Any opinions on meat mixers?

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LinkMeAllOver
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Any opinions on meat mixers?

Post by LinkMeAllOver » Mon Feb 08, 2021 17:46

Basically the title. I'm going to be doing large-ish batches (depending on what you call "large" lol) of about 120-150 lbs on a very regular basis and have recently been looking into mixers. I got a Cabela's Carnivore 3/4 HP grinder recently and purchased the 50 lb. tiltable mixer along with it since it hooks directly into the mixer for automated use. Then I saw the reviews on their mixers. Their grinders are very well regarded, but the reviews of the mixers are scathing. Apparently they break very easily and have a shoddy construction and seemingly short life cycle at best. I'm probably going to return it, since it's still in the box, but want something else to replace it.

Of course, the LEM one is more expensive, but their products are pretty well regarded. I'm also looking at Weston (who makes Cabela's), although their reviews aren't much better, and Valley Sportman. I'm also looking at Alibaba.com since it seems like many of these are just coming from China anyway, so maybe cut out the middleman and save some $$?

Can anyone chime in on their personal experience with meat mixers? I'd prefer a tiltable one since removing the drum for washing in a commercial dishwasher is necessary for my purposes, and it needs to have a capacity above 30 lbs., although it seems to jump from 25 lbs.-44/50lbs. in most cases.

Thanks.
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Bob K
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Re: Any opinions on meat mixers?

Post by Bob K » Mon Feb 08, 2021 18:20

Do you have a commercial mixer? If so try the flat paddle. They are really excellent for mixing meat.
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Fatdog
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Re: Any opinions on meat mixers?

Post by Fatdog » Tue Feb 09, 2021 00:08

Hi

Having got a grinder from China ….. I would not get a unit mail order from China unless you have a high degree of certainty about the bona fides of the manufacturer, and they have some sort of customer service either in China (and can communicate in English) or representative office in your country.

At some point you may need some technical support or spares etc and you don't want to be left high and dry.

rgd
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redzed
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Re: Any opinions on meat mixers?

Post by redzed » Wed Feb 10, 2021 19:03

I have the Cabela's 7gal (33lb) mixer. It worked well until a year ago when I loaded 28lbs of meat into it. Three teeth in the gear box broke off. Based on the reviews on the Cabela's website this was almost standard occurance with these mixers. I replaced the gear box and don't load more than 20lbs into it. This particular mixer is junk and Cabela's stopped selling it. Maybe the 50lb mixer is better. Also I would be careful in selecting a larger volume mixer and trying to run it with a 3/4 horse grinder.

Let us know what you ultimately settle on and how it worked.
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Re: Any opinions on meat mixers?

Post by Albertaed » Thu Feb 11, 2021 01:19

That’s good to know Red.Although I have a 10lb hand crank I was actually eyeing up their mixers to use with my my carnivore. I’d like to see what others use.
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Re: Any opinions on meat mixers?

Post by LinkMeAllOver » Tue Jul 06, 2021 15:56

So, after several months of use I have an update, as well as a request for advice. Apologies in advance for the lengthy post.

As previously mentioned, I bought the Cabela's 50 lb. tilting mixer (as well as the Carnivore 3/4hp grinder) before I really saw the reviews for the mixer (it's worth saying that the grinder gets stellar reviews). Because it was coronavirus times, LEM products weren't really making their way here into Canada and the very few suppliers all had the grinders and mixers on back order for months. So, without much choice, I went ahead using the Cabela's stuff while I waited for LEM to resurface in the supply line. As predicted, the mixer broke down after a month or so of regular use in the exact way everyone describes in the reviews - the gears just flat out sheared away from the inside of the gear box. I called Cabela's (well, some company called Blue Sky Innovations, who handles the products and their warranties) and they told me the had started up with a new production company in China and the welding was better now, and that they'd send me a new gear box, which they did. My wife, who knows about welding, immediately saw the difference between the two and said it looked a lot more sound.

Shortly after this LEM started to become available here and I got a grinder (1hp) and their 50 lb. tilting mixer, figuring I would be able to sell the Cabela's stuff fairly easily since resale value is high on stuff like this and the new season was upon us.

I began using the LEM mixer and immediately ran into a new problem: it doesn't actually...mix all that well...? It's really frustrating and I feel like I must be doing something wrong since it gets high marks from reviewers everywhere I look. Just for reference, before I used either meat mixer I was operating out of a restaurant and had the luxury of their equipment, including their 30L globe mixer (think about your Kitchenaid mixer and make it gigantic). When I used this mixer, I would add the salt and mix for 3 min., then add all the spices and mix for an additional 3-4. Everything was integrated and I got a great bind. When I moved to the Cabela's mixer I did the same thing exactly with the same result: good bind, everything nicely mixed. I would usually add some water in alongside the spices to help it along and make it easier to work with later during stuffing.

When I tried the LEM mixer using the same process it didn't mix very well at all. There's an instruction sticker on the side of it which informed me I should mix the salt and spices with 1oz of water per pound of meat and then add that to the meat, but I didn't get a great bind after 6 min and the spices were very obviously not well integrated and spread out. I regrouped and now will add the spices and half the water at the beginning, mix for 6 min, THEN add the salt with the rest of the water and mix for another 6-8 min, for a total of 12-14 min of mixing. The spices are about 85% mixed (okay, I guess) but I'm still having trouble getting a good bind. I'm simply amazed and really frustrated.

So, I'm sitting and trying to decide between the unreliable Cabela's mixer that mixes great and the reliable LEM that doesn't. Then the Cabela's broke again, but in a different way, as I was trying it out again to compare the final products. Now, I'm resigned to the fact that I simply can't count on the Cabela's mixer, called Bass Pro Shop that retails it and (politely) demanded a refund for both the mixer and grinder, which they said they would provide. But I'm still stuck in a situation where I'm not getting a good result out of the LEM mixer! I really don't know what to do here.

For those of you who use a meat mixer, what's your process and how long is your mixing time? (Thanks for reading if you've made it this far)
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Re: Any opinions on meat mixers?

Post by redzed » Sun Jul 11, 2021 15:19

Thank you for the update and detailed description of your experiences with the meat mixers. There is a lot of food for thought there for anyone that is considering buying one of those mixers. I still have my second 33lk (7 gal.) Cabela's but I use it very carefully and never put more that 20lbs into it. I have a custom made attachment so that I can use my 3/4 h. Lem Big bite to drive it. I have never used the Lem mixer, but looked at one in a supply store and they do look like they are better made. Interesting that you are not happy with the way it mixes. Have you experimented with using less meat in the process? Also I noticed that they now market a new and "improved" mixer. Is yours from that second generation? Part of the problem is that the manufacturers give you the capacity of the hopper when full, but the machine usually will not handle that amount when operating. I have the same issue with my bowl chopper.

It looks like other than the Lem and Cabela's mixers we really don't have any other options for mixers in that price point. The only other one that I am aware of is from Princess Auto. They claim that it will work with any brand of grinder. Princess has an excellent return policy, so it might be worth trying one out. Cabela's is totally deceiving the public by calling their product "commercial grade". Find me a sausage sausage shop that uses their mixer! If one one of their 50lb mixers was used every day in a commercial shop I doubt that it would last a week. So the only remaining option for a mixer is to get a truly commercial one, but they start at $4K and up. I have also seen some well made home made electric mixers. My dad had one that could handle 60lbs at a time. It ran on a 1.5 hp motor.

As to your question how long do you mix the sausage batter, it's difficult to answer because there are too many variables. Depends on the grind, type of meat, spices, amount of water and the type of sausage you are making. Whether you mix by hand or with a mixer you mix until it's ready.
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