiness. Chuck roast is a popular item for meat grinders, thanks to the fat balance. Sirloin is also a great choice, typically lower in fat but still high in flavor.

Bryan Flannery, CEO of Flannery Beef, has some words of wisdom when it comes to fat percentages and meat grinders:

"For those really adventurous souls, you could up the fat percentage, but remember: The fattier the blend, the more it will shrink during cooking. I don&#;t think I&#;d ever go beyond 35 percent fat. You could replicate the flavor of a Wagyu burger if you have access to brisket fat. Blend an 80/20 burger using brisket fat instead of general beef fat, and the flavor profile will be like Wagyu."

Can you grind poultry in a meat grinder?

You can put chicken or turkey in a meat grinder, but because it's lower in fat than beef or pork, it likely won't be as flavorful. Try adding additional fat to the grind and seasoning well before cooking if you're grinding poultry.

How do you stuff sausage with a meat grinder?

The first step is to make the sausage filling: Grind meat and mix in spices. From Cajun boudin to Moroccan merguez to all-American breakfast sausage, every variety is made from a different combination of meats and flavorings. Once the filling is ready, put it in the fridge until it's nice and cold. You should also thoroughly clean the grinder at this point.

Next, prepare the casing. Generally made from animal intestine, sausage casing holds the meat in the familiar sausage shape and gives it that satisfying snap when you bite into it. (There are also synthetic casings available, which work essentially the same way.) Casings need to soak in water for a few hours to soften.

To set up your grinder for stuffing sausage, remove the blade and grinder plate (leave the auger in place) and screw on a stuffer nozzle. Thread a piece of casing onto the nozzle, leaving an inch or two hanging off, and then tie a knot at the end. Place a sheet pan below the grinder to catch the sausage. With the machine running on its slowest speed, begin feeding small balls of the prepared filling mixture into the hopper of the grinder. You'll get some air first, causing the casing to fill like a balloon, and then the meat will follow. Slowly guide the sausage into the casing as it feeds through the machine, trying to force out any air bubbles that you see. Fill the casing until there are about 4 inches left on the other end.

To make individual links, measure out the desired length, starting at the knotted end of the casing. Squeeze it to mark the end of the first sausage. Do the same for the second sausage, and then twist between the first and second sausages about three times. Continue to do this for the remainder of the length of casing, alternating the twist direction for each link. Coil the sausages on the sheet pan and use a needle or knife point to puncture any air bubbles&#;this will keep the links from splitting as they cook. For best results, refrigerate the links uncovered overnight before cooking.

Can meat grinders grind bones?

Many grinders are capable of grinding soft bone, from chicken, duck, other small fowl, and rabbit. Turkey is also considered soft bone, but it's slightly denser and may be extremely difficult (or impossible) for your grinder to handle. Most at-home meat grinders can't process hard bone from beef, pork, lamb, venison, and other large animals. Always consult the manual about what your machine can and cannot grind, and never put frozen bones through a grinder under any circumstance, as they will damage the parts.

What else can you do with a meat grinder?

Beyond ground meat and sausage, meat grinders can be used to grind vegetables for relish, falafel, and plant-based burger patties. You can also put fruit through a grinder to get juice (albeit much pulpier juice than if you use a dedicated juicing machine) or mix up ingredients for cookie or pasta dough.

Why Trust The Spruce Eats?

Donna Currie is a food writer and product tester for The Spruce Eats. A cookbook author and self-professed "kitchen geek," she's written many roundups on a range of essential kitchen items, from the best stand mixers to the best slow cookers. She's also tested over 100 products for The Spruce Eats, including the Cuisinart Electric Meat Grinder, which she included in this roundup.

This roundup was updated by Katya Weiss-Andersson, a writer and editor who has nearly a decade of experience as a professional chef, Katrina Munichiello, a writer and editor who specializes in the tea and food industries, and Jason Horn, a writer and editor with a master's degree in journalism and almost 20 years of experience writing about food and drinks.

Sources

• Bryan Flannery is the CEO of Flannery Beef

SmokedBBQSource is supported by its readers. We may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you if you buy through a link on this page. Learn more. 

If you want to make the best burgers, meatballs or sausage, you need to grind your own meat.

You can experiment with different cuts and combinations of fat and lean meat, creating delicious blends you can&#;t get at the store.

We&#;ve tested a range of grinders, from small hand-operated models to almost industrial-size grinders for processing large quantities of meat.

We think the STX Turboforce is the best option for most people, and will easily handle anything you throw at it.

If you do some serious home processing, you&#;ll want to step up to the LEM Big Bite.

