Any recommendations on a good meat grinder? It will grind an elk or two each year (hopefully). I like to make summer sausage, sausage, burger, etc. I'm probably going to pick one up on black friday if I find a good deal.
Last year I invested in the Cabelas Carnivore series grinder and settled on a 3/4 horsepower motor. If your only looking to grind up an elk or two, in my opinion may be a little bit big for your needs but it gets the job done in a very timely manner. It comes with a bunch of sausage stuffing attachments but it really slows the grinder down when your trying to run the meat back through a second time and into the casings. I felt like it's too much of a pain in the ass and will probably buy a small sausage stuffer for those needs. I also bought the burger patty attachment and think it's awesome! Overall I'm happy with my purchase and we grind about 4-6 animals per year.
If you are on a budget I can vouche the 525watt LEM units grind up animals just fine. I bought mine years ago when cash was tight and figured I'd replace it when it burnt up, well 3 elk, a few deer, and a half dozen antelope later it is still grinding. I slice up the trim meat so I can drop strips into the throat. Its not as fast as the larger units and the motor is loud (like a cheap food processor) but its a fraction of the cost. That said I will eventually get a 3/4hp unit so they are certainly nicer. Just wanted to make it clear to folks the cheap units do function.
Regardless of the unit you get skip trying to stuff sausage on them, its sucks (my hunting group also has good fullsize grinders and it still sucks). A 5lb vertical stuffer can be had for under $100 on sale and they are worth it if making sausage of any quantity.