Metal in grind?

[Ansio]

I have some grey stuff coming out of my grinder. It's always toward the end of a 6-8 pound grind.

My grinder is magnetic, I can stick a magnet on it, the shavings do not seem to be magnetic, but they could be to small to stick.

I'm worried it's metal shavings maybe?

The plate has some striations on it but nothing super bad. Everything is straight from the freezer, all parts and meat, the meat is pretty solid. I also have a ice collar.

I am hoping my plates and knives now hoping that will help.

It's a lem #12.

Thanks for any input.

 

[clifish]

I have some grey stuff coming out of my grinder. It's always toward the end of a 6-8 pound grind.

My grinder is magnetic, I can stick a magnet on it, the shavings do not seem to be magnetic, but they could be to small to stick.

I'm worried it's metal shavings maybe?

The plate has some striations on it but nothing super bad. Everything is straight from the freezer, all parts and meat, the meat is pretty solid. I also have a ice collar.

I am hoping my plates and knives now hoping that will help.

It's a lem #12.

Thanks for any input.

do you put any of the parts in the dishwasher? The PH will tarnish the blades and plates and that tarnish rubs off gray.

 

[chopsaw]

A lot of guys putting parts in the freezer . My opinion is that's not needed . Causes more harm than good I would think .

 

[SmokinEdge]

Don’t grind frozen meat.

 

[boykjo]

Its smear and oxidation. Just wipe it away as you go or go all stainless steel

 

[Ansio]

do you put any of the parts in the dishwasher? The PH will tarnish the blades and plates and that tarnish rubs off gray.

No. I wash by hand and air dry over night on a wire rack.

 

[Ansio]

Don’t grind frozen meat.

Can I ask why not? I have always heard it's best to put the cubed meat into the freezer for 30-45 minutes.

 

[SmokinEdge]

The plate has some striations on it but nothing super bad. Everything is straight from the freezer, all parts and meat, the meat is pretty solid. I also have a ice collar.

Can I ask why not? I have always heard it's best to put the cubed meat into the freezer for 30-45 minutes.

Cold meat is what you want. 33-36F works. Even par frozen, where the surface of the meat is getting firm but the interior is soft but cold. If the meat is frozen solid, which was the meaning of my comment, the meat will not grind well and is hard on the grinder itself. Freezing the grinder head and components is a waste of time and not needed, the ice pack that companies like Cabelas sell are also not needed and a waste of money.

To solve heat issues, lube the back end of the auger where the thrust collar and smooth portion of the shaft ride in and on the nylon bushing closest to the motor here is a pick.

Lubricate this area with food grade lubricant or just use a thin film of Crisco type shortening which is what I use. Don’t use oil. This will stop the heat issues and keep everything as cold as the meat you are grinding.

The grey you are seeing in the grind is kinda normal and can be caused by many things in my experience.

1) Meat that is to warm, sometimes you start out fine but end with the gray. This is usually caused by the auger heating up because of lack of lubrication at the nylon bushing. This heat transfers the length of the auger, since the auger is independent no amount of cold pack on the outside of the grinder body or other cold will cool the auger once the friction heats it up, which in turn heats the meat and will cause smear which will cause that gray gunk.

2) If the threaded collar is tightened to tight you will likely see gray in the grind regardless of other factors. That locking ring needs to be taken to zero slack and no farther. You don’t want it tight nor loose, but rather interference fit, that’s all.

Dont worry the grey you see is a normal thing sometimes even if you do everything correctly, but hopefully you can use some of this information to improve your grinding experience.

 

[DougE]

Even par frozen, where the surface of the meat is getting firm but the interior is soft but cold.

This is where I grind with my grinder ..... meat cubes firm, but not frozen solid .... 30~33° range.

Freezing the grinder head and components is a waste of time and not needed, the ice pack that companies like Cabelas sell are also not needed and a waste of money.

Think of the kid in, "A Christmas Story" who gets his tongue stuck to the pole. If your grinder head is colder than what meat you are running through it, it will want to stick to the colder metal.