There are plenty of other good choices, depending on your budget, so read on to find the best meat grinder for your needs.

TOP PICK

STX Turboforce Meat Grinder

The STX- can chew through tough cuts of meat and can handle both fine or coarse grinds easily. The included attachments make this grinder especially versatile.

Check latest price

How we tested

We purchased each grinder with our own money and then put them through the same rigorous tests.

Each piece of meat was par frozen and cut into 2&#; x 3&#; cubes to ensure consistency of results.

Each grinder had to process a 4lb, clean-trimmed brisket flat for a single grind through the coarse plate, and a 6lb Boston pork butt for a double grind: first through the coarse plate, then second through the fine plate.

We&#;ll go into more detail about each grinder in the next section, but if you want a quick snapshot of the difference in performance this chart shows how much time each grinder took to get through the task.

The 7 Best Meat Grinders Reviewed for

1. Best Overall Meat Grinder &#; STX Turboforce Electric Meat Grinder

Read our full STX Turboforce review.

OK, we&#;ll admit it.

Our choice for the best overall meat grinder is probably a little bit overkill for the casual cook.

However, if you want to start grinding your own meat frequently, there&#;s nothing worse than getting stuck with a cheap grinder.

The STX- grinder is a heavy-duty household machine that can bring a total of 1,200W to bear on any type of meat you feed into its funnel.

You can grind up to 360 pounds of well-trimmed meat per hour, which is plenty enough for most people (if you think that&#;s not enough skip ahead to our enthusiast pick the LEM Big Bite).

The advanced variable intake technology, or AVI, allows the grinder to safely and quickly accept large quantities of meat in short time spans. The grinder is a solid choice when you need to grind a lot of meat for a lot of people in a short time span

Even if you only want to grind a few pounds, it&#;s nice to be able to get it done quickly without your machine getting stopped up like some cheaper grinders are known to do. 

The blades and plates are made of stainless steel and polished aluminum. The electric motor is strong and the rubber feet keep everything stable.

Both are exceptional materials for cleanliness, durability, and reliability.

You can switch between three speeds, one of which is a handy reverse function to help clear up any jams.

What we like:

• Excellent attachments &#; This grinder comes with a meat pusher attachment. This is really handy for getting larger amounts of meat into the funnel for grinding without getting your hands dirty. There&#;s also a Kubbe/Kibbe-making attachment, as well as three different sized sausage stuffing tubes.

• Industrial construction quality &#; Internal components are made of either polished aluminum or stainless steel. 

• Speed selection/circuit breaker &#; Offers high and low speed settings. The addition of a circuit breaker makes this grinder a safer model to use than many other, cheaper kinds.

• Can take a lot of food &#; This grinder features AVI or Advanced Variable Intake technology which allows for large quantities of meat in short periods.

What we don&#;t like:

• Loud &#; There&#;s no way around it; STX is loud.

• Auger pressure &#; Auger does not provide a perfectly tight seal, which can make filling sausage casing a bit of a challenge.

• Struggles with larger cuts &#; The motor can stall when processing larger chunks of meat so for best results, you should cut up your meat beforehand.

The STX- handled the 4lb brisket flat in a little over seven minutes, churning out a coarse grind with no problem or slow down.

Double grinding the pork butt started off well, but the second grind through the fine plate bogged the machine down. The internal silverskin and sinew started getting caught up in the blade and plate.

This took a little over 30 minutes due to having to stop and clean out the particles clogging up the blade and plate. 

STX International STX- Test Results

TaskGrind time4lb brisket flat single grind7:276lb Boston pork butt double grind30:14

The reverse function came in handy here, which helped to pull back some of the meat when it was starting to slow, as did the fact that you can choose between high or low speeds in managing meat flow.

Also, you&#;ll want to trim your meat of excess silverskin and tendons. That&#;s tough to do when grinding a whole pork butt or processing game as the blade bogs down and doesn&#;t wholly cut through sinew. Granted, the company warns not to grind tendons for this reason. Best to have your meat super clean and well trimmed. 

If you want something that can grind through anything without slowing down you&#;ll want to check out the LEM Big Bite that we review below.

Other than those minor issues, the STX- is a great choice. It chews through tough cuts of meat and can handle both fine or coarse grinds easily. Just be sure to trim any tendons, silverskin and sinew that you can get to for fast and efficient grinding. 

Note that if you want to grind a lot of sausages, you should also check out the select model options that include a foot pedal for hands-free use.

