Just like a human being, pets need natural food. You are a responsible owner of your pet. Therefore, you are always cautious about the healthy diet of the little friend. When it comes to the question of feeding meats to the pets, more specifically, to the dogs, a common question people usually ask, ‘should I need a meat and bone grinder for dog food?’. In this article, we will answer this question. Not only that, we will provide you comprehensive research about the best meat grinder for bones, so that it helps you find the right one as per your necessity. We have researched each meat grinder available in the market that can grind bones. Finally, we have shortlisted the best ones and reviewed the features, pros, and cons. We believe, after completing this article, readers will get a comprehensive idea and make a proper buying decision of the meat grinder they are looking for.
Best meat grinders for bone – Our Top Pick
Comparison
| Model No. | STX Turboforce 4000 | LEM Products #8 | Weston 575 #8 | Sunmile SM-G50 | Kitchener Elite #12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dimension(inch) | 19 x 8 x 14 | 18.5 x 9.1 x 15.6 | 14.1 x 10.2 x 11.8 | 12.2 x 11 x 15.1 | 18.5 x 15.2 x 14.8 |
| Size | #12 | # 8 | # 8 | #12 | #12 |
| Wattage | 600-1200W | N/A | 575w | 350-1000w | 550w |
| Weight | 13lbs | 28.7 lbs | 10.5 lbs | 14.2 lbs | 41.4 lbs |
| Output Capacity | 175 to 225 Lbs/H | 420 LBS/H | N/A | 200 Lbs/H | 720 lbs/H |
STX 4000 Turboforce II”Platinum” #12
STX is a popular name for the meat grinder segment. This company produces meat grinders which are light to medium in terms of motor capacity and strength. Therefore, these are good for home use but not for commercial or industrial use. Even though STX does not produce heavy meat grinders, they are experts in the home-use category. The company produces about six different models of which we have found ‘ Turboforce II”Platinum” to be the best meat and bone grinder for dog food because of its highest motor capacity and strength.
Key Features
- Size: #12
- Maximum Power under load: 1200w
- Output capacity: up to 225 lbs per hour
- Input Capacity: 3 lbs maximum
- Motor capacity: 3/4 HP
STX 4000 Turboforce has a patented air cooling system which we expect will give you a better service life. It is included with optional foot pedal, which is an option if you do not like to use your hands. Cutting blades are one of the major parts of a meat grinder. This machine comes with high-quality cutting blades which are made of stainless steel. It comes up with plentiful accessories such as additional grinding plates, cutting blade, kubbe attachment and so on. The grinding head is made of food-grade casted aluminum. This is far better than an aluminum-coated material. The capacity of the machine is considerably good. It can run the grinder at a power up to 2000W which means you do not need to think about the amount of input feed.
This meat grinder produces a little bit of noise which you may not like. You may need some time to understand how to utilize all of the functions and accessories that are provided free with it.
Overall
This machine is good to handle fish carcass and soft bones such as chicken, rabbit, quail, and squirrel. Therefore, if you want to produce your pet meal with it, you can do it with convenience. As the grinder has a considerably higher HP, you can use it heavily for home use as well. Additional accessories provided with the machine have also made it different from other meat grinders in the market. Overall, it can be the best meat grinder for bones if it is appropriate for your needs.
LEM Products Big Bite #8
LEM Products is a family-owned company that is renowned for making high-quality appliances. The company produces several models of meat grinder for different kinds of usage. Among all the models, we have found ‘S/S Big Bite #8’ meat grinder to be the best option as the best meat grinder for bones.
Key features
- Size: #8
- Maximum Power under load: Not mentioned
- Output capacity: 420 lbs/ H maximum
- Motor capacity: 0.5 HP
Because of the exclusively designed auger, LEM Big Bite can push the meats faster than comparable models of other grinders. The company will provide lifetime customer support which is a great advantage. Rifling-head of the grinder pushes the meat in the forward direction. For this mechanism, it requires less human interaction to operate the machine. The motor of this product is permanently lubricated and formulated with grease. Thus, it creates very minimum noise. The whole body and parts of the machine are made of stainless still which makes it premium in look. The longevity of S/S material is better than other alloy materials that are used for manufacturing home appliances.
The price of the product is a bit expensive compared to other similar models made as a meat and bone grinder for dog food. There is no option to reverse the motion of the motor. Therefore, if your meats and bones get stuck, you have to give efforts to unjam it.
