Best Meat Grinder for Deer, Hamburgers, Wild Game, and More

If you like to hunt, you may also prefer cutting up your deer meat. Doing so allows you to skip having to take your venison to a processing facility of some kind. It also lets you decide what cuts you want and to smoke it yourself if you choose. 

To get ground meat, though, you will either have to take it somewhere where there is a grinder, or you must get a deer meat grinder yourself. Getting a meat grinder so that you can grind up your meat has several other advantages too. 

In this blog post, we’re about to analyze the seven best meat grinders for deer, hamburgers, wild game, and more.

We’ll also discuss how to choose the best meat grinder for your situation – whether you want a deer meat grinder for home use or a more substantial deer meat grinder, we’ve got you covered.

But first – here’s our top pick deer meat grinder and also our top seven best deer meat grinders.

Let’s take a look!

Our Top Pick

Lem Big Bite Meat Grinder

• Grinds 11 lbs per minute
• Sturdy and sleek design
• Front storage drawer
• Excellent price

Buy on Amazon

Below this text, you’ll see our list of the top seven deer meat grinders and then our in-depth feedback – plus a guide on how to find the best deer meat grinder.

Top 7 Best Deer Meat Grinders

1. Lem Big Bite
2. Lem Big Bite 22
3. Pro-Cut KG-12-FS Grinder
4. Weston Pro Series Meat Grinder
5. Hakka Brothers TC Series Meat Grinder TC8
6. Thunderbird 300E
7. STX TurboForce Classic 3000 Series Electric Meat Grinder

# 1 – Lem Big Bite Meat Grinder

This Lem meat grinder is available from both Amazon and Pleasant Hill Grain – often abbreviated to PHG. PHG specializes in high-quality kitchen equipment and has excellent, in-depth information on each Lem meat grinder – have a look at their website!

This meat grinder has a nice grinding head and a torque motor that is perfect for frequent use. 

The grinding rate is 11lbs per minute, which is not the fastest but is still more than enough for home use.

It comes with a handy front storage drawer, three plastic stuffing tubes, three stainless steel grinder plates, a plastic stomper, and a few other convenient accessories. 

Perhaps the best feature of this grinder is how much stainless steel goes into it. All of the gears inside it, and even the roller, grinder plates, blade, motor, and meat tray are products of steel and not plastic.

So, you don’t have to worry about this durable grinder breaking on you. 

It even says that it can handle beef or pork. Or game meat! Whatever you use to grind, it is sure to last a long time. The steel is also easy to clean and sterilize after using it on raw meat. 

A couple of other bonus perks about this meat grinder are the built-in circuit breaker and the feed augers.

The breaker protects the motor from overload damage, turning it off before it overheats. The feed augers grab the meat chunks and pull them down. That way, you don’t have to work as hard to force the meat into the grinder. 

I also find the price to be excellent, considering the quality of the meat grinder. Perhaps the only downside is the weight – the meat grinder’s a bit heavy due to all of the steel.

# 2 – Lem Big Bite Meat Grinder 22

This Lem meat grinder is much like the previous one, but there are some key differences.

For starters, it has a #22 grinding head instead of a #12, hence the name difference. The motor also has a higher HP, allowing it to grind your meat at a rate of 13lbs per minute. 

The Lem meat grinder is not much faster, but it does make this grinder more expensive than the original LEM Big Bite meat grinder model.

Like other Lem meat grinders, the Big Bite 22 boasts stainless steel components and steel gears and rollers. The meat grinder also has a protective circuit breaker to prevent overloading. 

Other similarities include the Big Bite to grab the meat and pull it in and the fact that it comes with its front storage drawer, three grinder plates, three stuffing tubes, a plastic stomper, and a few other things. 

The only real question is if the slight differences between this Lem 22 and the Lem 12 are worth paying more for – is it worth the price?

Then, there is also the fact that the weight is still on the heavy side, making this grinder one that you won’t want to have to carry around. 

However, whichever of the Lem grinders that you get – you have plenty of accessory options. One of these is a handy foot pedal that can turn the meat grinder off and on while still leaving your hands free. 

There is also a juicer attachment, a jerky slicer, and a few other things that go with this type of grinder. 

# 3 – Pro-Cut KG-12-FS Grinder

This Pro-Cut KG-12 is a hefty meat grinder perfect for inside your home. It’s even better suited for commercial use.

The Pro-Cut KG-12 also has the needed NSF & UL certifications for use in a shop. So, if you have the space for a meat grinder that is almost 80 pounds, it might be worth it for those who want to do a lot of grinding. 

Despite being for commercial use, the KG-12 meat grinder still plugs into a standard 110V outlet and, surprisingly, it is not too much more expensive than a regular household meat grinder.

It has the same #12 head and 3/4 HP motor that the first Lem option has, which is excellent for home use. 

Unfortunately, the size of this meat grinder means that, even with the same head and motor, it is slow. It handles the meat at a rate of somewhere between 4lbs and 7lbs per minute. 

If you think that a cutting rate of 4lbs and 7lbs seems too slow, then there’s good news. You get an advantage along with the relatively slow grinding rate. There is almost no chance that it will overheat.

