Dakotah water stuffer

[mike1ranger]

Anyone that runs a Dakotah or similar style homemade version water stuffer have any tips and tricks for loading the cylinder? I put my new 10 lb version to work yesterday on 68 lbs of venison sausage and I found it difficult to get it packed tightly so ended up with quite a bit of air coming through. I didnt anticipate being up to my shoulder blades in that thing trying to get the meat packed nice and tight. Once I got it loaded I enjoyed how it ran but kind of a pain to load meat. Any ideas out there to make that job a bit easier?

 

[BGKYSmoker]

I had a Dakotah and another type water stuffer.
Dont pack the meat in the tube, let the piston do the compacting as it pushes.

 

[indaswamp]

Make large meat balls just smaller than the diameter of the stuffer hopper, then throw the meat balls into the hopper with two hands. The force will compact the meat enough to force most of the air out.

I don't have a Dakotah and have never used one, but this works with most stuffers for getting the meat packed into the hopper.

 

[mosparky]

Because of the small diameter, I suggest you use a tamper to punch down the center and then fold the edges to the center and punch center down again. Repeat as neccessary.
I use a similar method (using my fist) loading a much larger stuffer at work, where air pockets will have far messier consequences. I usually have very good results.

 

[cal1956]

i made a meat pusher from some scrap wood i had in my shop, , just a 1 1/2 square stick attached to a semi round pusher i cut of of a peice of wood , i made it flat on top and bottom to let air escape when i push the meat down the tube

 

[cal1956]

my dakota in action last saturday, having used the vertical crank type stuffers and the Dakota , i can tell you 1st hand the Dakota water stuffer is the most under rated stuffer out there . this is by far the best and most easy to use stuffer you will ever use