2. Best High-End Meat Grinder &#; LEM Products Stainless Steel Big Bite Electric Meat Grinder

Read our full LEM Big Bite grinder review.

LEM is big in the meat and game processing market, and their products reflect that

Out of all the modes we tested the LEM is the most capable, grinding through pounds of meat fast and efficiently. 

The LEM Big Bite electric meat grinder has several motors to choose from. You can pick between 0.35 and 1.5 Hp depending on how much meat you plan on grinding. The higher horsepower motors allow for truly fantastic speed and capacity. 

This is a great choice for hunters who need to process a lot of raw meat, or if you need to make your own dog food. It doesn&#;t slow down even with large chunks of meat or if you have some silverskin left untrimmed.

We selected the .50 horsepower model for our review. It can grind about 13 pounds of meat per minute without breaking a sweat. 

This motor size is the sweet-spot for most people who casually grind their own meats. Anything larger and you&#;re getting into the commercial realm.

If you find yourself grinding meat multiple times a week, every week, then by all means splurge on a larger motor.

It&#;s made from modernized brushed steel to minimize fingerprints and keep it looking great. In addition, the head uses a rifling pattern to push meat forward consistently. It doesn&#;t need constant prodding or pushing.

A storage drawer is located right beneath the grinder head to let you organize your accessories.

What we like:

• Excellent speed and capacity &#; The motor, rifling pattern in the head and extender auger all combine to churn meat through the grinder at a phenomenal rate.

• Grind strength &#; The LEM Big Bite handled any sinew and leftover silverskin that was left on the meat untrimmed without skipping a beat. Whereas other grinders start to slog at the blade, the Bit Bite cuts right through.

• Quiet when in use &#; With such a high-powered machine, you&#;d expect it to be relatively loud. But this grinder is relatively quiet and isn&#;t likely to disturb you once you&#;ve gotten used to the mild humming.

What we don&#;t like:

• Expensive &#; This electric grinder is quite expensive compared to all of the other options we&#;ve reviewed. While it has an excellent motor and works amazingly well, it&#;s probably only worth it if you need to grind a lot of meat.

The LEM Products Stainless Steel Big Bite Electric Meat Grinder is by far one of the best meat grinders you can pick if you need a lot of meat ground in a short amount of time.

It flew through the brisket flat in roughly 3 minutes, never skipping a beat. I couldn&#;t feed the machine fast enough for the coarse plate.

Double grinding the pork butt was equally as easy. It ran through six pounds of pork in 4 minutes for the first grind. Even switching plates I finished double grinding in about 12 minutes. 

The feel of the grinder itself is rugged and sturdy, giving a commercial feel in heft and quality of components. It surpassed my expectations and made me wish I had a lot more meat to grind on test day. 

This is a no-brainer for game hunters and processors, and a very forgiving grinder if you&#;re not adept at trimming meat primals.

The .5HP motor never struggled even when the auger and hopper were full. It just kept pulling and grinding meat at a steady pace.

.5HP LEM Big Bite Test Results

TaskGrind time4lb brisket flat single grind3:086lb Boston pork butt double grind12:20

Don&#;t be shy on grind day as this machine is made for bulk processing. In total, I did ten pounds of meat in under a half hour, that&#;s with cleaning parts and switching plates between proteins. You could very easily fly through 50 pounds of meat and not bat an eye.

I have very little criticism for the LEM Big Bite, and if you have the budget it&#;s a noticeable upgrade in power output than the STX. 

3. Best budget meat grinder &#; ALTRA Stainless Steel Electric Meat Grinder

The ALTRA electric grinder is more affordable than many other electric models we&#;ve tested.

In fact, it&#;s closer in price to a manual grinder.

Despite that fact, it remains a reliable low-volume meat grinder.

The electric motor can go up to 350W.

Included with the purchase are two cutting blades, one sausage tube, a food pusher, and 2 Kibbeh attachments. 

These are used to simplify the preparation of Kibbeh, which is spiced lamb packed inside a wheat shell.

You also get three different cutting plates for varying consistencies or textures.

These are roughly equivalent to coarse, medium or fine grinding.

Many of the most important parts are made of stainless steel. This steel has been layered three times to allow for increased durability and rust resistance.

Other parts are made of aluminum alloy and high-end ABS, a type of durable plastic.

Operation is easy with an on/off/reverse switch, although it lacks a speed variable function.

What we like:

• Easy to disassemble for quick cleaning &#; Thankfully, this grinder is easy to take apart so that you can clean each major piece individually. Putting everything back together is easy as well. To make things even more convenient, all of the blades, plates and other meat-touching parts can be thrown in the dishwasher.

