8 best grinder plates for Processing Wild Game

There’s a unique satisfaction that comes from processing your own harvest, turning a successful hunt into a freezer full of carefully prepared venison. But anyone who has fought with a grinder knows the final product’s quality often comes down to the smallest details. The difference between perfect burger patties and a pasty, unappetizing mess can be a simple, inexpensive part: the grinder plate.

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Why Your Grinder Plate Matters for Venison

The grinder plate is more than just a metal disc with holes; it’s the final arbiter of your meat’s texture. As the auger pushes meat forward, the spinning knife cuts it and forces it through the plate’s holes. The size of these holes dictates the coarseness of the grind, directly impacting the mouthfeel and cooking properties of everything from summer sausage to chili meat.

Choosing the right plate is about matching the tool to the task. A coarse plate with large holes (3/8" or 10mm) is perfect for a first grind or a rustic chili, allowing fat and meat to remain distinct. A medium plate (1/4" or 6mm) is a workhorse for classic venison burgers, while a fine plate (1/8" or 3mm) is required for emulsified products like hot dogs or bologna, where a completely uniform texture is the goal. Using the wrong plate, like trying to make fine sausage with a coarse plate, will give you a crumbly product that doesn’t bind correctly.

Finally, consider the material and size. Plates come in carbon steel, which holds a sharp edge but requires meticulous care to prevent rust, and stainless steel, which is more forgiving and rust-resistant. Most importantly, the plate must match your grinder’s size number (#5, #8, #12, #22, #32). An incorrectly sized plate won’t fit or function, turning processing day into a frustrating halt.

LEM #8 Big Bite 3/8" Plate: Coarse First Grind

This is the plate where all good ground meat begins. The LEM #8 Big Bite 3/8" (10mm) plate is designed for the crucial first pass, breaking down large, chilled strips of venison or elk into a coarse grind. This initial step is essential for preventing "smear," where fat and connective tissue get mashed into a paste instead of being cleanly cut, which ruins the final texture. The large holes handle sinew and silver skin far better than finer plates, making the entire process more efficient.

Think of this plate as the foundation of your grinding system. Nearly every recipe, from burgers to fine-textured sausage, benefits from a coarse first grind. This step keeps the meat cold and distinct, setting you up for a successful second grind through a finer plate if needed. For rustic chili or some country-style sausages, this single coarse grind is all you need for a wonderfully toothsome product.

If you are serious about processing your own game, this is a non-negotiable tool. It’s the starting point for quality and consistency. Without a dedicated coarse plate, you’re asking your grinder to work too hard on the first pass, leading to smearing, motor strain, and a subpar final product. This is the plate that turns a frustrating task into a smooth, efficient process.

Weston #22 4.5mm Plate: All-Purpose Burger Grind

The 4.5mm (roughly 3/16") grind is the gold standard for ground meat destined for the grill, and the Weston #22 plate delivers that texture perfectly. It creates a grind that’s fine enough to bind into cohesive patties but coarse enough to retain moisture and a satisfying chew. This is the plate that produces classic, all-purpose ground venison that’s as good in a skillet for tacos as it is in a burger.

Built for the larger #22 grinders common among serious home processors, this Weston plate is a durable carbon steel workhorse. It’s designed to handle the volume of one or more deer in a season without premature dulling. When paired with a sharp knife, it makes quick work of coarsely ground venison on its second pass, turning out pounds of perfect burger meat in minutes.

This is the plate for the hunter whose primary goal is a freezer full of high-quality ground venison. While versatile, its true calling is creating the ideal burger texture. If you process several animals a year and burgers are a staple in your household, the Weston #22 4.5mm is the specialized tool that will elevate your end product from simply "ground" to "perfectly ground."

Cabela’s Carnivore 3/16" Plate for Fine Sausage

While a 3/16" (4.5mm) plate is often used for burgers, in the world of sausage making, it’s a key tool for achieving a finer, more uniform texture. This Cabela’s Carnivore plate is ideal for products like summer sausage, snack sticks, or bratwurst where you want a tight bind and a consistent feel without moving to a fully emulsified texture. It bridges the gap between a standard burger grind and a specialty fine grind.

The Carnivore series is known for its robust, high-quality steel construction and broad compatibility with many grinder brands, making it a reliable choice. To get the best results with a plate this fine, your meat and fat must be exceptionally cold—partially frozen is best. This prevents the fat from melting and smearing, ensuring a clean cut and a superior final product with excellent particle definition.

Get this plate when you’re ready to move beyond simple ground meat and into crafting specific sausage recipes. It’s the next logical step for the home processor looking to control texture with precision. If you want your homemade summer sausage to have the dense, uniform slice of a store-bought product, this is the plate that will get you there.

Smokehouse Products #12 Kidney Stuffing Plate

This plate looks strange, and that’s because it doesn’t grind meat at all. A kidney plate, with its two or three large, bean-shaped openings, is a specialty tool used exclusively for stuffing sausage. After your meat is ground and seasoned, you swap your grinding plate for this one. It allows the grinder’s auger to push the mixed sausage into casings without any further cutting or compression.

Using a kidney plate is the secret to avoiding the dreaded "smear" during the stuffing phase. Trying to stuff through a standard grinding plate essentially re-grinds the meat, mashing the fat and protein together and ruining the texture you worked so hard to create. This plate offers almost no resistance, protecting the particle definition of your sausage and making the entire stuffing process faster and less strenuous on your grinder’s motor.

