Cabelas commercial grinder plate – 4.5mm for first grind?

[drano]

I used my Cabelas 1/2 hp/#8 neck commercial grinder for the first time a couple days ago.  Wow, what an improvement over the Kitchenaid mixer attachment.  I ran 12.5 lb of summer sausage meat thru it in 5 minutes, and it ground up the meat real nice.  No need to use the plunger—just drop the meat into the neck, and let it gravity feed.  I used the 7mm plate, since that's the size I always used w/ the Kitchenaid.  But the fat is left in fairly big chunks (about 7mm in diameter ;D) so I'm thinking about using the smaller plate. 

Can I run the meat thru the 4.5mm (.177 inch) plate the first time?  Or do I need to run it thru the 7mm first, then regrind thru the 4.5mm plate?  OK, I'll admit I'm lazy, and like one grind.  And I let the grinder do the mixing too—I cut the meat, mix it w/ the spice/water, put it in the fridge to get good and cold, then run it thru the grinder.  Meat is ground and mixed in one operation, and ready for the stuffer. 

If anyone who has a Cablas commercial grinder, or equivalent, that can provide an input on using the 4.5mm plate for the first grind, I'd appreciate it for my New Years batch of snack sticks. 

Thanks
drano

[Mr Walleye]

Drano

I have the Cabelas 1 hp model and I have used the 4.5 mm plate on the first grind. I would just give it a shot. If it doesn't work you can always change to a larger plate, then regrind with the smaller one. I would think it will work with one pass through the 4.5mm.

Mike

[drano]

Mike,

I'll give it a shot.  It may grind a little slower, but 12.5 lb in 5 min is good enough for me. 
If it doesn't work, I'm still in the 90 day return window, and I can go up the road and get the 3/4 hp model w/ More Power . . .
Thanks!
Drano

[pensrock]

Depending on what I'm making, I normally run the lean meat through the larger holes and the fatty meat through the smaller holes.

[drano]

I did a 12.5 lb beef grind thru the 4.5mm plate today for some snack sticks.  It worked, but not as pretty as I'd hoped. 

Do your 1 hp and bigger grinders mash/purée the meat in the auger because it can't push it thru the small 4.5mm plate fast enough? 

After grinding about 1/3 of the meat, I let the feed port clear out, and looked down into the auger.
It was rolling mushed meat around and around, slowly pushing it thru the knife/plate.  Obviously the meat did not move thru the knife/plate fast enough, and what couldn't get ground literally got puréed by the auger.  I didn't see this happen when using the 7mm plate, nor on the Kithenaid attachment with a 7mm plate. 

Will a bigger grinder with a bigger neck help prevent this?  Or will it have the same problem (bigger components, but feeding more meat = same result)?  I'd consider moving up from the .5 hp to the .75 hp model which is currently on sale for $279.99 if the bigger one would prevent this.  When I picked mine up, the sales rep said I can return/exchange w/in 90 days.  But if it will do the same thing because a 4.5mm plate can't let enough meat thru, then I'll keep my .5 hp model.  I'll also call the store Wed and see what the sales reps say. 

Thanks
drano

[Smokin Soon]

Drano, do you freeze the meat for 30 minutes or so to firm it up? After I cut up the pieces I put it in the freezer for a bit and it grinds much better.

[Mr Walleye]

I was going to ask the same question that SmokinSoon just asked. I just cut my meat into strips. I find it feeds easy that way and takes less time as opposed to cubing it. I always throw it in the freezer for a bit, sometimes close to an hour. It's not frozen stiff but it has stiffened up somewhat. Another thing you can do is stick the neck of the grinder and the auger in the freezer as well. I don't have any problem running meat through the 4.5 mm plate with the 1 hp model.

Mike

[drano]

Thanks for the replies.

No I don't put it in the freezer, but after cutting I put it in the fridge for about an hour to cool back down.  Guess I need to try the freezer the next time around. 

I normally cut into strips too.  I used boneless chuck and round steak for this batch.  But I may have gotten too happy w/ the knife and had more cubes than strips.  I had to use the plunger constantly whereas w/ the 7mm plate, I just threw it down the neck.  That may have been because the 4.5mm makes the grinder work harder and/or the meat wasn't in long enough strips for the auger to push them thru.

Thanks again.  I'll call the store and see what they say. 

drano