• Good durability &#; Most of the grinder is made from high-quality materials such as stainless steel or aluminum alloy. The fact that it comes with a reverse switch should allow you to clean it more easily as well.

• Storage box &#; The grinder comes with a concealed storage box that you can use to store all of the parts you aren&#;t using. You can also store any other accessories that you frequently use with your meat grinder.

• Affordable &#; Compared to many other electric meat grinders, this model is very affordable.

What we don&#;t like:

• Loading tray and pushing handle are weak &#; The loading tray for pushing meat into the actual grinding mechanism is a little short and flimsy. It can feel unstable when you&#;re trying to feed meat into the machine. You&#;ll have to go a little slower to ensure that everything works properly. In addition, the pushing handle is made of a thin plastic cylinder that isn&#;t quite tough enough to push meat with any real force. Using another tool or implement is recommended if you need to add some extra force.

• Gets bogged down easily &#; If you overload the auger or pack down a bunch of meat with the stomper, the engine bogs down and it doesn&#;t grind effectively.

The Altra performed steadily with the brisket flat, grinding it in a little under ten minutes total through the coarse plate.

It struggled a bit with the pork butt even through the coarse plate. I knew if I continued, the machine would get stuck on the internal silverskin, so I stopped halfway through and trimmed as much of the sinew as I could from the remaining cubed pieces of meat.

Altra Test Results

TaskGrind time4lb brisket flat single grind9:416lb Boston pork butt double grind44:25

This helped the grinder move along much more efficiently, but still some of the initial tendons that got through in the first grind caused the machine to struggle a bit in the second pass. 

All in all, it took about 45 minutes total to double grind the pork butt.

The loading tray wobbled a bit when pushing with the stuffing handle. That Altra best performed when I played slow and steady letting the auger take the meat at its own pace. 

The company is the world’s best heavy duty meat grinder supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.

This is a great choice if you want the convenience of an electric grinder without having to pay for industrial-price equipment.

It&#;s a lot lighter than other grinders we&#;ve looked at but still manages to churn through clean trimmed meat without clogging up. 

4. Fastest for processing meat &#; Meat! Your Maker .5HP Meat Grinder

Read our full Meat! Grinder Review.

If you do a lot of meat processing and like full control of sourcing and handling your food, then consider the grinders from Meat! Your Maker.

Meat! is relatively new to the industry with a range of meat and game processing gear offered direct-to-consumer.

They&#;re going hard promoting their products through influencers, but we wanted to see how they stacked up against the competition.

The .5HP grinder comes with both coarse and fine stainless steel grinding plates and a stainless steel stuffing plate with three stuffing tubes for sausage. Underneath the unit is an accessory drawer for easy organization.

It&#;s nondescript enough to sit on a countertop, but is easy to set up for heavy-duty, bulk grinding.

The .5HP grinder is priced accurately if you process the majority of your own meat throughout the seasons, but can be overkill if you only grind casually a few times a year. Meat! also offers a dialed back 500W grinder for slightly less, and 1.5HP grinder if you plan to process massive amounts of meat regularly. 

What we like:

• High Quality &#; The Meat! Grinder is a premium product that not only performs at a high level, but is also very well built. 

• As fast as advertised &#; Meat! claims that the .5HP grinder can go through roughly 5.5 pounds of meat per minute, and my tests confirmed that capability. This thing is for bulk processing over the long haul.

• Quiet Power &#; The Meat! .5HP grinder was very quiet in comparison to the lower powered grinders we tested. The engine noise never flared up due to too much meat intake or clogged plate. 

What we don&#;t like:

• Demand &#; I suppose if I have to get nitpicky, it&#;s that demand is exceeding supply. Some products have a longer lead time due to low stock. That&#;s a testament to the quality of the products.

I tested the speed of the grinder with a 4lb brisket flat, fully trimmed. The meat was parfrozen to 33°F for an easier grind. With all the meat loaded into the tray, it took roughly 41 seconds to grind through the brisket. Compare this to the 9 minutes it took for the Altra grinder we tested.

The Meat! grinder never wavered in its output and it was surprisingly quiet. I never had to force meat into the grinding head or use the stomper. That amount is aligned with Meat!&#;s statement of 5.5 lbs per minute. 

Next test was a six pound pork butt, cut into chunks and parfrozen. Double grinding the pork butt took 84 seconds not including the time to switch the coarse plate with the fine plate.

There was no clogging of the plates due to connective tissue and no bogging down of the motor. I was left standing in awe at my fresh pile of house-ground meat wondering why I didn&#;t plan to grind more while I had it setup and ready to go.

