Best Meat Grinder For Venison & Deer Hunters [2024]

Hunting is one of the most exciting entertainments. There can nothing be as much pleasure as going to the wilderness, capturing your prey and bring it to the home. This is not as much easy as it seems. It’ll cost you a plentiful of money to buy some equipment such as binocular, guns, ammo, hunting dress, camouflage, and many others. This is not the end. If you do not have the best meat grinder for deer at home, you have to pay the butcher to ground up the game. What if you cut you meat by yourself this year? This will be certainly not as difficult as catching the prey. But before you do this by yourself, you need to choose your meat grinding machine wisely and forget the expense of cutting your dear from an outside butcher’s shop.

To find out the best meat grinder for venison, we have extensively looked at all available options in the market and picked the best five options for you. After reading the article, you’ll not only be able to choose the best option for you but also get complete guidance to complete your half-done job after hunting your trophy.

Top 5 Meat Grinders For Hunters

After a comprehensive study, we have come up with the top meat grinders that are suitable for the hunters for venison processing. Before going the see the reviews of these, let’s see the side by side comparison first.

Table of Comparison

STX Megaforce 3000 – Editor’s Choice

STX International is selling the highest number of meat grinders in the United States per year. After their inception in the meat-grinding industry about ten years back, they are improving the quality of their equipment as per the customers’ suggestion. Heavy-Duty STX Megaforce Classic 3000 is a classic series heavy duty meat grinder which is perfect for home use and can be the best meat grinder for deer to handle your venison with ease.

STX International Turboforce 3000 Series 6-In-1 Powerful Size #12 Electric Meat Grinder

 

Key features

1. Maximum Power under load: 1200 W
2. Output capacity: 180 and 240 Lbs/H
3. Motor capacity: 1.3HP maximum
4. Accessories:
   • meat tray
   • cutting blades
   • grinding plates
   • sausage stuffing plate
   • sausage stuffing tube
   • meat crawls
   • kibbe attachment

Overall

This machine is trusted by the most amount of people. The speed of the grinder is quite well. We suggest it for home use – preparing your sausage, grinding your prey and other purposes. The price of this unit is not more than the service it provides. Therefore, this is the best meat grinder for deer if you can find it suitable for you. However, LEM is a similar meat grinder to STX. You may read our article on the difference between LEM and STX grinders.

Sunmile SM-G31

Sunmile is a well-known name in manufacturing home appliances. This company has been producing home grade meat grinder for more than two decades. We have picked the SM-G31 model as a cost leader, budget-friendly best meat grinder for deer. This machine can be used for any other meat grinding purposes for home.

Sunmile SM-G31 Electric Meat Grinder – Max 1HP 800W- ETL Meat Mincer Sausage Grinder

 

Key features

1. Maximum Power under load: 800 W
2. Output capacity: 150 lbs/H
3. Input Capacity:
4. Motor capacity: 1.3HP maximum
5. Accessories:
   • S/S cutting plates
   • big sausage stuff
   • S/S cutting blade

Overall

Sunmile SM-G31 is a basic home meat grinder. Considering the low price, this product will give you superior service. The maximum of the review from the users is positive. If you are a light user, can compromise the output speed, do not need to grind a huge amount of meat at a time, you can try this one. Before using any budget meat grinder, make sure that you have separated all kinds of bones from it. Otherwise, the machine can get permanently damaged. Considering everything mentioned above, we have listed this one as the best meat grinder for deer if it suits your purpose.

Maverick MM-5501 Mince Master

Maverick is an American company, well-reputed for its quality products and customer support. Although they do not have so many models, we have found that MM-5501 is one of the best options for home use considering some factors. This machine is very much capable of giving you a good experience for grinding wild game meat.

