The main driver behind the slicer is our beef jerky production. We make a lot of it, and our local grocery store stopped slicing raw meat. Of course, it will also slice bread (Kim makes a lot of bread), cheese, homemade roast beef, and just about anything else.
The search was painful. We purchased a "pro" slicer from Cabela's, but it was somewhat "sloppy" to use - lots of flex in the mechanism. It also had an issue that solidified our primary decision criteria - cleaning must be easy. The Cabela slicer required a screw driver and removal of the blade to clean, a very dangerous project. It was also setup so that any juices from the meat would run straight into the inside of the machine. Many of the units on the market have that design.
So, when you look at the pictures and think, "that thing's huge", you're right. We basically had to buy a real commercial slicer to get the safety and cleaning features we required. It was a bit surprising when it shipped via Roadway freight, and even more interesting when we picked it up. They used a fork lift to put it in the back of our SUV. I really wish we had thought to get video of that moment - what are the chances that will happen again?
We fired the slicer up and made our way through about 28lbs of meat. It is a dream to use, the cleanup was easy, required no tools, and no kevlar gloves.
Storage is still the big question, but even though we were a bit nervous at first, we are now convinced it's going to have a long and busy life with us. Click the picture to see it unboxed.