Overall, the Meat! .5HP grinder is a great product for volume processing. The price point is higher than other grinders we have reviewed, but if you use it as intended you get great, long-term value out of the meat grinder.

The Meat! .5HP is a direct competitor to the LEM grinder, and the two duke it out for the top, high-performing grinder spot.

We almost gave the Meat! grinder the nod for best high-end option. While it processes meat faster, with the LEM you get the customer support system and history as a reliable brand. I didn&#;t have to work with either company&#;s customer support, but after digging into the sites, product reviews, and corporate history, LEM edges into the top spot.

5. Best budget meat grinder &#; ALTRA Stainless Steel Electric Meat Grinder

The ALTRA electric grinder is more affordable than many other electric models we&#;ve tested.

In fact, it&#;s closer in price to a manual grinder.

Despite that fact, it remains a reliable low-volume meat grinder.

The electric motor can go up to 350W.

Included with the purchase are two cutting blades, one sausage tube, a food pusher, and 2 Kibbeh attachments. 

These are used to simplify the preparation of Kibbeh, which is spiced lamb packed inside a wheat shell.

You also get three different cutting plates for varying consistencies or textures.

These are roughly equivalent to coarse, medium or fine grinding.

Many of the most important parts are made of stainless steel. This steel has been layered three times to allow for increased durability and rust resistance.

Other parts are made of aluminum alloy and high-end ABS, a type of durable plastic.

Operation is easy with an on/off/reverse switch, although it lacks a speed variable function.

What we like:

• Easy to disassemble for quick cleaning &#; Thankfully, this grinder is easy to take apart so that you can clean each major piece individually. Putting everything back together is easy as well. To make things even more convenient, all of the blades, plates and other meat-touching parts can be thrown in the dishwasher.

• Good durability &#; Most of the grinder is made from high-quality materials such as stainless steel or aluminum alloy. The fact that it comes with a reverse switch should allow you to clean it more easily as well.

• Storage box &#; The grinder comes with a concealed storage box that you can use to store all of the parts you aren&#;t using. You can also store any other accessories that you frequently use with your meat grinder.

• Affordable &#; Compared to many other electric meat grinders, this model is very affordable.

What we don&#;t like:

• Loading tray and pushing handle are weak &#; The loading tray for pushing meat into the actual grinding mechanism is a little short and flimsy. It can feel unstable when you&#;re trying to feed meat into the machine. You&#;ll have to go a little slower to ensure that everything works properly. In addition, the pushing handle is made of a thin plastic cylinder that isn&#;t quite tough enough to push meat with any real force. Using another tool or implement is recommended if you need to add some extra force.

• Gets bogged down easily &#; If you overload the auger or pack down a bunch of meat with the stomper, the engine bogs down and it doesn&#;t grind effectively.

The Altra performed steadily with the brisket flat, grinding it in a little under ten minutes total through the coarse plate.

It struggled a bit with the pork butt even through the coarse plate. I knew if I continued, the machine would get stuck on the internal silverskin, so I stopped halfway through and trimmed as much of the sinew as I could from the remaining cubed pieces of meat.

Altra Test Results

TaskGrind time4lb brisket flat single grind9:416lb Boston pork butt double grind44:25

This helped the grinder move along much more efficiently, but still some of the initial tendons that got through in the first grind caused the machine to struggle a bit in the second pass. 

All in all, it took about 45 minutes total to double grind the pork butt.

The loading tray wobbled a bit when pushing with the stuffing handle. That Altra best performed when I played slow and steady letting the auger take the meat at its own pace. 

This is a great choice if you want the convenience of an electric grinder without having to pay for industrial-price equipment.

It&#;s a lot lighter than other grinders we&#;ve looked at but still manages to churn through clean trimmed meat without clogging up. 

6. Best Stand Mixer Attachment &#; KitchenAid Metal Food Grinder Attachment

If you already have a KitchenAid mixer, the Food Grinder attachment will let you grind your own meat without needing to buy a stand-alone grinder.

You get three different plates which allow you to grind lots of different things. The coarse plate is firm enough to grind, fruits, vegetables, and cheeses in addition to many types of meat.

Also included are two sausage stuffer tubes, a food pusher, and a cleaning brush.

The unit feels sturdy and is made of durable aluminum, while the plates are made of durable steel.

Everything is easy to take apart to clean.

If you want to save a little money you can opt for a plastic version that comes with two grind plates and no sausage stuffer tubes.

The all metal version definitely performs better though.