To solve heat issues, lube the back end of the auger where the thrust collar and smooth portion of the shaft ride in and on the nylon bushing closest to the motor here is a pick.


Lubricate this area with food grade lubricant or just use a thin film of Crisco type shortening which is what I use.

I lube that thrust area of the auger, the pilot that goes through the plate, and also my plate and knife with Crisco so that nothing is running dry at startup.

 

[chef k-dude]

There are a lot of methods and ways of doing things that get stuck in "lore". Someone considered to be an expert in something says it, and then it is regurgitated over and over and becomes absolute "fact". This has happened throughout history. Eventually things change, people find better ways, even sometimes controversial ways of doing things. I joined here in 2015, and didn't really stay around for long, only returning somewhat recently to find a site that has evolved, for the better in my opinion. What "has" to be done has also evolved in advice. I see some of that evolution right here in the replies. These folks have been here most of that time and have thousands of posts, and a lot of learning has clearly happened.

They grey stuff is not harmful, its a product of the grinding and the grinder as folks described. It's unsightly, so just pinch away any you see and proceed. My old grinder used to do this all the time. My new grinder, not that different from the old, doesn't do this. I dont do anything different than I used to, I still cool the grinder parts and the meat in the freezer (not hard frozen, just colder than the fridge) and haven't changed a thing otherwise.

 

[Ansio]

Cold meat is what you want. 33-36F works. Even par frozen, where the surface of the meat is getting firm but the interior is soft but cold. If the meat is frozen solid, which was the meaning of my comment, the meat will not grind well and is hard on the grinder itself. Freezing the grinder head and components is a waste of time and not needed, the ice pack that companies like Cabelas sell are also not needed and a waste of money.

To solve heat issues, lube the back end of the auger where the thrust collar and smooth portion of the shaft ride in and on the nylon bushing closest to the motor here is a pick.

View attachment 704593
Lubricate this area with food grade lubricant or just use a thin film of Crisco type shortening which is what I use. Don’t use oil. This will stop the heat issues and keep everything as cold as the meat you are grinding.

The grey you are seeing in the grind is kinda normal and can be caused by many things in my experience.

1) Meat that is to warm, sometimes you start out fine but end with the gray. This is usually caused by the auger heating up because of lack of lubrication at the nylon bushing. This heat transfers the length of the auger, since the auger is independent no amount of cold pack on the outside of the grinder body or other cold will cool the auger once the friction heats it up, which in turn heats the meat and will cause smear which will cause that gray gunk.

2) If the threaded collar is tightened to tight you will likely see gray in the grind regardless of other factors. That locking ring needs to be taken to zero slack and no farther. You don’t want it tight nor loose, but rather interference fit, that’s all.

Dont worry the grey you see is a normal thing sometimes even if you do everything correctly, but hopefully you can use some of this information to improve your grinding experience.

The Crisco worked pretty good. Thanks.

It's weird the grey junk is just now showing up. I normally look through my grind to make sure nothing weird got through like sinew or anything and I have never seen it before.

Does it mean it's time to replace parts maybe?

Thanks again for the help.

 

[SmokinEdge]

The Crisco worked pretty good. Thanks.

It's weird the grey junk is just now showing up. I normally look through my grind to make sure nothing weird got through like sinew or anything and I have never seen it before.

Does it mean it's time to replace parts maybe?

Thanks again for the help.

No not time for parts replacement. That Grey gunk is kinda normal. It doesn’t happen every time you grind and sometimes it’s more that other times. Like I said, you have a LEM grinder, this is great quality and the same as mine, but the meat temperature is what I’ve noticed as being the biggest factor. Otherwise just pick out the grey and toss it. I’m sure commercial machines occasionally do the same, but they don’t toss it and nobody notices it. Just keep your auger lubed, your meat good and cold, don’t over tighten the locking ring and roll with it. It’s just part of the process.

Also, stainless plates with a stainless knife will reduce oxidation which is another contributor.