Kitchen Aid mixer meat grinder

[DougE]

A decent stand alone 8# entry level grinder can be had for around what the KA attachment cost. I don't remember the regular price, but I got my 8# Weston for 100 bucks on sale. As far as sutffers, get the LEM 5#. Aside from the elbow on the hakka and others like it, if you ever need parts, it's as simple as going to LEM and getting parts.

 

[Retired Spook]

I used my old KA to make lots of Italian sausages stuffed in natural casings - but no more than one pork shoulder's worth at a time, which was fine with me. Mine worked great even with the plastic grinder and stuffer tube attachments. One thing I did do was grind the cutter blades on a surface grinder and it ran great after I did that! Sadly, the newer cutting blades are cheaper than the blade I have but I am sure they would still cut better if ground on a surface grinder.

I don't think I would go into commercial sausage production with a KA but +/-10-lbs at a time is not much of a problem, imho.

 

[clifish]

MY KA came with the plastic stuffer/grinder, I just want to know if I like it. I probably would not do over 5lbs at a time and would also have the wife stuff the meat into the stuffer while I try to handle the casings. I have no doubt that I will eventually get some form of dedicated version of each.

 

[SherryT]

I will be doing small batches for sure. No more than 5lbs for sure.

Next question. Can you mix meat with the KA using the dough hook?

The KA I have is an older model that uses a "c" shaped dough hook and all it did was make a trail through the meat, so I use the paddle.

I haven't actually weighed how much meat I process at once in the KA, but I'd say no more than 2-or-so pounds at a time.

Like I said, mine is an older model so I'm not going to tax it too much...it's more important to me to have a KA for mixing dough/batter rather than meat.

 

[clifish]

The KA I have is an older model that uses a "c" shaped dough hook and all it did was make a trail through the meat, so I use the paddle.

I haven't actually weighed how much meat I process at once in the KA, but I'd say no more than 2-or-so pounds at a time.

Like I said, mine is an older model so I'm not going to tax it too much...it's more important to me to have a KA for mixing dough/batter rather than meat.

I have an older model as well and I would trust them way more than any made in the last 10 years.

 

[SherryT]

I have an older model as well and I would trust them way more than any made in the last 10 years.

Oh I hear ya!

Hubs loved his coffee and lots of it, so we used to buy the Bunn coffee makers. The first one we bought lasted 15 years, the second about 8 years, but the last one didn't make it to two, so I went old school and got a SS Presto percolator (makes better coffee if you ask me!).

 

[Bigtank]

I purchased a VEVOR horizontal stuffer off ebay, no elbow so there's less meat that doesn't stuff. I've used it 4 times now. It works well and is easy to clean.

 

[6GRILLZNTN]

I purchased a VEVOR horizontal stuffer off ebay, no elbow so there's less meat that doesn't stuff. I've used it 4 times now. It works well and is easy to clean.

I've looked at those, but I have a question. It looks like it needs to be close to the edge of the surface its on so the hand crank can clear it. Is that the case?

 

[Bigtank]

I've looked at those, but I have a question. It looks like it needs to be close to the edge of the surface its on so the hand crank can clear it. Is that the case?

Yes probably a couple inches. I turn the crank with my right hand, and work the sausage with my left hand coming off the tube. it works well and is easy to do.

 

[DougE]

I've looked at those, but I have a question. It looks like it needs to be close to the edge of the surface its on so the hand crank can clear it. Is that the case?

Any of them pretty much do to clamp them to the work surface whether the handle clears or not.

 

[6GRILLZNTN]

Yes

Thank you!

 

[wesir]

Before sticking frozen meat through that I'd double check the kitchen aid has the power and isn't going to burn out its motor. The plastic one on mine worked fine grinding brisket trimmings for tallow but I've never tried giving it something like semi-frozen meat that most videos tell you to put through a normal grinder.

For the entry level stuffer it seems like you get the choice between something like the HAKKA that's dual geared but will leave .5-1lb of meat in the elbow at the bottom or something like the LEM that has a single gear but has less waste. If you're planning on doing batches that require refilling the container the dual geared stuffers are pretty nice since you can bring the piston back up quickly to refill though you might be able to find a drill attachment that'll take care of that on the single geared ones.

 

[mike243]

I use to process 4-6 deer every year and would grind 5-10lbs with my KA grinder, I learned that it was better all the way around if I vaced roasts and then ground them as needed, less chance of freezer burn, my grinder attachment has developed a crack after 20 or so years so will replace it soon with a metal version, it may never fail but it will at some point

 

[kuroki]

Oh I hear ya!

Hubs loved his coffee and lots of it, so we used to buy the Bunn coffee makers. The first one we bought lasted 15 years, the second about 8 years, but the last one didn't make it to two, so I went old school and got a SS Presto percolator (makes better coffee if you ask me!).

I haven't had it in my shop for more than about two months, but the commercial model Bunn I bought still seems just as well made as all the old ones I've been around. It sure makes a lot better pot of coffee than any home coffee maker I've tried too

 

[clifish]

I use to process 4-6 deer every year and would grind 5-10lbs with my KA grinder, I learned that it was better all the way around if I vaced roasts and then ground them as needed, less chance of freezer burn, my grinder attachment has developed a crack after 20 or so years so will replace it soon with a metal version, it may never fail but it will at some point

mine came with a couple cracks at the front, I glued them up. I don't expect this to last a lifetime but really want to know if I like doing it.

 

[chopsaw]

really want to know if I like doing it.

That's the key to it . I started with a hand crank . I gave up a couple of times because of bad results . Just wasn't worth it . Once I got it figured out , and the homemade was what everyone wanted it wasn't hard to spend the money .
I ground yesterday and I'm getting ready to mix and stuff here in a bit .

 

[Retired Spook]

mine came with a couple cracks at the front, I glued them up. I don't expect this to last a lifetime but really want to know if I like doing it.

Mine has a few cracks in the plastic on the grinder housing where it attaches to the metal bushing that gets inserted into the KA - cracks look homely but it still does the job!

 

[mike243]

Thats where my crack is at may last forever , its a very handy tool, ground brisket burgers are hard to beat

 

[Inscrutable]

That's the key to it . I started with a hand crank . I gave up a couple of times because of bad results . Just wasn't worth it . Once I got it figured out , and the homemade was what everyone wanted it wasn't hard to spend the money .
I ground yesterday and I'm getting ready to mix and stuff here in a bit .

That’s the tricky part. How far do you go at first?
Often, folks starting newish hobbies enter too low on the ladder, the effort or results are disappointing, and they quit … never really unlocking/experience the real joy/benefit of it.
I see it happening with woodworking equipment and audio equipment.
When I get ready for sausage-making, I’m not even opening the box on the cheap grinder and stuffing attachments I have and just go to the LEM site. Buy once, cry once …

 

[radioguy]

I own one of these grinders and have used it for a few years, It works well. We only do small batches, 5-15lb, 1-3 times a year. Put it in the freezer before you grind. I also use the KA with regular paddle to mix the meat depending on what I'm making. I use a LEM big bite stuffer.

RG