Top 5 Meat And Bone Grinder Reviews In 2020

BEST CHOICE

LEM #12 Big Bite

⦁ Dimensions: 9 x 19.5 x 16 inches
⦁ Weight: 47 pounds
⦁ Power: 0.75 HP

PREMIUM PICK

STX-1800-Magnum

⦁ Dimensions: 14 x 7.5 x 11.5 inches
⦁ Weight: 13 pounds
⦁ Wattage: 3000

BEST VALUE

SUNMILE SM-G50

⦁ Dimensions: 12.8 x 7.1 x 14.2 inches
⦁ Weight: 14.2 pounds
⦁ Wattage: 350-1000

Healthy feeding is not only necessary for humans but also for pets. As a pet owner, you will often want to prepare a proper barf diet for your pets. A good barf diet has several constituents, but ground bones are essential ingredients that should not be neglected. Not every meat grinder can be used in grinding bones. It might be necessary for pet owners who want the best for their pets to invest in suitable grinders that can grind meats as well as bones. However, the question is: given various options, which meat grinder would you choose and what are the distinguishing features of the meat grinders? Following a detailed analysis on top meat grinders, here are options that will help you grind bones for your pet’s barf diets.

BEST

CHOICE

LEM Products W780A #12

If you’re looking for a grinder more than capable of handling bones tendons and meat without clogging up, then this will be your perfect companion. It is ideal for home use because it might not be able to handle a very large amount of meat for commercial use in restaurants or any other related place.


Key Features:


  • 0.75 horsepower induction motor with 110V and 550 Watts, capable of grinding with speed of 11 pounds per minute.
  • A built-in circuit breaker for preventing damages to the motor with probable power issues
  • A stainless-steel stuffing plate
  • 2 stainless-steel cutting plates for fine and coarse grinding, 3/16” and 3/8” holes respectively
  • 2 stainless-steel cutting plates for fine and coarse grinding, 3/16” and 3/8” holes respectively
  • A stainless-steel cutting blade
  • Incorporated with the manufacturer’s Big Bite Technology which enables it to take large chunks of meat and rapidly pass it to the grinder head

Being a size 12, you can operate with a moderately large quantity of meat or bones. However, the model has about 5 different options for you to pick from in case you need a larger size #32 with more horsepower of up to 1.5 HP or smaller size #8 with the least horsepower.

PROS

  • Easily Movable, thanks to the heavy-duty handle
  • The stainless steel solid construction makes the grinder long lasting
  • Grinds faster with a speed of 360 lbs/hour
  • Grinds all types of meat, including soft and pliable chicken bones
  • Easy to assemble, disassemble and clean
  • Operates quietly
  • No need of slicing your meat into smaller chunks since the Big Bite Technology will do that for you.
  • Able to withstand regular use
  • Longer warranty period of up to 5 years

CONS

  • Despite the solid construction, the stuffing tubes are made of plastic
  • Lacks a reverse button for managing possible jams
  • Washing in the dishwater may lead to damages
  • Quite heavy, though you can move it around with the included handle

Weston PRO #32

​This grinder is powerful for making raw food for your pet. The operation is very fast and would take half the time used by most grinders. Despite being costly, it is worth it. From raw small bones to partially frozen meat, you can also use it for grinding rabbit, chicken, turkey and even soft pork rib bones without jamming it.


Key Features:


  • Air-cooled and permanently lubricated 1.75 horsepower motor with up to 1050 Watts, hence able to ground 750 pounds of meat in an hour
  • 2 stainless steel cutting plates for coarse and medium grinding
  • Heavy duty stomper
  • Stainless steel snack stick tube and stuffing auger
  • Built-in circuit breaker to prevent damages to the motor in case of power outages or surges.
  • A stainless steel grinding knife
  • 3 sausage stuffing tubes for making your own sausages according to your preferred sizes
  • Rubber feet for added stability on your countertop or any other surface

This powerful grinder is not only great for home use but also wonderful for commercial purposes. Being a size #32with a wider feeding tray and a high motor speed, you can process large amounts of meat within a short period of time. You can grind any type of meat, the toughest of tendons and bones though very dense animal bones would jam the grinder and even damage it.

PROS

  • Operates very fast with a speed of up to 18 pounds per minute
  • Easy to maintain, set-up and clean
  • Durable
  • Easy to move it around, thanks to the sturdy handle included
  • Includes a reverse function button, to manage jamming

CONS

  • The sausage stuffing tubes are plastic
  • A little bit expensive, though it’s a value for your money
  • Heavy
  • Limited warranty of only 2 years

TOP

PICK

STX-1800-Magnum

​You no longer have to seek the services of your local butcher in order to get some nice ground meat nor purchase sausages at the supermarket. This electric size #12 grinder is what you need for grinding even the toughest of meats and making special sausages or Kubbe.


Key Features:


  • A locked air-cooled motor of 3000 Watts incorporated with a circuit breaker for safety
  • 3 stainless steel plates for finer, medium or coarse grinding
  • A Kubbe attachment and 3 sausage stuffing tubes
  • Tomato juice attachment for making tomato juice
  • Solid construction designed with stainless steel housing for durability
  • 3 stainless steel cutting blades which can be re-sharpened or replaced
  • 3 cutting speeds basing on the type of meat being ground
  • Food grade cast aluminum grinding head

The STX-1800-Magnum grinder is ideal for home use especially with large families though it can also make a difference in commercial places. Since it is a size #12 with 2” feeding tube, you can feed in large amounts of meat or bones with much ease. If you want the grinder to last longer, you only need to grind soft bones, including chicken, rabbit or turkey bones.