Maverick Mince Master 575-Watt Meat Grinder, White

 

Key features

1. Maximum Power under load: 575 W
2. Output capacity: Now found
3. Accessories:
   • stainless steel dies
   • Cutting blade
   • Sausage cone
   • Kebble maker
   • Wrench

Overall

If you are looking for an inexpensive option for making your sausage, baby food, meatloaf, and hamburger, apart from grinding your prey, then you can go for this one. This machine can do with your venison quite comfortably. Considering everything, we have listed this product as the best affordable meat grinder for the venison category.

Chefman Choice Cut

Chefman is a major American company renowned for producing small cooking appliances. This company does not have too many options for a meat grinder for you to choose from. They have focused on only one model and tried to make it a good one. After our extensive research, we have found this one as the most powerful machine for the money.

CHEFFANO Meat Grinder, 2600W Max Stainless Steel Meat Grinder Electric

 

Key features

1. Maximum Power under load: 700 W
2. Output capacity: 156 Lbs/H
3. Accessories:
   • S/S grinding plate- 3 pcs
   • sausage stuffing funnels- 3 pcs
   • Kibbeh attachment
   • Meat loading tray
   • Food pusher

Overall

This is the best powerful meat grinder for the money that can handle any kind of tough meat including venison with ease and grace. Yes, you can have a more powerful motor if you buy a commercial-grade machine, but that will cost you about 4 to 5 times more. The output speed is also excellent. You do not need to spend hours grinding a large chunk. Therefore, this is the best meat grinder for deer which is best suit for your purpose.

Kitchener Elite Electric Meat Grinder

If you are a heavy user and go for hunting too often, then you need to grind venison in a large quantity. In this case, we have researched all the commercial-grade and powerful machines in the market to find out the best one for the aforementioned usage. Kitchener is a master of the commercial-grade meat grinder. After our research, we found that Kitchener Elite Electric Meat Grinder & Sausage Stuffer #8 is the best option for heavy use.

Electric Meat Grinder, Sausage Stuffer with 3 Sausage Tubes, 2 Blades, 3 Plates

 

Key features

1. Maximum Power under load: 370w
2. Output capacity: 480 lbs/ hour
3. Motor capacity: 5 HP maximum
4. Accessories:
   • Cutting knife
   • stuffing tube- 4 pcs
   • Solid meat stomper
   • Stuffing plates

Overall

If you prefer convenience over anything else and love to have a super-fast operation then you are going to love this grinder. Some users are accustomed to using premium quality products no matter how much the price is. Some users have too much meat to grind at home. This grinder can fulfill all these needs. If you go for hunting frequently, need to grind the meats too often, you must not have a better option other than his. This is going to be your best meat grinder for deer.

Buying Guide for a deer grinder

Material

A stainless-steel machine is expensive but it will last long. S/S material is less prone to rust. If you have a limited budget, at least find a machine that comes up with blade and plate made of S/S. Because these parts will decay sooner if made of lower grade alloy. High-quality aluminum alloy is also recommended but these are not as good as S/S. You might be using a meat grinder once in a month. An infrequent user can use it once in a year. If you are forgetful about the meat grinder for a long time, then the formation of rust may damage the metallic parts unless it is rustproof.

Size of the machine

What size of meat do you need to grind- smaller or big pieces? To grind a bigger piece, you need the feeding tube to have a larger diameter. Plates size of the grinder will determine the tube diameter. Smaller plate size will give you a smaller feeding tube and larger plate size will give a larger feeding tube diameter. For example, a #5 machine has plates having a diameter of 2 1/8” whereas, the plate diameter of a #32 machine is 3 7/8”. Therefore, the feeding tube is substantially larger for #32 machine. It does not necessarily mean that you cannot get faster output in a lower size machine. The difference is that a bigger size machine will give you convenience. You do not need to cut the meats into small pieces. Machine speed is not a factor of machine size.

Output Speed

If you need to grind a good amount of meat for a large family, then you should be thinking about the output speed of the meat grinder. Our first recommendation is that, do not try to calculate output speed by the horsepower (HP) or electric power rating which is written on the machine. For a big family, you should need a machine which delivers at least 200lbs per hour. If the output speed is not written, as the seller.

