Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Grinder comments

Comments

  • Ripnem
    Ripnem Posts: 5,511
    Do you have a Kitchen Aid mixer? If not, I would hook yourself up with one of the higher end models and get a grinder for it. Then you can also do all the other great stuff those machines can do.

    If you do have one already. Why not get the grinder attachment? I couldn't imagine that unit doing any better of a job.

    just .02
  • emilluca
    emilluca Posts: 673
    The biggest problem with toy grinders is "You can't get enough of a feed tube to make it easier. They don't want you to lose fingers.
    Look for auctions of grocers hat had meat equip,emt and buy a hobart bench style grinder. Some resturant auction will hae them also.
    The kitchen aid is ok if you are grinding 1 lb or maybe 2 lbs. It is even worse if you want to stuff it takes forever.

    Emil
  • mkc
    mkc Posts: 544
    I have the Cabela's one. Got it on sale for around $120. I've used it several times and it works great for us. I would not pay full price for it, though, because it goes on sale often enough. Plus IIRC it might be a rebranded Waring Pro, so you might want to check that for comparison pricing.

    I did start out with the Kitchenaid grinder attachment, which worked ok for smaller amounts, but I had to make sure the meat was partially frozen or it would start clogging up after a few pounds. It struggled the day I made 15 pounds of fresh kielbasa. The Cabela's one was much more forgiving of meat temperature and was also much faster.
    Egging in Crossville, TN
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    A lot of people are successfully grinding with the KA.

    After ruining my new KA I bought that exact model. The model under that was or is on sale for $69.95. I didn't take advantage of the sale because the drive gear is plastic.

    This Cabella grinder works great, I like the reverse capability and the 3 plates. The fine plate works well and gives a great texture. I went to the middle plate and did a double grind.

    Grinding 15# of pork butt & beef (in 3# batches) for summer sausage did get the motor hot, however, that heat did not transfer to the grinder at all. This unit handled grinding the fat portions much better than the KA with less clogging.

    I didn't like the price but that's another topic. I also didn't want to spend the money to get up into the professional models.

    GG
  • Ripnem
    Ripnem Posts: 5,511
    GG,

    Sure hope mine lasts a little longer than yours. The most I have done was 8-10 pounds (think I need a scale) I gave it a double grind. It was fawn meat mixed with 10% beef fat and not frozen at all. The whole process didn't take much more that an hour.

    What did KA have to say about it all?
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    I found one in the Bargain Cave for $90 but it was missing parts so I did pay full price. I sure would have been happier with the sale price. :)

    GG
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    The manual said the head would get hot so I really didn't worry about the heat. The head got hot but not excessively hot.

    When I called KA I was told the duty cycle on the attachments is only 5 to 8 minutes. I asked about mixing dough and was told 4 to 6 minutes. That really surprised me.

    The support person quizzed me on how I was using the KA, how long I had the KA running. The next questions was where did I buy, serial nu and did I have the original receipt. I was asked to send a copy of the receipt, I sent a scanned image. It took 3 days to get that all done and then they sent me out a brand new unit. I have to re-box the old unit and send it back via FedEx - Whirlpool paid shipping both ways so there was no cost to me whatsoever.

    I am not sure if I am going to try using the grinder attachment again or not, it will probably go on eBay.

    I either got a problem unit or I pushed the grinding/stuffing too hard into the heat. I did not have the meat colder than fridge temperature and a lot of people said to get the meat to almost freezing before grinding, also to cool the attachment.

    One thing, when I pulled the grinder off after doing 15# a small pool (1/4 tsp) of what looked like 20W motor oil, honey colored in the attachment hole.

    I have had 15 to 20 people tell me they are grinding sausage with the KA without any problems.

    Anyway I am not bashing KA, it is just what I went through.

    GG
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    Tom,

    I don't know if you do any canning but I have an Italian pommodori machine with a grnder and stuffer attachment. I need another set of hands to keep up with it. I am going to the wholesale tomorrow and can check the price if you want.

    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,659
    are the plates bigger on the cabellas than the ka, thats my only real gripe with the kitchen aide, plates are too small. was good before chef rd retired, got my KA for 15 dollars with a broken switch, he sent me all the replacement parts :) the forum has been very very good to me
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    The plates on the Cabella's are 3, 4.5 and 8mm.

    Same diameter and key as the KA the plate on the Cabella is 1 to 2 mm thicker.

    The 4.5 is the same as the small on the KA.

    The large plate on the KA is, I am guessing, 6mm - smaller than the large on the Cabella. I am not sure if I would use the large Cabella plate.

    GG
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,659
    alot of the fresh portuguese sausage i eat has a huge grind to it, almost chunks, the 8 mm would make a huge difference with those
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    I would think you could get a 8 mm plate and use it in the KA. I didn't try fitting, but other than thickness it sure looked like the cabella would fit in the KA.

    One thing I noticed with the KA. When I was grinding or stuffing the meat would push out through the threads of the retaining ring. Before use I did hand tighten the retaining ring. So I am not sure if using a thicker plate would create any difficulties or not with 'leakage'.

    GG
  • I have the KA and grinder attachment currently and have been using it successfully for 4 years. I often grind 12-15# of well-trimmed beef roasts into low fat ground beef, so when I do grind, I work the KA hard. I'm just looking to step up into a better quality grinder.

    I noticed Cabelas has the 0.75 HP commercial grinder on sale for $350, %50 off. The testosterone in me has my mind screaming "buy, buy, buy!!!", but I realize for my use that is ridiculous overkill (but I would certainly learn how to make my own sausage to pay for that sucker!!).