PROS

  • Being a size 12 grinder, it can accommodate fairly large amounts of meat
  • Effortless since it operates electronically
  • Quite easy to clean, assemble and disassemble. However, you should not wash the parts in the dishwasher since it might damage the polished finish
  • Able to grind small and soft bones

CONS

  • Budget-friendly among the electric grinders
  • Very heavy and would occupy a bit of space on your countertop
  • Requires handwashing only

BEST

VALUE

Sunmile SM-G50

​This heavy duty grinder has big gears and gearbox which makes it able to withstand the pressure of grinding bones and tough tendons. It is great for making raw dog food, sausages and also partially frozen meat for your own consumption.


Key Features:


  • Maximum locked motor power of up to 1000 Watts. A circuit breaker is included inside to prevent possible motor burnout in case of power issues
  • Metal gear and steel gearbox
  • 3 stainless steel cutting plates
  • Cord and accessories storage inside
  • Size 12 tray which holds a reasonably large amount of meat
  • 3 stainless steel cutting plates for fine, medium or coarse grinding.
  • 3 sausage tubes attachment for making sausages

The Sunmile SM-G50 is very great for home use whereby grinding is not very often. Though it is heavy duty, it loses efficiency with regular use. You’ll, therefore, be required to find another if you grind daily. Having been designed with stainless steel plates, blades, gearbox and a detachable aluminum tube, the grinder is meant to be durable. Additionally, it has 3 control switches: on/off, circuit breaker and a reverse switch for reversing the chunks in case of a jam.

PROS

  • Grinds faster, with the rate of up to 200 lbs/hour
  • Easy to use, set-up, disassemble and clean
  • Quite able to grind chicken or turkey bones with much ease
  • Lightweight and would take up much less of your space.
  • Built-in cord and accessories storage will save you the extra space you might have needed to store them

CONS

  • The grinder parts cannot be machine-washed because doing so would damage and discolor the coating
  • Plastic housing on the food pusher and the sausage tubes, though they still function properly
  • The aluminum metal is easily stained when washed with bleach not unless you use hot water and soap

Kitchener #8 Heavy-duty

​The Kitchener #8 0.5 horsepower electric grinder is an affordable heavy-duty meat grinder with the power to handle most processing needs. This grinder is designed to process the toughest meat. The powerful 0.5 HP motor enables the grinder to handle small, soft bones. You can use the grinder to grind all kinds of game meat. It can handle 5 to 8 pounds of meat per minute. This means you can process up to 480 pounds of meat in an hour.


Key Features:


  • The Kitchener #8 meat grinder uses 0.5 HP to grind anything from beef to venison
  • The grinder comes with a stainless steel cutting knife, stuffing plate and grinder plate
  • It comes with 4 stuffing tubes to make sausages: 3/8”, ½”, ¾”, 1-1/8”
  • The grinding plates and cutting knife are made of stainless steel.
  • The feeding tube is fairly large, so you don’t have to cut the meat into small pieces
  • It has two grinding plates: 3/8”, 3/16”
  • The body is stainless-steel and the switch is water-proof

This is a great entry-level heavy duty grinder for an affordable price. The Kitchener products #8 grinder is easy to use, powerful enough for your bone grinding needs and looks great on most countertops.

PROS

  • This grinder is durable that is made of stainless-steel
  • It has enough power to handle the toughest meat and small bones
  • It is the most budget-friendly meat grinder in the Kitchener line right now
  • It comes with durable stainless steel plates and knife.
  • It comes with 4 stuffing tubes
  • It’s easy to store the extra parts in the bottom of the grinder

CONS

  • Quite heavy, weighing around 38 pounds
  • The grinder is loud
Best practices to follow before using meat grinder

Best practices


Here are some best practices that I found very useful:

  • The following bones are the easiest to grind: fish, poultry, rabbit & rodent bones are all okay, especially the chicken wing tips, the ribcage, necks, and backs.
  • Do not attempt to grind up leg bones or anything larger or thicker than your thumb – these may prove to be too difficult for the grinder, and while perhaps gnawed on, the actual bone would not likely be consumed by a cat, anyway (too large & coarse).
  • Run the bones through a meat grinder twice, using a finer plate the second time. If you need them like saw-dust, ask a local butcher for further recommendations.
  • Marrow, blood, and other tissue will be present in some bone. This is all right and healthy for the animal to consume.
  • Never feed cooked bones of any kind to an animal. Raw bones are completely fine to feed – even ground, smashed, and cut – but cooked bones are tough and hard and are prone to splinter and can cause serious injury.
  • Only feed bones in a 5-10% ratio of the entire meal. Not a lot of bone is needed in an animal’s diet, but it is a critical part. Feeding too much bone can cause constipation, white & chalky stools, and impaction.
  • If your pet refuses to eat ground bone, you can try feeding bone meal (bought from health food stores) as a substitute, or ground eggshells (1/2 teaspoon per pound of meat), or calcium supplement.

Conclusion


Rather than depending on processed dog meal throughout the week, you can prepare a special barf diet which contains calcium and proteinaceous living enzymes, beneficial for your pet’s body function. Some people are ever cautious to the extent that they won’t feed their dogs on bones, simply because they believe it might lead to splinters or choking. However, this should not be the case since you can still grind those bones on your meat grinder and serve your dog or cat. What you need to know is that you can still spend less by purchasing a manual grinder, like LEM #10 and process those soft bones for your pet. However, investing in an electric grinder with high wattage and motor speed would not only process larger amounts of bones and save your time but also reduce the efforts you would have used when operating a hand-powered grinder.


LEM Products W780A #12

"A great grinder capable of handling tendons and meat without clogging up”