Best Meat Grinder for Deer Meat/Venison in 2023

  • By: Brendan

I hunted my first white-tailed deer in Ohio a year or so ago. It was a monster buck, so I wanted to grind most of the meat to store in my freezer, and consumer over the next 6 months or so.

Best Meat Grinder for Deer Meat - Venison

But to my surprise, my hand crank home meat grinder just couldn’t handle grinding the meat, as it would often get clogged among other issues.

That said, here’s what to look for when buying the best meat grinder for deer. For starters, the best meat grinder for elk should be powerful, and come with a few grinder plates.


Best Meat Grinder for Commercial Deer Meat Grinding

1. LEM Products Big Bite Electric Meat Grinder 

The LEM Products Big Bite is my top pick for the best meat grinder for deer meat, because it’s equipped with a powerful .5 HP motor, and can grind a few deer per year.

It is crafted from brushed steel that minimizes fingerprints, and comes with a rifle designed head to push meat forward with little or no effort.

The Big Bite deer meat grinder consumes just 370-watts of power during use, and comes with a stuffing plate, fine plate (3/16″), coarse plate (3/8″), meat stomper and plate extractor.

It features a large 2-1/4” x 9-1/8” x 2-1/4” food tray, and is backed by a five-year manufacturer warranty.

Pros:

  • Powerful .5 HP motor
  • Crafted from brushed steel
  • Rifle designed head makes grinding easy
  • 3 grinding plates and sausage stuffing tubes
  • Built-in circuit breaker
  • 5-year warranty

Cons:

  • Lacks reverse function

2. Cabela’s Commercial-Grade 1/2HP Carnivore Meat Grinder

Cabelas Carnivore Meat Grinder

The Cabela’s meat grinder is a commercial grade model that doesn’t come with a high-end price tag, yet does a superior job at grinding deer and elk meat, thanks to its integrated Cool-Tek Ice Pak technology.

It is powered by a robust 1/2 HP motor that provides excellent grinding power, allowing you to grind five to seven pounds of boneless deer meat a minute.

The Cabela’s meat grinder is equipped with a hardened heavy-duty steel main gear, and features a unique air-cowl design, so it stays cool even when grinding large amounts of venison meat at a time.

It comes with everything you need to get started right out of the box including a stainless-steel meat tray, 10mm coarse grinding plate, 4.5mm fine grinding plate, three sausage stuffing funnels, stuffing star and meat stomper.

Pros:

  • Cool-Tek® Ice Pak technology
  • 1/2 HP motor
  • Reverse function
  • Can grind between 5 – 7 lbs meat per minute
  • Hardened heavy-duty steel main gear
  • Comes with fine and coarse grinding plate

Cons:

  • Limited to 1 color option
  • Quality of blade needs improvement

3. HOTIL Electric Meat Grinder

For a pocket-friendly priced deer meat grinder that doesn’t disappoint in terms of performance and durability, the HOTIL electric meat grinder is worth a second look.

It boasts a sleek and modern footprint, and comes with a superior 600-watt locked power motor, making it an ideal choice for grinding wild game.

The HOTIL electric deer meat grinder features metal transmission gears, and can be used as a meat grinder, kubbe maker, and sausage stuffer.

In terms of performance, the HOTIL meat grinder can grind almost six pounds of deer or elk meat per minute, which is much better than much higher priced models in this segment.

It comes with three stainless-steel grinding plates (5mm/8mm/fan shaped), two cutting blades, three sausage tubes, and is easy to operate with its onsite on/off and reverse switch.

Pros:

  • 600-watt locked power motor
  • Metal transmission gears
  • Can grind 6 lbs of deer meat per minute
  • 3 grinding plates and 2 cutting blades
  • Serves as a meat grinder, kubbe maker, and sausage stuffer

Cons:

  • A little noisy compared to the competition

4. STX Turboforce II”Platinum

The STX Turboforce II”Platinum meat grinder can be ordered in a choice of two colors—black and white, and features a motor that delivers an impressive 2000-watts of peak power.

It offers three grinding speeds to choose from, making it easier to grind deer meat your way. One of the noteworthy features of the STX Turboforce II”Platinum meat grinder is the included foot pedal, so you can operate the appliance handsfree.

The STX Turboforce II”Platinum deer meat grinder comes with a patented quad air cooling system that increases the service life of the appliance.