Overall
You will probably not find any good meat grinder of similar capacity like this one. The actual performance of the machine is a mile more than what it is rated. Therefore, even though it is a 0.5 HP machine, we recommend this one for grinding your meats and bones. The high speed of the grinder, premium S/S metal, and ease of use will compensate the money you spend on it. However LEM and STX both are in our list. You can find the difference between these two here.
Heavy Duty Bone Grinder For Pet Food Weston 575 #8
Weston is a reputed name for home, heavy-duty and commercial grade meat grinder. They have about 10 different models to fit for a different mode of usage. After having researched on all of these models, we recommend ‘575 Watt Electric Heavy Duty Grinder’ model for grinding bones and home uses together.
Key features
- Size: #8
- Maximum Power under load: 575w
- Output capacity: Not mentioned
- Motor capacity: 3/4 HP
Weston #8 is easy to handle to put the parts together and take these apart. This machine has achieved a lot of positive customers’ reviews, particularly as a dog food grinder. Apart from bones and meats, it can handle skins and fat. The motor of this machine is powerful and solid. It barely gets hot during heavy load. This meat grinder does not produce much noise.
You should not try to use a dishwasher to clean this machine. Otherwise, the outside matte coating might get peeled off. This is a #8 size machine. You may need to compromise the input and output capacity. But the manufacturer has not compromised the strength of the grinder. It is still robust enough to handle soft bones and fish carcass.
Overall
If you have multiple pets and need to prepare the BARF diet a lot and more frequently, you need to get this product. Although this product can also do the job for your kitchen, from the review of the customers, we have found that this product has been accredited as a bone grinder for pets by hundreds of users. Unlike most other meat grinding machines, this machine is easy to assemble and dissemble. Therefore, if you like simplicity, you must have a look at this product. But keep in mind, this is a #8 machine. You are spending a bit less money and going to get a bit slower output because of less machine speed.
Sunmile SM-G50 ETL #12
Sunmile is a reputed name in the meat grinder industry. This company is specialized in making home grade equipment and tries to give maximum value with the least cost. Among all the meat grinders we have found of this company, SM-50 is the most powerful machine. Therefore, you can use this machine for crushing the soft bones and use it for your kitchen as well.
Key features
- Size: #12
- Maximum Power under load: 1000W
- Output capacity: 200 lbs/h
- Motor capacity: 1.3 HP maximum
Cutting blades and plates of this Sunmile meat and bone grinder are made of stainless steel. S/S is the most durable material which ensures longevity and the least tendency to scale formation. You have three switching options at the same place- on/off/reverse. Therefore, you can handle the machine with convenience. Reverse option of this unit can be used if the meat gets stuck inside. It’ll unjam the machine conveniently when necessary. This is a #12 machine, which suggests that you can put larger and more amount of meat at the input. It has so many positive reviews from the users who have used this to grind the bones to make their pet foods. Users reported that they have been using it with no issues. Assembling and disassembling of this unit are very easy even for the beginners. The noise level is also considerably low.
Maximum accessories of this machine are made of aluminum alloy. Therefore, you should not use a dishwasher to clean it. This may cause oxidation on the surface coating and peeling off the outer surface. Some parts are made of plastic which we did not like.
Overall
This meat grinder is best for dealing with large pieces of meats. The size of the motor capacity is good enough to handle a good amount at a time. The value provided by the machine for the price point is the best compared to other products available in the market.
Kitchener Elite #12
Kitchener is renowned for making heavy-duty premium quality meat grinder. They have about five different models of meat grinders most of which are of commercial grade. Our suggested model is a #12 meat grinder which can be used for both home and commercial uses.
Key features
- Size: #12
- Maximum Power under load: 550w
- Output capacity: 720 lbs/H
- Motor capacity: 3/4 HP
The motor of this Kitchener Elite meat grinder is integrated with the air cooling system. This prevents the motor from becoming too hot during heavy load. The output speed of this grinder is outstanding. It can process 720 lbs of meats per hour, which is 2 to 3 times more than usual home-grade meat grinder. Large size meat can be fed with ease because of the large capacity meat tray and pan with a big throat. The machine and almost all of the accessories are made of high-quality food-grade steel material. Because of using high-grade metal, this unit is rust and corrosion-proof. Therefore, this can ensure hygienic and safe food. This machine is fit for all places- can be used commercially and at home as well. You can clean it by the dishwasher and need not think of peeling off the outer surface. This machine can withstand the dishwasher, unlike most of the other meat grinders in the market.
The price of this unit is high. It will give you 3 times more output than a home grade machines and cost you about 2 times. This grinder does not have a reverse gear which disappointed us. Though, you will rarely need a backward motion for a powerful machine like this.
