The Weston Butcher Series #8 is a solid half-horsepower grinder that costs about the same as LEM's #8 BigBite but is rated slower (4 to 5 pounds a minute against LEM's 7). Its snack-stick funnel is a nice extra. Unless that matters to you, we'd pick the BigBite.
Key specs
| Weston Butcher Series #8 | |
|---|---|
| Price | About $420 |
| Size | #8 |
| Motor | 0.5 HP (350 W) |
| Output (maker) | 4–5 lb/min |
| Plates | 4.5 mm, 7 mm |
| Weight | 39 lb |
| Warranty | 5 years (limited) |
| Notable | 10 mm snack-stick funnel included |
How it grinds
A 0.5 HP, 350-watt air-cooled motor runs a #8 head at a rated 4 to 5 pounds a minute. It comes with coarse (7 mm) and medium (4.5 mm) stainless plates and a high-speed auger.
In the box
A stuffing kit with three funnels (20, 30 and 40 mm), a 10 mm snack-stick funnel, a stuffing star and an auger-grabbing stomper. It weighs about 39 lb.
Price and warranty
About $420 on sale when we checked, against a listed retail price of $522. Five-year limited warranty.
After grinding
Ground meat keeps one to two days in the fridge, so freeze what you won't cook. Pressed flat in vacuum bags, it freezes and thaws fast; our sister site has a guide to vacuum sealing meat. Grinding for jerky? Ground jerky has to reach 160°F; see ground beef jerky on The Dehydrator Report.
This review is based on Weston's published specifications and on independent tests where they exist; we name whose test each finding comes from. We haven't run our own timed tests on this model yet and will add hands-on notes when we do.
Questions
Is it the same as the Pro Series?
No. The Pro Series has a 0.75 HP motor and a sharpener. See Pro vs Butcher Series.
Can it make snack sticks?
It can stuff them with the 10 mm funnel, though a separate stuffer is easier for thin casings.
