Calling all hunters/home meat grinders

I know there must be someone besides us who needs to grind meat at home during hunting seasons. We usually butcher about 10 deer a year and grind at least 2 of them. Up until this year we either had it done or used a hand grinder. Now the one who operated the hand grinder isn't here anymore so I have decided to buy an electric one. I'm looking at a Tasin TS-108 on E-Bay. Its a 1200 watt unit which my DH found converts to about 1 3/4 HP(750 watts =1 HP). Is anyone out there familiar with this grinder? Is there another one you would recommend in the $100-$200 price range? Thanks for the advice.

Hmmmm...I've always hand grinded also, EvaMae. Sure would be nice to try out an electric one tho!

I know Cabela's sells them. Not sure of the prices and such but they have pretty good descriptions that could lead you in the right direction of what features you should/could consider. http://www.cabelas.com

If you need help eating it I will help. I love stew and no one hunts I know.

Hmmm...just went to Cabela's. They only have one in that price range. Does 2 pounds per minute. However, the chute seems so small that you have to really cut the meat into small to medium chuncks before you grind it. Maybe one with a bigger chute would be better. Not sure. HOWEVER, they have a great return policy...you could try it out!

I won't be of much help with the meat grinder issue, but if you have just thinking of fresh venison. I always try to snag some from the in-laws when we fly up at Christmas to visit. They get sick of it. My father-in-law is a big hunter/fisher type, so he brings home all sorts of stuff and I guess it's gotten old after about 30 years, but I'm still you and haven't had my fill yet! I've gotten some really yummy tenderloin and steaks from them in the past and some hamburger, too. Here's a great recipe you can use venison in--no fat in it cuz you got the recipe on line from a friend ;P

Creamy Mushroom Steaks
4 small beef top loin steaks or venison steaks (~1 ¼ lbs.)*
1 Tbsp. butter

Sauce:
½ lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. chopped onion
2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1 ½ c. half-and-half or cream
1 tsp. soy sauce
salt and pepper (to taste)
green and/or red bell pepper, sliced

Prepare mushroom sauce: In a saucepan, melt 1 Tbsp. butter and sauté mushrooms until they get lightly brown. Add onion and sauté until onions are golden and transparent. Sprinkle with flour, stir to blend well. Add cream a little at a time, stirring until completely mixed. Simmer until thick and creamy. Add soy sauce and salt and pepper. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in skillet. Brown steaks lightly on both sides. Reduce head and cover. Let steaks simmer for a few minutes in their own juices. Add mushroom sauce to skillet. Let steaks simmer in the sauce until they are tender and done to your liking. Garnish with pepper strips. Makes 4 servings.

Butterfly, I make steaks much like that only I bake them in the oven or use the crockpot. Have you ever tried the Montreal seasonings? WOW! Talk about flavor, these seasonings have it.

Leaflady hello:
Try their chicken seasoning.
Pretty good.
We found a store that was selling them for $1.00 each.
No need to tell you what a find that was.
Sandy

Summer, I don't know what size you got but that does sound good. I get mine thru the restraunt where I work part time. Get it at wholsale price which may still be higher than what you are paying. I think Sam's Club has it too in large containers.

Hi Leaflady:
There's a store here that's called Dollar Express.
You never know what will be on the shelves.
They have a lot of name brands. For instance.Lestoil $1.99
The chicken spice frm Mccormick is,3.4z

We have a Sam's club here but for some reason I have never gone.
Sandy

Montreal Steak Seasoning! We use it all the time. We buy the commercial sized containers at Sam's Club or sometimes Costco. I think it is best when we season the meat then let it sit for awhile. The garlic re-hydrates and the spices marinate into the meat.

More years ago than I care to remember, I lived with a man who had a small plane that he flew into wilderness areas to hunt moose each fall. Between us, we had four kids to feed, so a freezer full of moose was critical! We hand-ground our burger meat, purchasing suet from the local market. We had a hand-operated grinder that we clamped to the counter or table. Everybody got a turn at the grinder. It was great hamburger!