What we like:

• Easy to Use- Attaching this grinder to any KitchenAid mixer takes only a couple of seconds. Cleaning the grinder is easy since everything pulls apart into easy to wash pieces.

• Three grind plate &#; Gives you a lot of different grinding options. For burgers, you can use the coarse option, and for sausage, you&#;ll want to run it through once on coarse, and then once using the fine plate.

• Affordable &#; If you already have a KitchenAid stand mixer, getting the grinder attachment will be a lot cheaper than buying a stand alone grinder and offers almost as good performance.

What we don&#;t like:

• Grind Quality is Average &#; The downside to the low cost is that it has a tendency to struggle with fat and smear meat and clog easily.

If you already have a KitchenAid, the food grinder attachment is definitely tempting.

The results aren&#;t as good as you would get with a dedicated grinder like the STX-, but for the low price it&#;s a great option to start experimenting with

7. Best Manual Meat Grinder &#; LEM Products #10 Stainless Steel Clamp-on Hand Grinder

The LEM Products #10 manual grinder is a better choice for occasional or experimental grinding.

It&#;s much more affordable than electric models but is still built to last.

It boasts a heavy-duty stainless steel construction that makes it both easy to clean and resistant to rust damage.

It comes with a coarse 3/8&#; and fine 3/16&#; steel plates plus stainless steel knife and three different stuffing tubes, as well as a stuffing star. This helps you get meat through the grinder and onto your plate faster.

The handle turns very smoothly, which helps reduce the muscle fatigue you&#;ll feel as you grind your meat into the consistency you desire.

What We Like:

• Stainless Steel Everywhere &#; All of it is made with stainless steel: the plates, the outside, the handle. Only the very edge of the handle, where your hand grips it to crank, is made of wood. This ensures that it&#;ll last for quite some time. It also lets you store it practically anywhere without having to worry about its function or durability degrading. The grinding plates and holes themselves will remain sharp, so your meat can be ground just as well in a few years as when you just bought it.

• Wide Mounting Clamp &#; The grinder uses a mounting clamp that&#;s been sized for wide surfaces. This allows you to place the grinder on most countertops or tables so you can maintain stability while you turn the crank. 

• Good Accessories &#; The grinder comes with two choices of stainless steel plates, coarse or fine. It also has a stainless steel knife, three stuffing tubes, and a stuffing star. All of these are included despite the low asking price. This is fantastic value for money; you get a lot of value and functionality in this manual grinder.

What We Don&#;t Like:

• Clamp Isn&#;t Deep &#; While the mounting clamp is fairly wide, especially compared to other manual meat grinders, it&#;s not very deep. This limits the kinds of services you can safely mount this unit on since the table or countertop needs to be thin enough to be secured.

This grinder is a great choice if you want to dabble in grinding your own meat, but don&#;t want to invest in (or have the bench space for) an electric grinder.

Everything feels sturdy down to the rubber feet and the handle turns smoothly.

Why you should grind your own meat

Grinding your own meat takes more effort and time than simply buying preground meat at the grocery store.

So why go through all this effort?

There are plenty of great reasons to ditch the store-bought meat and start grinding your own:

• Flavor improvement &#; Since you control the kind of meat, the cut, and the fat content, you get to decide how every bite tastes once you throw your meat on the grill or in the oven. Once you&#;ve made your own hot dogs from scratch you won&#;t want to buy store bought again.

• The texture &#; Your meat won&#;t spend a long time sitting in a package oxidizing. Instead, every meal will be fresh and your meat will be kept loose and moist.

Freshly made hot dogs on the smoker

• Health &#; Grinding your own meat is healthier than buying prepackaged stuff a lot of the time. Unlike with store-bought meat, you know exactly where your ground meat came from and can control what kind you eat.

• The cool factor &#; finally, there&#;s no denying that it&#;s simply cool to grind your own meat. It gives all of your cookouts or meals an air of authenticity and self-reliance that most people will envy or admire.

Finally, those of you who hunt your own meat will be able to use a grinder to create all kinds of foods out of your kills.

What&#;s best &#; electric vs. manual vs. stand attachment grinders

There are three major types of meat grinders on the market.

Each has there pros and cons, and the best one for you will depend on how you plan on using it.

Electric grinders

Electric grinders like the STX don&#;t rely on manual power, so they are great when you need to grind a lot of meat in a short amount of time.

If you plan on making your own sausages, then an electric grinder can lets you start and stop the process easily is crucial.