Ease of assembling

Try to find a machine that is easy to assemble and disassemble. This is important for you because you have to take apart each component of the machine during cleaning and washing. So, you need to assemble and disassemble each time you use it. If the machine is not easy to break into pieces, it will make your life troublesome during you use it each time.

Budget

If you are an avid hunter, do not skimp with your money. You need a heavy grinder having high output speed, a big plate, and a wider tube. You must not like to regret it after you buy the wrong machine. But if you are an occasional hunter, you might not want to spend a lot. You can choose a machine with moderate capacity.

Accessories

What do you want to cook with the ground venison? Check the accessories that come with the machine for free. Also, you should need some extra blade because this thing might not last too long. Check whether the spare parts are available in the market or not. You should also need different kinds of grinder plates for different kinds of output. Therefore, make sure that you have all the necessary accessories with your machine.

Cleaning and Maintenance of your deer grinder

How often do you usually use your meat grinder? If the answer is ‘very infrequently’, then it is more important for you to clean your machine after use. Otherwise, rust formation on the metal parts may occur. Below are the things to remember before you clean your machine:

1. If your machine is inexpensive, this may not be made of stainless steel. Inexpensive machines are made of low-quality metal alloy which may not be rustproof. Therefore, you should not allow water to stay a long time on the metallic parts. Always try to keep the machine dry after use.
2. Is your machine dishwasher safe? Even if it is, do not try to overuse cleansing soaps and detergents. Concentrated cleansing material may cause to peel off the outer surface of the metal parts. This will be very bad for the longevity of the machine.

Cleaning process

1. Use a few slices of bread: Bread can be used as a soaking material. Put a few slices of bread inside the machine and run it. This will initially clean up some blood and oil.
2. Disassemble the machine into parts.
3. Submerge the parts in warm water with a mild cleaning agent for about 15 minutes.
4. Do not submerge any motorized parts in water.
5. Clean each part of the machine with a sponge.
6. After you are satisfied that the cleaning is OK, dry up the parts up.
7. Spray mineral oil after drying is done. This will help prevent rusting.

Read our article to know about the best meat grinders under $100.

Benefits of deer meat

Before we start talking about the available best options, let’s have some discussion about the nutritional facts of wild game meat.

• Serving quantity: The maximum serving quantity for an adult is 18 ounces per week as it is for other kinds of red meats.
• Fat and calories: Fat content in deer meat is at least 10 to 20 times lower than beef. One ounce of wild game meat contains only 1 gm of fat and about 33 calories.
• Cholesterol: Deer meat contains only 66mg of cholesterol per 100 gm which is three times less than the cholesterol content in beef.
• Vitamin and protein: Deer meat are a good source of vitamin and mineral. The meat is a good source of vitamin B6, B12, iron and some other important nutrition facts.
• Taste: Venison is by far tastier than beef. It is the safest red meat on the planet as well.

Beef vs venison: Nutrition facts

Below are the nutrition factors present in 100g serving of beef and venison:

We have written a full article on the best recipes that you can prepare with a meat grinder. You can check it if you like.

Food processor as meat grinder

Food processors are the jack of all trades. These can be used for chopping and cutting for meats, vegetables, and other food items. If you already have a food processor at your home, you can use it to grind your deer meat. Before you intend to do so, please find the advantages and disadvantages of food processors as venison grinder in below:

• Food processors can do the job of mincing the meat but these might not cut the pieces uniformly. Some of the pieces might be handled twice.
• These are more appropriate for chopping the vegetables and cannot grind the meat as good as a meat grinder does.
• Food processors are not special equipment for grinding meat. Therefore, the speed of processing your meat will be an issue when you will grind your prey with it. Because of slow speed, it’ll take several hours to get your job done. Therefore, a food processor can do the job of grinding your regular kitchen meat, such as chicken, beef, etc. But it will be too much for it to grind a whole wild game.

