Can You Grind Meat With a Champion Juicer? An Engineer’s Honest Breakdown

You’ve seen the YouTube videos. Someone shoves a chunk of chuck roast into a Champion Juicer and out comes a thick, worm-like paste that looks sort of like ground beef. It’s mesmerizing, and it makes you wonder if you really need a separate meat grinder taking up cabinet space.

Here’s the short answer: Yes, the Champion Juicer can physically process raw meat, but it’s a terrible idea for most people. The machine wasn’t designed for it, the motor isn’t built for it, and the cleanup is a nightmare. This article walks through the mechanical reasons why it fails, the exact steps if you absolutely must try it, and why a dedicated $50 grinder will serve you better in the long run.

You’ll walk away knowing the torque specs, the warranty language, and the hidden costs that nobody mentions in those viral videos.

If you’re set on using a grinder for both meat and juice, consider the LEM Products BigBite Juicer Attachment. It attaches to LEM’s meat grinders, letting you switch from grinding venison to juicing oranges in minutes. It’s a smarter approach if you already own or plan to buy a dedicated grinder.

What the Champion Juicer Is Actually Designed to Process

The Champion Juicer is a masticating juicer. It uses a single auger, sometimes called a gear, that rotates at roughly 1,725 RPM. That auger crushes and presses fruits and vegetables against a stainless steel screen. The pulp exits one chute, the juice flows out another.

It’s brilliant at what it does. Carrots, celery, apples, leafy greens — the Champion handles them all with ease. The machine produces a dry pulp because the auger squeezes every drop of liquid out of the plant matter.

But here’s the thing about plant matter: it’s mostly water and fiber. Neither of those offers much resistance to the auger. A carrot is hard, sure, but it fractures easily. The auger crushes it into pieces, and the screen separates the juice from the pulp.

Raw meat is a completely different animal. It’s dense, elastic, and full of connective tissue. It doesn’t fracture; it squishes and stretches. When you force meat through a juicer, the auger has to tear through sinew and gristle. That takes far more force than juicing a cucumber.

The Physics of Grinding: Why a Juicer Motor Fails at Meat

Let’s talk about the motor. The Champion Juicer draws about 1.5 amps at 120 volts, which translates to roughly 180 watts. That’s plenty of power to spin an auger through an apple.

A dedicated meat grinder, by comparison, typically draws 5 to 10 amps. The LEM BigBite grinder, for instance, uses a 575-watt motor. That’s more than three times the power of the Champion.

Power isn’t the only difference. It’s torque.

Torque vs. Speed: The Fundamental Difference

Torque is rotational force. Speed is how fast something spins. A juicer has high speed and low torque. A meat grinder has low speed and high torque.

The Champion’s auger spins at 1,725 RPM. A typical meat grinder runs at 200 to 400 RPM. That lower speed gives the grinder the mechanical advantage to push meat through a cutting plate without stalling.

When you feed meat into a Champion, the auger spins fast but lacks the force to push the meat through the screen. The meat backs up, the motor strains, and the machine slows down. You’ll hear the pitch change. That’s the sound of your motor working far beyond its design limits.

Run it long enough and you’ll burn out the motor. The thermal overload switch might trip, but repeated strain will eventually kill the windings. Replacing a Champion motor isn’t cheap, and it’s not a simple DIY job.

The “Emergency” Method: How to Do It Without Immediate Breakage

Okay, you’re still determined to try it. Maybe you’re in a cabin with no electricity except for the outlet that powers your juicer. Maybe you’re just stubborn. Either way, there’s a way to minimize the risk.

This method won’t protect your warranty, and it won’t guarantee your motor survives. But it gives you the best odds.

Pre-Chilling and Cubing for Safety

Cold meat is firmer. Firm meat cuts cleaner. Warm meat turns into a greasy paste that clogs every gap in the machine.

Start by cutting your meat into 1-inch cubes. Smaller is better. A 1-inch cube is the largest piece the Champion’s feed tube can handle anyway.

Spread the cubes on a baking sheet and freeze them for 30 to 45 minutes. You want the surface to feel stiff but not rock-hard. If the meat freezes solid, you risk chipping the auger or the screen.

Work in small batches. Feed one cube at a time. Let the machine chew through each cube completely before adding the next. Don’t push the stomper down with force; let the auger do the work.

Expect a paste, not ground meat. The Champion produces a homogenized paste because it crushes and mixes the meat rather than cutting it cleanly. Texture-wise, it’s closer to a sausage emulsion than burger meat.

The Homogenizing Blank: Friend or Foe?

The Champion comes with a homogenizing blank. That’s a solid plastic disc that replaces the screen for making nut butters, baby food, and frozen fruit sorbet.

Some people use the blank for meat. The idea is that the blank prevents the meat from being forced through the screen, so it comes out the pulp chute as a thick paste.

Here’s the problem: the blank adds resistance. The meat has nowhere to go except through the narrow gap between the auger and the housing. That increases the load on the motor significantly. You’re asking a 180-watt motor to do the work of a 575-watt grinder.