Overall
This one can be too good for you if you do not have much meat to grind. But if you prefer to grind your meats with ease, want a high-speed machine that gives a smooth output, we refer you to this machine. Although this unit will cost you some extra, this robust machine can handle soft bone and even a little harder bone of turkey with ease.
Utility of the meat and bone grinder for dog food
Making your pet food
Before you buy a grinder for meat and bone, ask yourself a question- ‘ do I need it?’. Grinding bone is important for pet owners who want to prepare pet food by themselves and do not like packed food that much. Therefore, they usually find a suitable grinder that can handle meat and soft bones at the same time. If you already have a meat grinder for your kitchen, you can use it to make your pet food if you wish. But you need to be sure whether your grinder can handle soft bones and fish carcass. As per the user manual of your meat grinder, you may not be encouraged to grind bones. But in such cases, we have found that the term ‘bones’ is referred to as ‘hard bones’ by the manufacturers. The majority of the machines with moderate to high motor capacity can handle soft bones for your dog food.
The blades of the machine need to be sharp enough to handle bones. Trying your home grinder for making pet food might damage the grinder. Therefore, if you buy a powerful machine that can handle bones, then you can use the same grinder for your kitchen as well. Another point is that the kind of bones to be ground is also important to take into consideration. The machine which can grind fish and soft chicken legs might not perform well with turkey.
Bone meal for plants
We use bones not only for feeding our dogs. We use a bone grinder for bone meal prepared for our plants as well. If you care about the food of your plants, you might be thinking of organic fertilizer. To make it at your home, you can dry up the bones so that these get brittle. Afterward, by the use of a meat grinder, which can handle your dried-up bones, you can make powdered organic fertilizer for your plants. In such a case, you might need a powerful machine.
If you want to make human food, then please check our article to know some best recipes for the meat grinders.
Pet food: Packed Vs Homemade
Processed food is not good for health. This is true for human beings and pets as well. Packed foods for pets are mixed with stabilizers and preservatives. These ingredients change the original structure of the food. Therefore, these foods might not good for the health of your pets.
On the other hand, packed foods are based on cereal. These foods do not contain enough animal protein and fat. Because packed foods are usually stored for long, different kinds of vitamins and minerals- such as vitamin B, get perished and can not be preserved for such a long time.
Packed foods are usually dry. Your pet should get raw food instead because dry food is not good for the digestive and gastrointestinal system.
FAQ
Can I use the same girder for pet and human food?
Yes, you can. Grinding meat is easier than grinding meats with bone. Therefore, any meat grinder which can handle bones is good enough for your kitchen as well. But sometimes, people tend to buy less expensive meat grinders for the kitchen. When it comes to making pet food, now they need another machine because their kitchen-grinder is not capable of handling bones. Therefore, we recommend that when you buy the best meat grinder for bones, spend some extra and choose wisely, so that your machine is compatible for multiple purposes.
What is the minimum size and capacity required for the best meat grinder for bones?
A rule of thumb is, you should prefer at least #8 machine having a motor capacity of more than 0.5 HP. Although there is an exception, if a machine passes the mentioned criteria, you can use it as your grinder for making pet food. But as I mentioned, there are some expensive grinders in the market, which do not pass our criteria but still good enough for handling bones.
Can I use my meat grinder to make powdered bone fertilizer for plants?
Making powdered bone, you need to dry up the bone first and make it brittle. It is easier for your machine to handle a brittle bone than the bones with meat. Therefore, if your machine is good for bones, you should make organic fertilizer with it with no issue.
What kind of bone is good for my meat grinder?
The manufacturers will not recommend you to grind bones with a meat grinder. Still, you can find some strong machine to crush the soft bones for your pets. You should never try hard bone to grind. It might permanently damage your grinder. You can try chicken, rabbit, quail and squirrel bones which are relatively soft. Some strong machine can crush turkey bones as well.
Should there be any warranty issue if I grind bones with my machine?
You might not claim warranty if there is a damage due to grinding hard bones with your meat grinder. Therefore, we recommend following the instruction manual.
If you are in a budget, you can read our article about top 7 meat grinders under $100.
Final Words
The numbers and rating stated on the product do not always tell you the right performance of the best meat grinder for bones. Therefore, to find out about how the machine originally functions, we had to research on customers’ reviews extensively. We can not conclusively suggest any particular model to anybody. Everyone might have different kinds of needs. Therefore, we suggest the users to go through the review of each model and find the suitable product. If you can find the best meat and bone grinder for dog food, you’ll be able to use it for your kitchen as well.