    I think I'll just wait for the Pro Grinder to go on sale and get a co-worker to pick one up next time he comes here from Pennsylvania. I like the bargain cave idea but I'm about 8 hours drive from the closest Cabellas and my co-worker is about 75 minutes.
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    I couldn't find that sale at Cabella's online. Sounds like a grate price.

    Sears had one that looks somewhat like the pro Cablla's on sale for $69. 1000w. with reverse. I couldn't find if it had a plastic or metal drive. Walmart is showing one also.

    Cabella's is re-branded so finding something the same would probably be less money.

    GG
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    I don't know anything about grinders, but I believe the Cabela's CG-15 vac sealer, which gets good reviews, is made by Weston. So, I looked at Weston's grinders and found this one. A 575W machine (which I think equates to .77HP). About $100.

    I recently bought the Weston version of the CG-15, the PRO-2300 vac sealer - you are not the only one with testosterone issues I guess :blush: - from these folks and was pleased with their responsiveness to my questions and their order processing in general. Only had it for a few weeks, but so far I am very happy with it.

    Anyway, here's Weston's grinder...

    http://www.qualitymatters.com/Weston-Brand-Electric-Meat-Grinder-Heavy-Duty-8-p/qm33-0201-w.htm

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
    Thanks for the link.

    My only concern about that model is the gears are plastic, other than that it looks great.

    Over the years I have had 3 or 4 seal a meals and have several times thought about getting another one unless one doubles seals it seems the bags seem to end up leaking air.

    I would like to get a better sealer. I looked at one at Cabella's but it was pretty expensive.

    Wish Seal a meal would just put a wider sealing element on theirs and they would be great. I have a bag sealer, non vacume, I use for other than food purposes it has a 1/8" (and I can get a 1/4") sealing element. There is a nice wide seal strip on the bags.

    Again, thanks. GG
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    GG, I didn't notice that the gears were plastic. If I had, I wouldn't have even mentioned it! Used to buy cheapo electric drills and finally got tired of fixing or replacing. Bought a metal geared Milwaukee - about 30 years ago - and it's still going strong!

    The bags I bought with the Weston sealer have a 3/8" seal on 3 sides. The seal that the machine makes, is 3/16". The only problem I've had with it was when I failed to make sure the bag wasn't crimped before I sealed. In other words, I "pleated" my seal and it most definitely leaked.

    This machine does not have a roll dispenser or cutter, but then, it's cheaper to buy bags than rolls anyway. I was surprised at that. It also has no accessories like marinating containers, Ball jar sealers or the like. I was able to convert my Seal-a-Meal tube to fit though. Only trouble with that is, it doesn't know when to quit sucking so you have to guess. Gonna have to try the FS brand containers as my Seal a Meals won't hold a seal (they didn't before either).

    The Weston unit (on the site I linked) is about $100 cheaper than the Cabela's machine. Appears to be the same machine. It'll suck the bark off a tree. Quick too.

    Have we sufficiently hijacked this thread? :blush:

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    Thanks for the info, it's great. I have been fighting getting yet another food saver /seal a meal for 7 or 8 months now. I'm just not too excited on sealing/leaking then double bagging and sealing. I never did use the vacuum on the containers.

    I will go back and take a look at the Weston. How long have you been using the Weston and how well does the seal hold on the bags?

    GG
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    I've only had it for a few weeks, but it seems to seal well - as long as you don't let the bags get "pleated". I just looked at the Cabela's unit and it seems it's on sale. For about what I paid for mine. There are 167 reviews if you want to read a few.

    http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0030017516707a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntk=Products&QueryText=vacuum+sealer&sort=all&Go.y=8&N=0&Nty=1&hasJS=true&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form23&Go.x=17

    I will say this... I hope you have room for it. It's quite large. I leave mine out on a counter and actually USE it. If I had to put it away and take it out to seal a few bags, well, that would be a pain. In this pic, you can get a sense of scale from the knife block and the 2 Qt sauce pan...

    4291136941_e6d6db83c2_b.jpg

    Is it too expensive? Of course it is. But I wanted one that would last a while. Hopefully I found it.

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
    That us a good sale.

    I remember walking by it when I was looking at meat grinders. I thought to myself, that is huge and then saw the retail price, then my inner child said walking, we are walking... and began to think again about the food saver.

    For us counter space is minimal, our kitchen is small. The only redeeming thing about our kitchen is that it won't cost all that much to replace the cabinets and counters when we get around to the project.

    GG
  • GG or anyone else-

    I've been looking at buying my first KA. I can't decide between the professional and the artisan. Do I spend the extra 100 for the professional?
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    Mid December someone posted a Williams Sanoma 1 day special on KA 610 Professional. The end price after rebates was $249, I think retail was $499.

    All in all I like it. I have not seen or used the artisan.

    I would make a new post tomorrow asking the same question. There are other members that I am sure have much more experience with these.

    GG
  • if you buy the commercial model .... you won't regret it....there are many attachments that you can get for it too.... i have the sausage mixer and the jerky slicer for my cabela's 1 hp....i suffered for many years with a "homeowner" grinder.... i do in minutes what used to take me hours(trying to help you justify the purchase...lol)...ray
  • check the weight of the machines that tout wattage as an indices of of quality.... the cabela's commercial units are the best( no... i don't have any affiliation with them)... call the hamburg pa store and connect with the bargain cave.... they almost always have some at great prices ... and accessories too. the folks there are very helpful....if you establish a rapport with an employee, they might call you back when something comes in....