Can You Grind Bones in a Meat Grinder?

Meat grinders used to be an old-school method of grinding meat and bones earlier, but these days, a lot of people have started to invest in meat grinders for their kitchen usage. Be it for preparing their meals in the kitchen or even for the pets’ meals, meat grinders are incredibly efficient.

When you invest in a meat grinder, you save up a lot of costs on purchasing ground meat from the market. Not just that; it is way more hygienic because of less contamination when you grind your meat at home. Apart from that, you can enjoy fresh ground meat rich in flavor for yourself which is ground according to your preference!

Does A Meat Grinder Grind Bones?

Of course, it does! These days, most of the meat grinders are capable enough to grind smaller chicken, rabbit and turkey bones with ease. There are tons of different brands in the market as well as various models of the meat grinders for you to select from for smooth grinding of your meat and bones.

It is best to go for a heavy-duty electric grinder for grinding meat bones for a better and smoother grind. When you invest in a heavy-duty meat grinder, you can be assured that the bones in the meat will be ground to perfection as well! A lot of people use meat grinders for preparing their food or even for their pets’ meals because of how well these meat grinders and crush and grind the hard bones.

If you are planning to invest in a meat grinder that is strong enough to grind bones, you need to purchase heavy-duty electric meat grinder. This is simply because you won’t need to add excessive manual force into the grinding process of all the hard bones whereas the electric grinder will do the job in minutes!

Even if you aren’t using the meat grinder specifically to grind bones in the meat, an electric meat grinder is way better than a manual one for daily use when you are preparing sausages, burgers, patties, etc. The automatic electric functioning of the grinder makes your everyday cooking process convenient and quick.

How to Grind Bones in A Meat Grinder?

Before putting the bones into the meat grinder, you will need to separate the bones from the flesh which need to be ground. Be sure to use only raw bones and not cooked as cooked bones are way harder than raw bones. If you are grinding the bones for your pets, use the pliable bones which are soft and those that animals generally eat in the wild.

The best types of bones to be ground in a meat grinder are ribcage bones, the neck piece, backbones and poultry wing tips. Small poultry, rabbit, fish and rodent bones are the best for grinding in a meat grinder. It’s best to refrain from putting huge leg bones or larger bones into the meat grinder because these might be too difficult to crush and grind for the grinder itself!

As an added tip, it is best to measure the thickness of the bones with your thumb. If the bone is thicker than your thumb, do not put it in the meat grinder. Also, animals like cats and puppies usually don’t like to consume these bones because they are coarse and hard even when ground.

When the meat bones are being ground, you will notice some bone marrow, tissue ligaments, and some blood in the ground bones which is normal. Your pet shouldn’t have any health issues by consuming this. Don’t forget to add a collector bowl for the ground meat to fall into. Ensure that the bowl is cleaned beforehand to avoid any contamination.

Aftercare of Your Meat Grinder

When you are done with using the meat grinder, it is essential to wash it thoroughly with warm water and soap. If you simply rinse it with regular water, the residue inside the grinder can become a nest for bacteria and fungus which can cause severe health issues especially those related to digestion.

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After the wash, dry the meat grinder and all its parts before storing it back in your kitchen cabinet. The best type of meat grinders to invest in the ones that come apart because these are easier to clean. While they do cost a few extra bucks compared to the one-piece meat grinders, they are worth the price!

How to Select the Best Meat Grinders for Grinding Bones

While there are a lot of different brands and models of meat grinders in the market for you to select from, a few of these stand out because of their heavy-duty built and efficient grinding of bones. As mentioned above, electric meat grinders are better than manual ones for grinding bones.

The best sizes of meat grinders for grinding bones are size 22 or 32. These are large meat grinders that have incredibly powerful motors which can comfortably grind chicken legs, turkey necks, and wings. In a smaller meat grinder, you generally need to break these bones before the grinding process, but in size 22 or 32, you can put the entire bone in the feeding tube!

LEM or Weston size 22 or 32 are excellent options for grinding bones. A size 22 has a 1HP motor while a size 32 has a 1.5HP motor and both of these grind bones correctly. They have a stainless steel make which will not rust or corrode at all.

Do note that these heavy-duty meat grinders cost way more than a regular meat grinder. IF you want to purchase a bone-grinding meat grinder on a budget, you can use any Size 12 and higher LEM meat grinders for grinding smaller chicken bones.

The heavy-duty stainless steel meat grinders cut down your processing and grinding time by almost half as compared to a regular meat grinder. So, if you can save up and a get a heavy-duty meat grinder, it would be an excellent investment for you!

 

 

Additional Tips for Grinding Meat and Bones –

1. You need to ensure that your meat and bones are cold (but not frozen) for a smoother grinding process.
2. Always use the coarsest grinding blade for the first grind of the bones to ensure they crush entirely. Then proceed with the regular grinding blades for a smoother ground.
3. Put the side of the bone with the smaller joint into the feeding tube first. This helps it getting a better ground on your bones and helps to grind the meat easily.