5 Options to Look for in a Meat Shredder

The rise in popularity of shredded meat has made meat shredders a must-have item for restaurants and food processing facilities alike.

The ability to quickly and easily shred meat product, rather than pulling it apart by hand or with shredding claws, allows for faster service, greater output, and ultimately, more satisfied customers.

If you’re looking to get into the shredded meat game, a meat shredding machine is one of the most important tools you can purchase. But how do you know what shredder to buy? How do you determine what features and options you need?

5 Most Important Options in Meat Shredders

When you’re ready to invest in a meat shredder for your restaurant or food processing facility, make sure it includes the following five options:

Continuous Feed

A meat shredder that allows you to continually feed meat into the machine without stopping will ultimately save you processing time.

Most meat shredders on the market, especially smaller machines, are batch shredders — meaning you put the meat into the machine and, when it’s done, you have to turn the machine off and pull out all the shredded meat. It can take upwards of 10 minutes or more to get the shredded meat you need.

A continuous feed shredder eliminates the need to shut off the machine to get the shredded meat product. You simply drop your product into the machine and out comes the shredded meat you want. Quick and easy.

The best part: it makes it easy to shred more meat in less time. A win-win for your processing operation.

Tool-less Removal of Guarding

When it comes time to clean your meat shredder, you’ll want one that offers fast and easy removal of any guarding and components. A meat shredder that doesn’t require any tools to remove the guarding is even better.

Imagine the time your team will save when guarding can be removed without the need for a tool — no searching for the right sized tool to take the guarding off, no losing screws or bolts, no worrying about getting it all back together again. Simply pushing a few buttons to remove the guarding and put it back on will save you time in your cleaning process.

Easy Wash Down

Sanitation is a huge concern in any food processing facility or restaurant, making it incredibly important to find a meat shredder that is easy to clean.

Look for a meat shredder made of stainless steel components with a wash down motor and control box. When all the electrical components are safely sealed from water and bacteria, clean up is easy. The shredder can be washed down like every other piece of equipment in your facility.

No Cutting

You may be hard-pressed to find a meat shredder that doesn’t actually cut the product, but if you want natural looking shreds, it’s a must.

Think about how you shred meat by hand. It’s a process of pulling the meat apart to give you that shredded look everyone recognizes as quality shredded meat. Cutting or tearing the meat won’t give you that same look.

Safety Features

Safety is a feature you don’t want to overlook.

Meat shredders can cause serious injuries to your employees if they do not include a number of safety features, such as:

Guarding
Emergency On / Off Buttons
Eliminating the ability to stick your hand in the machine
Lock Out / Tag Out features

The less contact your employees have with the internal mechanisms of the machine, the safer they will be when operating the machine.

Download the Catalog

Fusion Tech manufactures and sells a line of meat shredders to fit the needs of your restaurant or food processing facility, complete with the 5 most important options included in each model.

Start your search for a meat shredder by downloading the Fusion Cut catalog. Simply click the button below to get your copy today.