Also, like the Lem grinder, this Pro-Cut model is available at PHG, and has a good warranty. It also has a few add-ons, though not as many as the Lem. The best of these is the foot pedal attachment that frees your hands as you cut the meat.

The Pro-Cut rocks a sturdy, stainless-steel build. Since it is for commercial use, the headstock and screw are also tin-dipped cast iron for extra durability. 

Finally, one last thing to note about the Pro-Cut meat grinder is how the grinder knives and plates that it comes with are interchangeable with Torrey meat grinders – a brand that focuses more on home use. 

# 4 – Weston Pro Series Meat Grinder

This Weston meat grinder has a #22 head and a strong 1.5 HP motor.

The Weston grinds your meat between 9 and 12lbs per minute, which is typical for most grinders. It weighs roughly 58lbs – 60lbs, so it is a bit heavy, but not as much as other meat grinders – especially the commercial varieties. 

The Weston meat grinder does have a handle so that you can move it around if you want to. It also disassembles effortlessly. The easy disassembly also makes it easy to clean when finished.

This grinder might not look classy, depending on your preferences for looks, but the inside has some near-genius features.

For starters, the motor is air-cooled to prevent it from overheating, and it also has a reverse function. 

On the outside, the tray part has a guard on it to keep your hands safe. There is even a built-in knife sharpener that you can use when cutting your meat and feeding it in.

A storage area outside helps you keep plates, stuffing funnels, and other parts organized and handy. 

As far as price goes, it is almost exactly at the average line is for meat grinders – impressive since the Weston Pro meat grinder rocks a solid, expensive-feeling steel build. It comes with a stomper, a dust cover, and a couple of other things.  

Finally, this meat grinder has a 5-year warranty, and it is a pretty solid option if you want to buy a meat grinder. You can even buy it from Amazon! 

# 5 – Hakka Brothers TC Series Meat Grinder TC8

This Hakka meat grinder is small, being under 50lbs in weight. More than that, it also comes with a built-in handle on the top of it, making carrying it around easy.

The weight, compactness, and modest price are the three best things about this grinder. 

The Hakka TC8 meat grinder is small enough for home use. It is suited for commercial use, as well.

It would look great in shops and would fit nicely in a corner out of the way. This grinder conforms to all of the safety standards necessary for it to be in a shop. 

There are virtually no sharp corners or seams, and its rubber feet help keep it stable and prevent it from slipping.

Though not entirely made of stainless steel, the outer housing, feed assembly, and the meat grinder’s auger are. These are the parts that you need to be clean for your meat to be safe to eat. 

On the inside, this grinder has a circuit breaker and a cooling fan for overload protection. It also has a reverse option. In the gearbox, you’ll find the grease sealed. That way, you shouldn’t need to replace the oil. 

Other than that, the Hakka brand doesn’t say a lot about their grinder.

Hakka doesn’t even give the grinding rate per minute, though they say that their meat grinder can process 176lbs per hour.

This meat-grinding rate comes out to around 3lbs per minute, which is slow and probably why they prefer to list the pounds per hour. 

# 6 – Thunderbird 300E Meat Grinder

This meat grinder from Thunderbird might not be a Lem – but it’s a very popular grinder at PHG that’s worth considering.

The Thunderbird 300E has a #12 head but the same 1HP motor as their Lem 22. This combination offers a grinding speed of between 8 to 12lbs per minute.

The most notable thing about this meat grinder is that it is suitable for commercial use without being too big.

Though the Thunderbird grinder is a bit bigger than home meat grinders, it still can be used in your home.

Commercial meat grinders often need a more robust power supply, but this one works fine with just a standard source. This convenient perk makes it a perfect meat grinder if you are doing a lot with it.

For these reasons – the Thunderbird meat grinder might be your best bet if you’re starting a business.

Since this grinder is NSF and UL certified, you can use it for a business if you want to.

However, this also means that this meat grinder is on the expensive side, as you might expect for a commercial meat grinder. It is the most expensive one on this list. 

The Thunderbird meat grinder also features fewer add-on options compared to the Lem meat grinders – even though it is a PHG product! There is a footswitch that you can get to free up your hands, and it does come with the meat tray – nice.

Still, this Thunderbird grinder contains a lot of stainless steel. The meat tray, headstock, feed screw, headstock ring, plate, and more are from food-grade stainless steel.

# 7 – STX Turboforce Classic 3000 Series Electric Meat Grinder

This meat grinder is perhaps the smallest and the least expensive one on the list. That said, it still comes with a lot of great things.

It is a home use grinder, with a grinding rate of 3 to 4lbs per minute. Though this is slower than grinders for commercial purposes, it is still plenty fast enough. 

As a home grinder, it is not heavy-duty. The STX Turboforce classic meat grinder isn’t best for grinding anything other than meat.

Though some people do use this for bones, it is not recommended with this grinder. They specifically warn you against trying to grind bones with it. 

It comes with the grinding head, meat hopper, three cutting blades, three different grinding plates, a sausage stuffing plate, three sizes of sausage stuffing tubes, a meat pusher, and a couple of other things.

