6 Best Cast Iron Grinder Plates for Pork

There’s a certain satisfaction that comes from processing your own pork, a connection to the food that you just can’t get from the store. But get one detail wrong, and that beautiful pork shoulder turns into a smeared, pasty mess. The secret isn’t in the grinder‘s motor; it’s in the small, heavy steel plate at the end of the auger.

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LEM #12 1/4" Carbon Steel Grinder Plate

This is the workhorse plate, the one you’ll reach for more than any other. A 1/4" (around 6mm) grind is the sweet spot for most general-purpose ground pork. It’s perfect for breakfast sausage patties, meat for sauces, or the first pass on a finer sausage.

The key here is the carbon steel. It holds a razor-sharp edge far better than stainless, giving you a clean, crisp cut instead of a mushy smear. This is crucial for keeping the fat and lean separate, which defines good sausage texture.

Of course, carbon steel demands respect. You wash it, you dry it immediately, and you coat it with a light film of food-grade oil or silicone. If you leave it wet in the sink, you’ll have a rust-puck by morning. It’s a small price to pay for a superior grind.

Weston Pro Series 3/8" Coarse Grinding Plate

Before you can get a fine grind, you need a good coarse one. Trying to force partially frozen pork through a small plate is a recipe for disaster—it overworks your motor and smears the fat. The 3/8" (about 10mm) coarse plate is your first stop.

Think of this plate as the primary tool for breaking everything down. It creates a loose, chunky texture that’s ideal for a second, finer grind. It’s also the only plate you need if you’re making a rustic country sausage or a hearty chili where you want distinct pieces of meat.

Most Weston plates are stainless steel, which is a practical tradeoff. They won’t rust if you look at them wrong, making cleanup less stressful. While they may not hold an edge quite like carbon steel, a quality stainless plate is more than adequate for this initial breakdown stage.

Cabela’s Carnivore Series 3/16" Fine Plate

When you want that smooth, uniform texture for bratwurst or frankfurters, you need a fine plate. The 3/16" (roughly 4.5mm) is the standard for this job. It creates a product with excellent bind, ensuring your sausage holds together perfectly when cooked.

Here’s the critical rule: never use a fine plate for your first grind. You will clog the plate, smear the fat, and end up with a gray, unappetizing paste. The meat must go through a coarser plate first, get re-chilled, and then be sent through the fine plate for its final texture.

This is where quality really shows. Cheaper fine plates have poorly drilled holes that tear the meat. A well-made plate like those in the Carnivore series provides a clean shear, which is essential for the final product’s "snap" and mouthfeel.

Grizzly Forge Two-Hole Sausage Stuffer Plate

This isn’t a grinding plate at all, and that’s the whole point. After you’ve perfectly ground and seasoned your pork, the last thing you want to do is process it again. This two-hole plate, often called a "kidney plate," replaces both your knife and your grinding plate during the stuffing phase.

It acts as a spacer, allowing the grinder‘s auger to simply push the sausage mix into your casing horn. The large openings don’t cut or compress the meat, preserving the texture you worked so hard to create. Trying to stuff through a regular grinding plate will over-emulsify the mix, ruining the texture.

This is one of those small, inexpensive tools that makes a world of difference. If you plan on making cased sausage, a stuffer plate is not optional. It’s the piece that separates frustrating attempts from professional results.

Chop-Rite #22 Heavy-Duty Enterprise Plate

Some tools are disposable; others are meant to be passed down. Chop-Rite plates fall into the second category. Made from heavy-duty, forged cast iron, these things are built to withstand generations of use.

The key thing to know is the style. Chop-Rite uses the "Enterprise" system, which means the plate has two small notches on opposite sides to lock into the grinder housing. This is different from the "Hub" style, which has a square center hole. Know which style your grinder uses before you buy.

This isn’t the plate for someone who makes sausage once a year. This is for the homesteader processing multiple hogs, who values durability and performance over convenience. Like any cast iron, it requires diligent care to prevent rust, but it will reward you with a lifetime of consistent, clean grinding.

Smokehouse #32 Carbon Steel Chili Grind Plate

Not all coarse grinds are created equal. For a truly exceptional pot of chili, you don’t want strands of ground meat; you want small chunks that stay tender and distinct. That’s where a dedicated chili grind plate comes in.

These plates typically have very large, often kidney-bean-shaped holes. The meat is cut into small cubes rather than extruded into strands. The difference in the final dish is astounding. The meat has a much better bite and doesn’t dissolve into the sauce.

This is a perfect example of using the right tool for a specific job. While you can make chili with a standard coarse grind, using a plate designed for it elevates the result from good to great. It’s a specialty plate, but one that’s well worth the small investment if you take your chili seriously.

Univen Grinder Knife for a Sharper, Cleaner Cut

You can own the best grinder plates in the world, but they are useless without a sharp knife. The knife does the cutting; the plate determines the size of the pieces. A dull knife smashes meat against the plate, no matter how good the plate is.

Think of the knife and plate as a matched set of scissors. Both sides need to be sharp and sit perfectly flush against each other. A new, sharp blade can make an old grinder feel brand new, eliminating smearing and making the whole process faster and cleaner.

Always have at least one spare, sharp knife on hand. Some old-timers even have their plates and knives professionally sharpened and lapped together as a matched set. While you don’t need to go that far, never underestimate the importance of a sharp, well-maintained blade.

TSM Food Grade Silicone Spray for Maintenance

The enemy of any carbon steel or cast iron grinder plate is rust. Water is the catalyst. The moment you’re done washing your plates and knife, they must be dried completely—not air-dried, but towel-dried until they are bone dry.

This is where a food-grade spray comes in. A quick spritz of silicone or mineral oil creates a protective barrier against ambient moisture. It prevents rust from forming between uses and keeps the parts lubricated and ready for your next project.

Don’t use vegetable oil or lard, as they can go rancid over time and impart off-flavors to your meat. A dedicated, food-safe product is a simple, cheap insurance policy for your equipment. It turns maintenance from a chore into a quick, easy final step.

Ultimately, building a small collection of high-quality plates is an investment in your craft. It’s not about having dozens of them, but about having the right ones for the jobs you do most often. A coarse plate, a medium all-purpose plate, a fine plate, and a stuffer plate will handle nearly any pork project you can dream up.