If you use your meat grinder to stuff casings, you absolutely need this plate. It is not an optional accessory; it is an essential component for making high-quality sausage. It solves the single biggest problem with grinder-stuffing and is the difference between a frustrating experience with mediocre results and a smooth process that yields a professional-grade product.

Pro-Cut KG-22-3/8 Plate: High-Volume Durability

Pro-Cut makes equipment for commercial butcher shops, and their grinder plates reflect that heritage. The KG-22-3/8 plate is not for the person processing a single deer a year; it’s for the hunting camp or hobby farm that processes multiple animals in a single, long day. It’s made from heavy-duty tool steel designed to hold an edge and withstand the continuous use that would quickly dull or damage lesser plates.

This plate serves the same function as any other 3/8" coarse plate—the critical first grind. The difference is in its longevity and performance under load. When your grinder is running for hours on end, processing elk, moose, or a whole crew’s worth of deer, you need a plate that won’t fail. This is that plate.

This is a lifetime upgrade for the high-volume home processor. If you’ve ever been frustrated by a standard plate chipping or going dull midway through a big project, the investment in a commercial-grade Pro-Cut plate is easily justified. It’s overkill for the casual user, but for the serious processor, it provides reliability and peace of mind when it matters most.

LEM #32 Stainless Steel 1/8" Fine Grind Plate

When you venture into the world of hot dogs, bologna, or certain types of fine-textured bratwurst, you need an exceptionally fine grind. The LEM #32 1/8" (3mm) plate is designed for exactly that, creating a texture that is one step away from a true emulsion. This is a highly specialized tool for advanced sausage-making projects.

The stainless steel construction is a major advantage here. Not only is it rust-proof and easy to clean, but it’s ideal for a plate that may see less frequent use than your standard burger plate. Using a plate this fine requires impeccable technique: your meat and fat must be near-frozen and ground previously through a coarser plate. Attempting a single grind with warm meat through this plate will result in a clogged, smeared mess.

This is a specialty plate for the dedicated sausage maker aiming for professional results. Do not buy this for burgers or chili. Buy it when your recipes specifically call for a fine, paste-like texture and you understand the cold-processing techniques required to use it effectively. It’s the right tool for a very specific, and very rewarding, job.

MTN Stainless Steel Plate Set: Best Value Option

For the hobby farmer or hunter just getting into processing their own game, buying individual plates can be daunting. A set like this one from MTN is the most practical and economical way to get started. Typically including three essential sizes—a coarse (10mm), medium (7mm), and fine (4.5mm) plate—it equips you for 95% of all wild game processing tasks right out of the box.

The key feature here is the stainless steel construction. At a value price point, getting durable, rust-resistant plates is a huge win. This means less worry about meticulous oiling and storage, which is a welcome relief when you’re tired at the end of a long processing day. You get the versatility to make coarse chili meat, perfect burgers, and standard sausage without breaking the bank.

If you just bought your first grinder or are looking to replace a mismatched set of old plates, start here. This is the best value on the market. It gives you the freedom to experiment and find the perfect texture for your favorite recipes without having to guess which individual plates to buy. It’s a complete, practical solution for the vast majority of home processors.

Chard #5 Two-Hole Sausage Stuffer Plate

Similar to a kidney plate, the two-hole "porker" plate is another style of sausage stuffing plate, and this one from Chard is a perfect fit for smaller #5 or #8 grinders. Its job is not to grind, but to act as a spacer that allows the auger to push your seasoned meat mix into casings with minimal resistance. This is crucial for maintaining the texture of rustic, coarse-ground sausages.

The simple, wide-open design prevents the smearing and overworking of the meat that can happen when trying to stuff through a regular grinding plate. It makes the process significantly faster and puts less strain on the motor of a smaller grinder. For anyone making sausage with a compact, entry-level machine, this small part makes a massive difference in both the process and the final product.

For anyone making linked sausage with a smaller #5 or #8 grinder, this plate is an essential, low-cost upgrade. It transforms your grinder into a much more effective stuffer. It’s the key to preventing mushy sausage and makes the entire experience cleaner and more efficient, ensuring your hard work results in a product with the perfect bite.

Grinder Plate Care for Long-Lasting Performance

Your grinder plates are precision tools, and their performance depends entirely on how you care for them. The number one rule is to never, ever put them in a dishwasher. The high heat and harsh detergents will strip any protective coating and can cause immediate rusting and pitting, especially on carbon steel plates. Instead, wash them by hand immediately after use with hot, soapy water and a stiff brush to remove all residue.

Drying is just as critical as washing. Carbon steel plates will begin to rust in minutes if left wet. Dry them thoroughly with a towel immediately after washing, and for good measure, some people even place them in a warm oven for a few minutes to evaporate every last bit of moisture. Once completely dry, coat carbon steel plates with a thin layer of food-grade mineral oil or silicone spray. This creates a barrier against humidity and prevents rust during storage. Stainless steel plates are more forgiving but will still benefit from being dried completely before being put away.

Remember that your grinder knife and plate are a matched set that wears together. A dull knife paired with a good plate will still smear meat. When performance declines—you see more smearing and the grinder works harder—it’s time to either replace both the knife and your most-used plates or have them professionally sharpened as a set. Proper care will dramatically extend their life, but no plate lasts forever.

Ultimately, the small, simple grinder plate has an outsized impact on the quality of the meat you provide for your family. Choosing the right plate for the job isn’t about collecting gear; it’s about respecting the animal and the effort of the hunt. By matching your plate to your purpose, you ensure that every pound of venison is as good as it can possibly be.