If you’re making pet food, a smaller electric grinder is fine for general usage and will last about 2 years. If you’ve got a family of large dogs to feed, consider getting a heavy duty model. Electric grinders are often available online and at kitchen supply stores. Before settling on an expensive grinder, read reviews from other customers. Research how well the grinder handles bones and how long it will last.
Get a grinder that is easy to take apart. That way, it’s easier to wash and will last a lot longer.
Grinder attachments come in plastic and metal varieties. Metal attachments are usually more durable and better for bones. Grinder attachments get pretty pricey, sometimes costing as much as a low-end meat grinder.
When using a blender or processor, watch the bones carefully. Make sure you grind them down to dust. Sharp bone fragments are dangerous when eaten. Consider picking up a spare blender from a thrift store to reduce the wear and tear on your regular kitchen blender.
Cooked bones will splinter, so they are dangerous for pets to consume. They also have less nutrients than raw bones. Avoid using bones from larger animals such as cows, pigs, and even lambs. Unless you have the kind of industrial grinder butchers use, these bones will be too hard to grind.
Leaving the meat on smaller cuts of chicken is fine. For instance, most grinders will handle whole wings, which is great for making pet food. If you only want the bones, pull the meat off of them first. If you plan on mixing vegetables with meat and bones, chop them up into smaller chunks that will also fit in the grinder.
You will need a bowl if you plan on grinding the bones with a meat grinder or stand mixer, but not with a blender or food processor. Some grinders are prone to leaking moisture. To prevent a mess, set the grinder on some paper towels or a vinyl tablecloth.
Feeding bones too quickly will cause the grinder to clog or break. Always wait for the last bone to pass through before adding another one.
If you’re making pet food, you do not need to take all of the meat off the bones before grinding them, but make sure everything blends together into a liquid consistency.
Freeze the ground bones in freezer-safe containers for long-term storage. They last indefinitely in the freezer but lose quality after 6 to 12 months. If you ground meat or vegetables with the bones, store the mixture in the refrigerator the same way. Make sure it’s still fresh before you feed it to your pet.
Before you take the grinder apart, try feeding bread through it. Bread absorbs oil and moisture in the machine. It also pushes out any ground-up fragments stuck inside.
