Recommend me a stuffer

I have a Smokehouse Chef 2 speed stuffer i bought off of Amazon a couple years ago works great. I believe it is 10 lb cap.

LEM 5lber.  Never looked back.

For sticks, you do need a 5# stuffer...  about the bending...   too much pressure was needed to get the meat through the tube..  BUT you already knew that.....  

I use the 5# grizzly...  plastic gears...    I grease the piston and the meat canister really good...  I lube the screws, shafts and bushings also.... for the metal to metal parts, I use the lube pictured below...  It is a modified edible mineral oil...  the same stuff you can take for constipation....   If it will lube you up, think of how good it will work on the stuffer allowing meat to flow easily...  (I'm trying not to picture that..  It would be a picture that is difficult to UN-SEE)

What I did to reduce the friction from the tube was make my own tube that has a really thin wall....   I flared the end of the tube so it would stick inside one of the plastic tubes that comes with the stuffer...  

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That tube is 1/2" OD because my flaring tool works on 1/2" OD tube...  otherwise I couldn't flare the tube to stick inside the OEM tube...

The casing you see on the brass tube is 21MM but smaller casings will work...   The extremely thin wall tube allows for a larger I. D. which reduces friction a lot... 

It is important to really grease all the friction points very well...   I like Crisco for the piston O-Ring and walls of the meat cylinder...  It is really slick and the movement is friction free when you crank on it....

When I bought the stuffer I was well aware of the problems folks have had with plastic gears...  Taking the extra precautions of lubing the stuffer has given me years of service.... 

Also, you can't allow the meat to sit and set up...   It will get sticky and thicken like old gravy....    Season the meat, grind and stuff immediately...   If you use a meat mixer to mix the ground meat...   mix immediately after grinding and stuff immediately.....   Then you can let the cased meat sit in the refrigerator for an extended time....

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The tube is available from McMaster-Carr...  or some Ace Hardware stores have it...  The tubing is mandrel drawn and extremely hard... It needs to be annealed when flared or solder a flared nut to it, or solder a washer to it to fit the stuffing canister...  that will have to be made..

http://www.mcmaster.com/#8950k631/=10oyp9g

http://www.mcmaster.com/#8950k692/=10oypac

The flared nut below could be soldered on the end of the tube for a transition piece that allows meat to flow and holds the tube inside the OEM stuffer tube..    

http://www.mcmaster.com/mv1452544250/#50635k555/=10oysc7

I flared the end of the tube and slipped a brass washer on it to help hold it inside the plastic stuffing tube...    It ain't pretty but it works....  the tube on the left is copper pipe...  it's wall thickness is MUCH thicker and causes more friction plus it is 5/8" OD..  It will barely hold 21MM casings... only about 36" at one time.... 

I agree with Dave, I have a Kitchener 5# plastic gears, I new I would not be a heavy duty user . I use the same lube, Threaded rod, gears use a little vegetable  oil on the O ring and inside the top portion of the canister . I crank at a slow steady pace and when I know I'm getting to the bottom I back off even more. Haven't had a problem yet. From being in the Crane and steel erection business, I'm a firm believer in gear lube.

Gary

I will never recommend another LEM product again. Customer service is everything and they lack that.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/177047/is-my-lem-a-lemon

Oh yeah you need to add more water...

ol smoky said:

 
right now the sticks are in the MES40. they have been stalled at 136 IT for two hours now. I put them in at 4am this morning. 8 hours now as we speak. Not sure what to do? Just ride it out at 165 pit temp?

Click to expand...

If you feel you have enough smoke on it, you could bump it up to 180° to get it done. The spread between your IT and your smoking temp is less than 30°, if your therm is accurate.

Also what are you using to measure your smoker temp?

Bear

Man that rod is tough to bend.  Either its a failed component or you're the hulk and dont even know it.

ol smoky said:

 
maverick is monitoring smoker temp and meat temp. mes40 meat probe is agreeing with maverick and mes40 smoker temp is within 5 degrees of maverick. Checked a snack stick with a thermoworks instant read and it's agreeing also

Click to expand...

OK---Then like I said---Turn it up a little to get it finished. I wouldn't go above 190° though---180° should be fine.

Sometimes when your smoker temp isn't much higher than your current IT, it can take forever, and it's already in there for 8 hours.

Bear

dirtsailor2003 said:

I will never recommend another LEM product again. Customer service is everything and they lack that.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/177047/is-my-lem-a-lemon

Oh yeah you need to add more water...

Click to expand...

Saw it comin' a mile away DS.... 

Hearing problems like this I am glad I only use my Jerky Cannon LOL

Richie

I agree with Bear.  If you sit at 165, the things will never get done.  Gradually get to 180.  

As for your stuffer, one thing I've learned, and learned quickly, was to bolt the thing to a base.  For me, I drilled holes in my deck rail and I bolt it to that.  Really eliminates the frustration of trying to crank on sticks.  You might think about bolting it to a 1" piece of plywood that's about the size of a tabletop.  It will add stability and the thing won't wiggle all over the place.

I prefer LEM, but I don't recommend getting plastic or teflon gears.

Pull at a minimum of 155, IMHO.  I like to go to 165 IT for sticks.  Personal preference.