Manual vs electric meat grinder – Which one is better for the hunters?

Advantages of a Manual Meat Grinder

• Low cost: a manual meat grinder will cost you about 50 bucks or less. An electric machine might cost a few hundred.
• It’ll eat up less space in your kitchen.
• Easy to operate: operating with a manual meat grinder is much easier than operation with an electric one.

Disadvantages of a Manual Meat Grinder

• Muscle work: you need to operate the machine with your arm. If you need to grind a lot of meats frequently, this kind of machine might not be suitable for you.
• You might need to clamp the grinding machine with a surface. Your kitchen may not have a set up to do so.

Advantages of an Electric Meat Grinder

• Higher capacity: you can grind a few hundred pounds of meats per hour with an electric machine that might not be possible with a manual one.
• No clamping: an electric meat grinder is bigger. Therefore, it does not need to clamp with a surface to stabilize.
• Cleanliness: You just take the piece of meat and put it on the feeding tray. The machine will do the rest. It maintains your self-cleanliness.

Disadvantages of an Electric Meat Grinder

• Expensive: if you want to buy a commercial-grade meat grinder, it might even cost you a thousand.
• Portability: electric meat grinders are heavy. Therefore, if the hunters need to carry the meat grinder, then the manual ones are better choice.

FAQ

What extra feature should I need for my meat grinder for grinding venison?

If you compare venison with beef, the major difference you will find that the fat content which is higher in beef. Therefore, there are not that many dissimilarities when we choose a meat grinder for these different kinds of meat. But for a frequent hunter, we suggest choosing a big size and high-speed machine for convenience during operation.

What is the suggested motor capacity for grinding wild game meat?

Motor capacity is often be confused. Usually, the higher the motor power, the more the machine speed and output rate is. But this is not always true. Sometimes, manufacturers play some tricks and over-rate motor power or write in a way that general people may get hoaxed. Sometimes, it is also misunderstood that higher motor power machines will give a higher output rate. In most cases, this may be true, but you should check the output seed separately before making any decision.

How can I choose the right size machine?

The size of a meat grinder is estimated by the size of the plate. Meat grinders come up with few sizes, such as #5, #8, #12, #22 and #32. For home use, up to #12 is good enough. Later sizes are suitable for commercial usage. You need to ask yourself a few questions to choose the right size for you. What is the meat size you want to give as an input feed? Do you love the convenience and ready to spend some extra money? Sometimes, you do not have the facility to cut down the raw meats into small pieces. In that case, a #12 machine will be better for you. A machine which has a big plate usually has a big feeding tube as well which can take up big pieces.

Can I grind deer meat with a manual meat grinder?

The generalized answer is, you can grind deer meat with a manual grinder. It has its pros and cons. A manual grinder can save some bucks as well. But practically, as a hunter, you might not enjoy spending your time by hand cranking the machine.

How can I preserve the my meat grinder for the next use?

After you wash your meat grinder, you should dry it up. You have to be cautious to save the metallic part from rust. It is always recommended that you spray some anti-rusting oil on the machine before store it. The same formula is advisable for storing any metallic material at home.

Can I use a food processor for grinding deer meat?

Food processors are not made to grind your meat. These machines can perform well for vegetables and fruits. You can grind your deer meat, but you might not get uniform output. It will take a much longer time to finish the job. Therefore, you rather get a separate machine to grind the game.

Final Words

As you have completed the article, now you know which models are the best in the market for grinding wild game meat. You also know which factors should be considered while making the purchasing decision. There are plenty of things to be considered during the process. There might be some inexpensive machines in the market, but now you know why should not you buy it and for which factors you should spend some extra money. You might intend to buy an expensive machine, but now you know that a less expensive meat grinder can be a better option for your purpose. You also know how the best meat grinder for deer can serve for all your home meat grinding activities along with venison.