This size #12 deer meat grinder arrives with five grinding plates, three stainless steel cutting tubes, three stuffing tubes, a kubbe attachment, and is backed by a three-year manufacturer warranty.

Pros:

  • Patented quad air-cooling system
  • 2000-watts of peak power
  • 2 color options
  • 3 grinding speeds
  • Included 5 grinding plates, foot pedal, and 3 stainless steel cutting tubes

Cons:

  • Grinding plates should be oiled to prevent tarnishing

5. The Heavy-Duty STX Megaforce Classic 3000

The STX Megaforce Classic 3000 is billed as a heavy-duty deer meat grinder, owing to its onsite 3000-watt locked power motor, and patented air-cooling system.

It’s a great option if you’re going to be grinding two to three deer per year due to its fast 180 lbs to 240 lbs meat per hour grinding capacity.

The STX Megaforce Classic 3000 is fitted with a size #12 food grade polished aluminum grinding head, and a large three-pound capacity food tray.

It comes with three different size grinding plates, sausage stuffing tubes, a kubbe attachment and a 3-in-1 burger slider press.

Pros:

  • 3000-watt locked power motor
  • Patented air-cooling system
  • #12 food grade polished aluminum grinding head
  • Can grind 180 lbs to 240 lbs meat per hour
  • Large 3 lbs capacity food tray
  • 3 grinding plates, sausage stuffing tubes and burger press

Cons:

  • A little heavy at 12 lbs

6. CAMOCA Heavy Duty Electric Meat Grinder

The CAMOCA is a commercial grade meat grinder that delivers good and consistent results when grinding venison meat or any other type of meat that fed through its grinder head.

It is equipped with a 400-watt copper motor complete with metal gears, and can grind up to five pounds of deer meat per minute.

Further, it comes with three grinding plates made from 304 grade stainless steel for fine, medium and coarse grinds, a 3-in-1 sausage stuffer tube kit, so you can make a variety of items with a single appliance.

The CAMOCA venison meat grinder is easy and safe to operate, and features a reverse button, anti-overload and anti-overheat protection. It is backed by a one-year warranty against any manufacturer defects.

Pros:

  • 400-watt copper motor
  • Grinds 5-lbs meat per minute
  • 304 grade stainless-steel grinding plates
  • Reverse function, anti-overload and anti-overheat protection
  • 1-year manufacturer warranty

Cons:

  • Should be shut down for 15 to 20 minutes after use for 10 minutes to cool down

Best Meat Grinder for Deer Meat Grinding at Home

1. ALTRA Electric Meat Grinder

The ALTRA electric meat grinder is an ideal option for home deer meat grinding, owing to its ability to grind two pounds of venison meat per minute.

It is powered by a 350-watt motor, and apart from elk meat grinding can be used for sausage stuffing too.

The ALTRA meat grinder is crafted from food grade, enforcement stainless-steel and premium quality ABS, making it corrosion free and highly durable. In the box you get three different size grinding plates, and sausage funnels.

Pros:

  • Can grind 2-lbs meat per minute
  • 350-watt motor
  • Made from food grade, enforcement stainless-steel and premium quality ABS
  • Includes 3 grinding plates, and sausage funnels
  • Reverse function

Cons:

  • All parts aren’t dishwasher safe

2. AAOBOSI Electric Meat Grinder

The AAOBOSI electric meat grinder comes with a 1200-watt pure copper motor for fast and easy grinding of deer meat.

This versatile deer meat grinder features a reverse button, which when engaged unclogs sinew and other food items from the grinder head.

One of the key features of the AAOBOSI meat grinder is its onboard dual safety switch that prevents you from the starting the appliance accidently.

It comes with a long list of accessories including three stainless-steel cutting plates, a sausage making kit, and kubbe attachment.

Pros:

  • 1200-watt pure copper motor
  • Dual safety switch
  • Reverse functionality
  • 3 grinder plates, sausage making kit and kubbe attachment included
  • 12-month manufacturer warranty

Cons:

  • Parts not dishwasher safe

3. CHEFFANO Electric Meat Grinder

The CHEFFANO slots in at the #3 position on this list of best deer meat grinder for home use for many good reasons, starting with its durable, powerful and less-noise 350-watt motor to grind deer meat with ease.

It can grind approximately three pounds of meat per minute, and is made from food grade three layer hardened stainless steel, and thickened aluminum alloy.

