Weston #22 Manual Tinned Meat Grinder and Sausage Stuffer, Silver

We bought this to grind up bone-in chicken thighs for homemade cat food. It works really well. You will definitely want to attach this to a platform or counter and you need to be strong to use it (at least for grinding bone-in). Not the easiest to clean, mostly just because it's time consuming. But works really well for what we need it to.

I have a dog who has cancer and requires a homemade organic diet. I purchased this grinder with the intention of grinding my dogs organic food to make it easier to digest.After opening the package the first thing that I noticed was the overwhelming smell of motor oil coming from the internal parts. That is definitely something I do not want ending up in my dogs food. The instructions say to wash the parts before use, and I'm assuming it's because they are coated in poison.I may have been willing to overlook the oil coating on the internal parts (after all I could have just washed them thoroughly), were it not for the fact that metal flakes are also coming off this thing left and right. The parts look like solid aluminum castings, but they don't appear to be made very well, and the surface seems very porous. After briefly handling some of the internal parts my hands looked as if they were coated with glitter.The instructions also say that this machine needs to be coated with food grade silicone before use, and I'm assuming that is to keep metal flakes from ending up in your food. But I highly doubt that a self-applied coating of silicone will stop 100% of these flakes from ending up in my dogs food. Then there is also the concern that if I used the silicone that over time some of that will come off and leech into my dogs food as well.I am sending this product back for a refund because I refuse to feed my dog food that has metal flakes, motor oil, or silicone in it. This product is just not well made, and it seems as though very little thought was given to the fact that this item was meant to contact food.

This grinder is a work horse. I ground up over 3lbs of Venison yesterday effortlessly. Turning the crank with the auger loaded with nearly frozen meat wasn't much more difficult then working the crank with nothing in the grinder. Incredible leverage from this machine. I gave it a through washing before (a few days prior) and afterwards and there is no rust. I suppose some rust might appear at some point, but that won't hurt anything.If you care or wonder about eating the mystery meat at the grocery market, get this grinder. Know what goes into your ground meat. Additionally be creative and add some onion, garlic, chili peppers, etc. to create a BBQ burger like no other you've ever tasted.The dog is going to be living high the next time a turkey or a chicken is smoked. All the scraps that defy coming off the small bones will now get ground into meal for additional flavoring to his regular food.-- // Update // --After 3 months, having used it a dozen times, usually 6lbs or more at a time, this grinder shows almost no wear. Lots of power to grind a lot of meat with minimal effort. It's a bit tricky to make sausage with it, without some additional help, feeding the hopper + turning the crank + controlling the sausage casings. Not fast or easy, but it can be done to a nice successful string of sausage links.--// Update #2 //--Keep the hopper loaded and keep pushing with a rubber kitchen spoon or scraper and you can stuff big and tight Salami Chubs with minimal effort and this big grinder.

Very large and sturdy I love it n cant wait to start grinding my corned beef hash! Very well designed and simple to use. It does come with factory oil on it to prevent rust n does recommend cleaning in hot dish soapy water to remove, and re oil with veg oil. It took boiling water n a course scrubber to finally get the oil and smell out, and is perfect now! I finally used it and learned I have to make a 2" base from wood to mount on my butcherblock than mount it on the base as it is too low peofile to place a bowl under and tray did not work as the meat just piled on the edge.it did not come with mounting screws so had to purchase them. My wrist is in a brace as the crank proved much to long. Ok for now but eventually a different one, perhaps with a wheel!

This is just what I needed to grind up my raw dog food. I use to grind up chicken quarters with bones and all. I have had no issue with it. It comes apart easily for cleaning but with all that it is doing it does require a good cleaning each time. However, I usually do all my grinding at once for the month so it is only a one time clean up. I did figure out that it works best with semi frozen meat. I tried it completely thawed and it was a sloppy mess. Next time I had everything semi frozen, not rock hard but enough that there were no running juices and the grinder did great an produced a good dry grind. I do entire chicken quarters and chicken necks with no problem, you do need some elbow grease but love the results and my dog does too! It is extremely solid and all metal. I would have given it 5 stars but the blade and grind plates have to be washed and dried immediately after use and cannot be left to air dry cause they will produce rust quickly. Overall, I'm​ happy with the product and it is the best alternative to an expensive electric grinder.

grinds very slow, and the handle wood was broken when it came, and hard to turn.