Pros:

• Can grind a lot of meat at one time
• Excellent for grinding meat quickly
• Can produce meat of different consistencies

Cons:

• Pricier than the other two options
• May need intense maintenance
• Not good at stuffing sausage casings

Electric grinders can also be used effectively by hunters, since deer, for example, can contain up to 30 pounds of meat easily. Grinding all of that by hand would be tiring for anyone. 

Most electric grinders can be set to produce meat of different textures or consistencies by choosing between different plates.

Electric grinders are more expensive than the other two types, most often. They&#;re also often larger and will take up more space in your kitchen.

Manual grinders

As the name implies, manual grinders rely on human labor to do their work.

This means that manual grinders are best used for smaller amounts of meat. Great if you just want to churn out some gourmet burger patties every once in a while.

Pros:

• Cheaper than electric
• Can be used anywhere
• Easier to maintain

Cons:

• Grinds less meat less quickly than electric
• Doesn&#;t anchor well to all surfaces

Since they don&#;t require electricity, you can use them whenever you desire.

They don&#;t require as much maintenance, although they still need to be cleaned thoroughly just like electric grinders.

In addition, manual grinders are often cheaper than their electric counterparts.

Stand attachments

Finally, if you have a KitchenAid or Cuisinart stand mixer in your kitchen, you might be able to find a stand attachment grinder that fits your mixer.

In this case, you can save space in your kitchen and still grind meat.

They also rely on power from your kitchen mixer, so you shouldn&#;t need to worry about finding another outlet for it to function.

These stand attachments can&#;t grind the same quantity of meat as the more expensive electric options, though.

They also rely on power from your kitchen mixer, so you shouldn&#;t need to worry about finding another outlet for it to function.

Stand attachment meat grinders are also usually cheaper than regular electric grinders.

Pros:

• Fits in kitchen easily
• Doesn&#;t need an extra outlet
• Often has consistency settings to choose between

Cons:

• Can only do a small amount of meat at a time

What to look for in a meat grinder

When searching for an ideal grinder, you should keep these key factors in mind so you can pick the right product for your needs.

How much and what kind of meat do you plan on grinding

Try and think ahead and plan how often you will be using the grinder.

For instance, if you only use the meat grinder once in a while, it&#;s likely a waste of time to purchase an expensive electric model.

Those models are designed to grind a lot of meat in a short amount of time.

You&#;d be much better off getting a manual or attachment type. Those models can handle small quantities of meat every night or once in a while depending on your preference.

Motor power

If you do decide to purchase an electric grinder, you need to choose one with the right motor power.

Higher wattage leads to greater grinding capability. If you need industrial-capacity get a model that has high motor power.

But how do you compare grinders when one is rated in watts and one is rated in horsepower? In ideal settings, 746 watts is the equivalent of 1 horsepower, but take that with a grain of salt. If a motor is 100% efficient, that&#;s a 1:1 ratio, but when you factor in gears, blade sharpness, and auger size, you lose some power in translation.

That being said, in our testing experience, horsepower rated engines have stronger motors than those with equivalent &#;max&#; rating in wattages.

Ease of cleaning

Some meat grinders are easier to clean than others.

No matter which type you end up settling on, they&#;ll all need to be maintained fairly regularly.

If you don&#;t have the time or patience to clean and maintain a complex grinder, purchase a simpler machine. It won&#;t take as long to take apart and wash after each grinding session.

Features and attachments

Grinders can come with a variety of different features and attachments.

You want to make sure the grinder includes multiple plates to select different grind sizes.

I also like to have a grinder with a reverse function to clear any blockages like you get on the STX .

You&#;ll also find some grinders that include attachments for sausage making, though meat grinders aren&#;t very good at sausage stuffing.

These can work well for small batches, but if you want to make a lot of sausages, we suggest investing in a dedicated sausage stuffer.

Keep any possible cool features in mind if you&#;re looking for an all-encompassing machine.

Construction

Some grinders are made from hard plastic while others are made from different types of metals.

You should definitely look for meat grinders that have stainless steel blades whenever possible.

This is because stainless steel is a hypoallergenic and rust-resistant material that is likely to retain its sharpness and durability longer than other typical steel types.

In general, grinders that have fewer parts made of durable metal will be cheaper while grinders made of higher-quality steel will be more expensive. For example, some grinders have plastic gears that wear easier over time, while others have all metal gears that last for the long haul. 

This initial higher cost may translate to greater savings over time if the steel grinders don&#;t break as often, or at all.

How to use your meat grinder

Now that you&#;ve found the ideal meat grinder for your needs, let&#;s go over how to use it most effectively. For more detailed instructions check out our guide on how to grind your own meat.