The CHEFFANO venison meat grinder is a joy to operate with its integrated on/off/reverse switch, and is easy to dissemble at the time of cleaning.

The package included three carbon steel grinding plates, a food pusher, two stainless-steel blades, sausage stuffer maker, kubbe attachment, and one-year warranty card.

Pros:

  • Durable, powerful and less-noise 350-watt motor
  • Grinds 3-lbs meat per minute
  • Made from food grade hardened stainless steel, and thickened aluminum alloy
  • Includes 3 carbon steel plates, sausage stuffer maker, and kubbe attachment
  • 1-year manufacturer warranty

Cons:

  • Quality of included food pusher could be improved

Why do You Need a Specialized Meat Grinder for Deer Meat or Venison?

You don’t really need a specialized meat grinder for deer meat, and can even use your food processor for the task.

However, both food processors and basic home grinders aren’t able to grind big cuts of meat from your trophy buck.

Speed with powerful motor 

If you’re going to be grinding two to three deer per year, you definitely don’t want to spend all day or week completing the job.

Specialized meat grinders can grind a lot more meat per minute than regular meat grinders, so you’ll finish up with the grinding in no time.

Easy to unclog

Sinew and other connective tissues are extremely tough, and can easily get stuck in your meat grinder head, resulting in a clogged machine.

If you’re not one of the many who likes to trim venison meat before grinding, constant clogging of the grinder head could cause permanent damage to the appliance.

Most specialized meat grinders come with a reverse function, which when engaged reverses the clogged sinew out of the grinder head, so you can move along with the task.

Easy to maintain

The parts of a specialized meat grinder come off easily, making the appliance a joy to maintain. Plus, most parts are dishwasher safe, allowing you to clean them in your dishwasher.


What to Look for while Purchasing a Meat Grinder for Deer Meat?

I considered several factors when on the shopping trail for the best meat grinder for venison, most notably:

Size:

The size of the deer meat grinder you need depends on the amount of venison meat you plan on grinding per season.

If you’re grinding one deer or less, or just want to make a burger from the occasional roast, you can use a manual deer meat grinder such as the Huanyu model.

The Huanyu meat grinder is made from solid 304 stainless steel, and comes with super sharp 3cr13 stainless steel blades.

You will need to step it up a few notches from a hand crank grinder if you’re going to be grinding one to two deer per season or 10 lbs to 15 lbs meat in a single batch.

If you use a hand crank deer meat grinder for this task, you will have to put in a lot of muscle power, so you may feel that your arm is literally falling off!

This doesn’t imply that you need a big meat grinder, but can grind this amount of meat with a smaller meat grinder like the Cheffano meat grinder.

For grinding three to five deer per season, you’ll have to go big with at least a .5 HP deer meat grinder. Grinders in this range typically come with all the bells and whistles, and will serve you well for many years to come.

Power:

To grind small batches of deer meat, your best bet it to use an electric meat grinder with a 350-watt motor. If you’re doing bigger batches and a couple animals per season, then opt for a commercial style electric meat grinder.

Capacity to grind deer meat per minute

If you’re grinding a small amount of meat, you can choose a deer meat grinder with a smaller motor such as the VIVOHOME model. This meat grinder can grind up to 200 lbs of venison meat per hour, and is made from a mix of stainless steel and ABS.

Further, you will also need a grinder that can hold a lot of chopped deer meat in the pan tray, so that you can continue to grind without having to load the tray often.

For grinding large amounts of meat, you will need a high-capacity meat grinder such as a model that can churn out at least 7 lbs of ground meat a minute such as the Turboforce 3000 Classic appliance

But if you want speed, efficiency, and ease of use, you should invest in a commercial style deer meat grinder such as a model from the Cabela’s range.

Quality of construction

Deer meat grinders can be made from either metal, plastic or a mix of both materials. What’s important is to ensure that you buy a venison meat grinder that is made from food safe material that’s rust resistant, and can stand the test of time.

However, if you’ll be grinding meat on a larger scale, a stainless-steel meat grinder is a better choice, because it offers great stability.

Quality of motor

The motor is one of the first things to check out when shopping for a meat grinder, because it dictates the performance of the respective model.

For grinding small to medium amounts of deer meat, choose a meat grinder that comes with a minimum 300-watt motor. But for anything higher, buy a venison meat grinder with a half HP motor.