Considering the low price, that is a lot of extras to get with your grinder.

As for specifics, this meat grinder has a #12 sized grinding head and a maximum wattage of 3,000. Even while it is grinding, however, it only tends to use 800 to 1,200 watts. The meat hopper is large compared to the rest of it and holds around three pounds of meat. 

More than that, it has what it calls Advanced Variable Intake (AVI) technology. This feature supposedly lets you run larger pieces of meat through it, which can save you time since you don’t have to cut up your deer meat as small.

Finally, this grinder, like all Paradigm Alley USA products, comes with a 30-Day Unconditional Money-Back Guarantee. There is also a 3-Year Warranty that includes the costs of the parts as well as the labor. 

What to Look for In a Deer Meat Grinder?

Looking for a deer meat grinder can be a bit challenging. Everyone you ask is sure to have a favorite meat grinder and opinions regarding what you need.

Though there are some blatant failings that you don’t want to have in any meat grinder, the rest is simply a matter of preference. 

For starters, the brand of the meat grinder you pick may or may not be a big deal to you.

PHG is a good company that sells various meat grinders, has a good warranty, and is well-known. However, no-brand or unknown companies may be just as good in terms of quality while being cheaper. 

Getting the perfect meat grinder for your situation is much like the classic debate over generic vs. name brand, which mostly boils down to opinion!

Choosing a deer meat grinder is not a decision to make lightly – because they cost several hundred dollars! $500 or $600 is about average for a meat grinder. A few are cheaper, and ones that are more for commercial use tend to be more expensive. 

Meat Grinder Power

There are two aspects of the power in a meat grinder that you should take note of and consider. 

Firstly, the motor will usually have a certain number of watts or HP. The higher the HP is, the closer the grinder will be to working at a commercial pace, but lower watts are fine for home use. 

Somewhere around 1 HP is what most grinders have, and this is part of what translates into the grinding rate, in pounds per minute, and this lets you know how fast the meat grinder will work for you. 

Meat Grinder Materials

While plastic might be excellent for some things in the kitchen, a meat grinder is not one of them. Stainless steel is something that you must look for here. The only downside to getting a stainless steel grinder is the weight, but this type will last you a lot longer. 

In particular, you should ensure that the gears and parts inside the grinder are of some sort of sturdy metal. These gears take the brunt of the work. Having plastic parts here will mean that you are more likely to replace something down the road. 

Another reason why you want some steel is for easy cleanup and sterilization. Steel is easy to get clean, and it won’t hold germs like plastic can sometimes do. And if you ever want to use your meat grinder in your shop, it will need to be mostly steel for you to get your certifications. 

Meat Grinder Accessories

What types of accessories work with your meat grinder? Some meat grinders will show you a picture of the meat grinder with a front tray and a few other things. However, that does not necessarily mean that you will get those miscellaneous items when buying the meat grinder. 

 In this instance, you must buy the front tray and other parts separately if you want them. Therefore, it is vital to note what you are buying. When these items come with the grinder, it tends to be cheaper overall than buying them separately. 

More than that, you can be assured that the tray, stomper, and other things will fit well with the grinder. When buying them separately, there is a chance that you may get the wrong ones, which can be problematic for obvious reasons. 

Also, some companies sell add-ons that you can get to go with your meat grinder. One example of this is a juicer add-on that allows you to use your meat grinder for juicing certain things.

Juicing (or other options) gives your meat grinder more purposes, means that you need less space on your counter, and helps you get the most use out of it. 

Not all meat grinders have add-ons, so you must look first! Examine meat grinder models that you like if you know that you will want some specific feature later on. 

A few other add-on examples are foot pedals, jerky slicers, and patty makers. You’ll also find others.

Meat Grinder Protection Systems, Reverse Function, and More!

Besides those main features that you should look at, there are a few other things that are equally important to note.

Some of the best meat grinders include a protection system in their circuit breakers. These systems will shut off the meat grinder before it overheats, which would damage the motor. 

Speaking of protection, if you have kids who might be around while using the grinder, you may want to have a guard on it. A tray guard protects your hands by preventing you from being able to reach the moving blades. 

Another system is a reverse function. A reverse function in a meat grinder is handy for getting meat unstuck. Sometimes putting too much meat in at once can cause it to jam, which can be tricky to unjam without a reverse option. 

The Key to Maintaining Your Deer Meat Grinder!

Though meat grinders (whether venison, wild game, or hamburger) can be a lot of work, they are straightforward to maintain.

The key is to keep them clean and dry. Hygiene is vital when grinding meat for obvious reasons, and all that steel can rust eventually if it stays wet too long. 

Keeping your meat close to freezing is also critical, as this makes it easier on your grinder, especially if you plan on trying to grind up some of the smaller bones. Even then, try to stick with the ‘soft’ bones and don’t try to grind the hard ones once you get your new meat grinder.

What about you?

Do you have experience using meat grinders? Please let us know your thoughts.

What meat grinder looks the best?

Or – do you have any meat grinding tips for using a meat grinder or for buying the best meat grinder?

Please reply and let us know.

Thank you for reading!

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