1. Before you start grinding

First off, you&#;ll want to make sure that you keep all of your equipment cold before use.

This includes grinder attachments and the meat you plan on grinding.

Warm meat warm can easily smear the inside of your grinder. In addition, the various compounds inside the meat will start to separate. The fat, for instance, will begin to leak out of the meat and change texture as it dries out.

To avoid this issue, place all of your meat-grinding stuff into the freezer an hour before you&#;re ready to actually grind. You want that fat to stay cold and to emulsify into the meat mixture during a steady grind.

You can also simply keep it stored there permanently if that&#;s easier over the long term.

2. Select your meat

Cheap fatty cuts of meat work best for grinding. Chuck is great for beef, although I&#;m also partial to brisket or tri tip.

You can also use different combinations to get different quantities of fat and lean meat.

3. Trim your meat

Depending on your grinder, you&#;ll need to trim your meat first.

If you have a cheap electric of manual grinder I would recommend cutting it into one-inch pieces and getting rid of any tough sinew that can catch around the entry hole for your grinder.

If you have a more powerful electric grinder then you might not need to trim at all. This is very helpful when you&#;re trimming something like a pork butt that has a bunch of muscles and tissues that come together in one area. 

4. Start grinding!

Exact instructions will vary depending on your machine so consult your manufacturer instructions.

You don&#;t want the meat overworked for hamburgers, so one grind through the medium plate will suffice. If it&#;s still too coarse for your liking, you can grind through the same plate again, but don&#;t double grind through the small plate or the meat will start to emulsify.

You don&#;t want the meat to emulsify like a sausage. You want some space in the beef so juices can run through and spread throughout.

Grinding tips

1. For sausage salt before grinding, and for burgers salt after making your patties

Salt dissolves certain proteins once it&#;s been mixed into the meat. This is fine for sausage, which is generally tighter and springer than burger meat.

But if you want your burger meat to taste the right way, you should hold off on adding salt or other seasonings until after your patties are formed.

2. Grind from large to small

For most meat mixtures, it&#;s a good idea to grind your meat twice, starting with the large coarse grind before running it through again using the fine plate.

Grinding twice is a great tactic in general for ending up with more tender meat if that&#;s what you&#;re after. All of this prevents smearing.

3. Avoid meat smearing

Speaking of smearing, you&#;ll want to watch your meat as it comes through the grinder.

An easy way to tell whether or not your grinder is smearing your meat is to check how &#;separate&#; each tiny piece is. In theory, perfect grinding will have all of your meat come out in tiny chunks with highly visible fat aspects resting alongside the protein.

Smeared meat will look mixed together and come out looking wet and clumpy. This leads to a bad texture, bad consistency, and potentially worse flavor.

To fix smearing, you might need to sharpen your blades, clean the plate, or perform other types of maintenance.

As always, keep everything cold too. Parfrozen meat is less likely to smear and keeps the fat intact. 

You can also use a reverse function if your grinder is equipped with it to see if that clears up the trouble.

Meat grinder maintenance

Blade sharpening is no joke. The sharper the better, since dull blades can squish or smear meat pieces around.

You should check your blades at least every few times you use the grinder to see if they are dulling.

Most meat grinders need artificial blade sharpening once a year. The good news is that the blades will technically keep themselves sharp if you use the grinder frequently.

This is because the blades will strike the plate microscopically each time that you use the machine. This will help keep the space between the blades plate small and tight.

However, you&#;ll still likely need to artificially sharpen the blades every once in a while.

Keeping the plate clean is also important, because the meat that rests on the plate will quickly attract bacteria and germs.

You need to make sure that the plate is thoroughly clean each time you use it. Washing it manually with hot water and plenty of soap is the best way to ensure safety.

Finally, you can also remove the remaining meat chunks or bits from your grinder by grinding a piece of bread or a few wadded up paper towels. The bread will likely pass through and can be disposed of after absorbing some of the meat remnants.

The paper towels won&#;t manage to come all the way through, instead of absorbing oil and fat remnants left behind. It&#;ll be easier to clean the inside of the grinder after doing either of these two things.

Wrapping it up

While all of the options we reviewed are great for certain scenarios, the best overall is still the STX International STX- Turboforce Speed Electric Meat Grinder.

Its great capacity for grinding lots of meat in a short time span, excellent selection of attachments, texture and speed variations, and great durability all make it a worthwhile choice for anyone looking for a good all-around meat grinder.

Whatever your choice, remember to keep the parts clean and store your unit in your freezer before use! Happy cooking!

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