My advice: skip the blank. Use the standard screen with the coarse holes. You’ll get a slightly better texture and less motor strain.

The Hidden Costs: Sanitization, Odor, and Cross-Contamination

Let’s say the motor survives. You’ve got a bowl of meat paste. Now comes the real problem: cleaning.

The Champion Juicer has a plastic housing and a plastic auger. Plastic is porous on a microscopic level. Meat fats and juices soak into those pores, and they don’t come out with a quick rinse.

You’ll need to disassemble the entire machine and wash every part in hot, soapy water. Then you’ll want to sanitize. A diluted bleach solution works, but you have to rinse thoroughly. The plastic will absorb the bleach smell too.

Here’s the kicker: even after a thorough cleaning, the plastic may retain a faint meat odor. That odor will transfer to your next batch of carrot juice. You’ll taste a hint of beef in your morning juice. It’s not dangerous, but it’s unpleasant.

To deodorize the plastic, make a paste of baking soda and water. Coat every plastic part and let it sit for 30 minutes. Rinse and repeat if needed. A white vinegar soak also helps, but it takes a full hour.

Beyond the smell, there’s the cross-contamination risk. Raw meat carries bacteria. If you don’t fully sanitize the juicer, those bacteria can end up in your juice. The USDA recommends washing any surface that touches raw meat with hot, soapy water, then sanitizing with a solution of one tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water.

That’s a lot of effort for a mediocre result.

Warranty and Manufacturer Stance: What the Fine Print Says

The Champion Juicer’s warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship. It does not cover damage from misuse. Grinding raw meat falls squarely into the misuse category.

The user manual explicitly lists meat as a food that should not be processed in the machine. The company’s stance is clear: processing meat can damage the motor and the plastic parts, and that damage is not covered.

If you burn out the motor grinding meat, you’ll be paying for a replacement out of pocket. The same goes for a cracked auger or a warped screen. These parts aren’t cheap. A replacement motor can cost a third of the price of a new juicer.

Compare that to a dedicated meat grinder. Budget models from brands like Kitchener or STX International cost between $50 and $80. They’re designed to handle meat all day, every day. They come with their own warranties, and they don’t risk your juicer.

The Verdict: Buy a $50 Grinder Instead

Here’s the math. A Champion Juicer costs around $300. A replacement motor costs around $100. A dedicated meat grinder costs $50.

If you grind meat once a month, the dedicated grinder pays for itself the first time it saves your juicer from a burned-out motor.

The Champion is a fantastic juicer. It’s built like a tank, and it will last for decades if you treat it right. But it’s not a meat grinder. Asking it to do that job is like using a sports car to tow a boat. It can do it in a pinch, but you’ll regret it.

Top Budget Grinder Alternatives

If you’re in the market for a dedicated grinder, look for a few key specs. A motor rated at least 500 watts, a stainless steel grinding plate, and a food pusher that fits comfortably in your hand.

LEM makes excellent grinders, and their juicer attachment means you can juice and grind with one machine. That’s the best of both worlds.

Other solid options include the Kitchener #8 and the STX International Turboforce. Both handle small to medium batches of meat without breaking a sweat. Check the current prices on Amazon; they fluctuate, but you can usually find a capable grinder for under $100.

FAQ: Quick Answers on Meat and Champion Juicers

Will grinding meat void my Champion Juicer warranty?

Yes. The manual explicitly states that meat is not a recommended food for this machine. Any damage from grinding meat, including motor burnout or cracked parts, is considered misuse and won’t be covered.

Can I use the homogenizing blank for meat?

You can, but it’s not a good idea. The blank adds resistance and increases motor strain. If you must grind meat, use the standard screen instead. It’s slightly less stressful on the motor.

How do I get the meat smell out of my Champion Juicer?

Make a paste of baking soda and water, coat all plastic parts, and let it sit for 30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly. If the smell persists, soak the parts in a solution of one part white vinegar to three parts water for an hour. Then wash with hot, soapy water.

Is the meat paste from a Champion Juicer safe to eat?

Yes, as long as the meat is fresh and you cook it to a safe internal temperature. The machine doesn’t introduce bacteria; it just processes the meat. The bigger concern is cross-contamination when you use the juicer for fruits and vegetables afterward.

Can I grind cooked meat in a Champion Juicer?

Cooked meat is softer and easier on the motor, but it still carries the same cleaning and cross-contamination issues. The texture will be even more paste-like than raw meat. It’s better to use a food processor for cooked meat.

What to Do Next

• Keep your Champion Juicer for juice, nut butter, and sorbet. That’s what it’s built for.
• If you need ground meat, buy a dedicated grinder. A $50 model will outperform the Champion and won’t risk your $300 investment.
• If you already own a LEM BigBite grinder, the juicer attachment is a smart add-on for fresh juice without a second machine.
• If you’re curious about other blenders and juicers, check out our take on grinding meat in a Vitamix.
• Never feed frozen-solid meat into any juicer. The auger can crack.
• Sanitize any surface that touches raw meat, including cutting boards and countertops.
• When in doubt, spend the $50. Your juicer will thank you.