Meat Type (Deer, Venison, Elk)

Meat grinders are versatile appliances, in that they can grind any type of meat be it deer, venison, elk, beef and chicken, as long as you buy the right model.

But regardless of the meat you’re grinding, you should not overload the grinder, but chop the meat and chill prior to grinding, so that it goes through the grinder head smoothly.

Price & warranty

The price of deer meat grinders depends on the model you buy, but hand crank meat grinders tend to be less expensive that electric models.

There are however some hand crank meat grinder models that are more expensive than electric meat grinders, so it all boils down to the brand and model you choose.

Commercial meat grinders are much more expensive than manual and electric meat grinders, because they’re much more powerful, and highly durable.

Ease of cleaning and maintenance

The grinder head is the most important component to clean of any type of meat grinder. Deer meat grinders house several other components such as the grinder plates and blades, which you’ll have to remove, and clean.

There are several venison meat grinder models that come with dishwasher safe parts, so you can just chuck them in your dishwasher to clean.

But since grinding deer meat could leave behind stubborn sinew in the meat grinder head, it’s recommended that you wash the parts with dish soap and warm water to prevent food contamination.


How to Clean/Maintain a Meat Grinder for Deer?

Prepare the Meat Grinder

Before getting started with the cleaning process, you ideally should remove the oily grease and residue stuck in the appliance.

You can do this easily by feeding some bread slices through the grinder to absorb the grease and tiny bits of food.

Dissemble the grinder

Since meat grinder model vary, you’ll have to refer to your owner’s manual on the steps to take apart the meat grinder.

If you own an electric meat grinder, make sure you disconnect it from the electric outlet, before dissembling it.

Soak the non-motorized parts in warm soapy water

Grab a large container, add water and a drop of dish soap, and place the non-motorized parts such as the grinder plate, grinder head and food tray in it for roughly half hour.

Wipe the rest of the appliance including the motorized parts with a soft, damp cloth.

Clean the parts

Now, remove each part from the soapy water, and scrub it with a soft brush, wash thoroughly, and wipe each one with a soft dry cloth.

After the parts are 100 percent dry, install them back into your deer meat grinder, so that it’s ready for next use.


How to Remove Clogging while Grinding Deer Meat?

There are several things that can clog your meat grinder including sinew and fat accumulation. Some meat grinder clogging issues are easy to fix, especially if you have a model with reverse functionality.

If you have a manual meat grinder, you will have to dissemble it just like you would do to clean it, and wash all the parts in the grinder head.


What Grinder Plate Size for Deer Meat?

Deer meat grinders come with several different size grinding plates that are ideal for grinding deer meat for a variety of uses.

If you’re grinding venison meat for all purposes, run the chopped-up deer meat through the coarse grinding plate that is generally 3 1/4 inches in size.

You can choose to grind the meat twice if you like for items such as ravioli or if you’d like a finer texture. If you’re grinding deer meat to make venison sausages, grind the meat first through a medium grinding plate, and then a second time using a fine grinding plate.


Why to Grind Deer or Elk Meat?

Taste

Deer meat tastes good anyways, and grinding your own wild game simply means that you get as fresh as possible.

You can buy chunks of deer meat at the store, but again you have no clue how long it’s been sitting on the shelves for.

Variety of dishes

When you grind deer meat, you open the doors to endless possibilities in food items, starting from spaghetti, meat loaf, burgers to a hundred+ different types of sausages.

Save space

Given that the average wild game weighs approximately 150 lbs for deer and over 750 lbs for elk, you will need a lot of freezer space to store chunks of meat.

Ground deer meat can be easily put away into smaller containers that will take up less room in your freezer.


Nutrition Facts of Deer or Elk Meat

Wild game such as elk, bison and deer have less cholesterol than chicken, are cheaper than a quarter of ground beef, and contain less saturated fat than salmon.

Further, deer and venison meat are richer protein than any other red meat, so they’re good for your diet. Both venison and elk are also high in nutrients such as iron, phosphorous, and vitamin B, which is one of the big reasons they are today’s healthy conscious choice.

Based on 100 Grams Portions Elk/Deer
Calories (kCal) 159
Fat (grams) 3.3
Cholesterol (mg) 56
Protein (grams) 25
Phosphorous (mg) 250
Sodium (mg) 52
Potassium (mg) 320
Iron (mg) 3.82
Calcium (mg) 9.1

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