Kitchen Aid attachments for making sausage

[pepeskitty]

We are thinking about getting the attachment meat grinder and sausage stuffer for our Kitchen Aid mixer. But are wondering if they are worth anything. Has anyone here ever used them before? Would we be better off to get a small grinder instead? I am not sure if this is something we are going to do a lot of, so we don't want to wrap too much money into it just yet.


With all the sausage being made around here, I just have to try some of this myself. (you guys are making my addictions worse, it's like hanging out with a bunch of drug pushers LOL)

 

[mossymo]

Pepeskitty
They work well for grinding; not fast, but do grind just fine. I have never tried the stuffer attachments on a Kitchen Aid though.

 

[pitrow]

It works pretty well for small batches. I wouldn't want to run large batches through it very often though as it tends to heat the motor up more than I'd like. My only complaint is that when you're using it as a stuffer it tends to grind the meat into a paste, so if you like courser grinds you should probably grind and stuff in one step instead of grind then stuff.

I will probably end up buying a dedicated stuffer eventually even though I only do small (5 lb or so) batches once or twice a year.

However, for the small initial investment, I'd say go for it and see if you like it before spending money on more expensive options.

 

[fatback joe]

I'll second what Mossy said. Works just fine, just not real fast, if you have to do more than 5 lbs at a crack it can get old, but it sounds like for what you are looking for to test the waters.

The stuffer attachment works, but it is a real slow process. The hole to put the ground meat in seems to small IMO. Kind of a pain in the butt......it works, but I think more highly of the grinder than I do the stuffer.....by a long ways.

Good luck

 

[alx]

I have used my grinder attachment for years on sausage.Mossy,Pit Row and Joe are right on from my experience.I get the 6 pound butts and make 5 pounds at a time-Alot of homemade seasoning mixes start at 5 pound batches and go up etc...

I have never bought a stuffer,but i make mine into loaves and freeze and use as needed.Really makes breakfast sausage,spaghetti sauces,pizzas etc that much better....

I also grind chuck roast in mine for hamburgers-ground meat etc....

Better sausage and ground meat at cheaper prices has payed itself off quick!!!!

 

[crawdaddy]

We have owned the grinder and stuffer for about 6 years. I agree, the grinder works just fine but the stuffer is a little slow. It works for us because we don't make sausage on a daily basis and only in small personal batches. We just finished 6# of andouille and have boudin gettin' ready for tomorrow. I found myself wanting a better stuffer.

 

[reeko]

MMM Andouille and Boudin.
I am planning to do both over the holidays.
Care to share your recipes?

 

[powderxp]

I also have used the grinder to make 5 to 20 lb. batches of sausage. As long as the meat doesn't get too warm, it works great. Good investment, easy to clean.

 

[jirodriguez]

I have not tried it, but I do remember a thread where somebody basically had to buy his wife a new KitchenAid mixer after he burned out the motor on hers making sausage - just a word of warning... lol.

 

[fatback joe]

Kind of brings up a good point. Not all kitchen aid models are created equally.

We use the pasta attachments on ours without a problem and got the same attachments for my MIL and hers was struggling to keep up and getting very hot..........even if you decide to get it, might want to do some homework and make sure your model is up to the task.

 

[hoser]

I have the heavy duty kitchenaid, and I use it for sausage all the time....usually 10 pounds at a time. It's slow, but if you're not going to be making it week in and week out, I don't forsee any problems.

The only drawback is stuffing...what you can do is get an extra grinding plate, and drill it out on a drill press to open it up so it acts more like a spacer that you'd get with a better grinder. This allows the ground mixture to flow more freely, and makes stuffing a lot more fun.

Try to drill the extra plate out to look something like this:

 

[forluvofsmoke]

I had a bad experience with my wife's KA grinder attachment about 6 or 8 months ago. The first time I tried to grind my own beef salami mix with a cubed chuck roast in a brand new grinder attachment...the seasoning mix must have done the damage, but, I didn't get any meat through the plate before the accessory drive gears were damaged. We can't use any accessories with it now. This happened in all of about 1/2 a second on the lowest speed setting, btw.

I suggest not using any coarse seasonings in the meat mix, unless you will grind first, then mix the seasonings afterwards.

Good luck on the sausage venture, what ever you decide.

I plan on getting a dedicated meat grinder for about $100 or so (for a starter grinder), just to avoid any problems like this in the future (tearing up the wife's equipment is not the best idea)

Eric

 

[carpetride]

I remeber that thread and was the first thing I thought of. Not sure where the thread got off to though.

 

[badfrog]

excellent mod!!! I will be trying that one out!

 

[irishteabear]

I have both the grinder and sausage stuffer attachments for my KA. I do use them for small batches of sausage, usually no more than 5 lbs at a time. My KA is older and is on its last legs but still works so I'm not going to replace it until it dies. Then I will definitely look at getting a grinder and a stuffer.

 

[csmith2884]

Eric, did you ever call kitchen aid on this. I have heard someplace that they really back their products well.

 

[mikerags]

I say go ahead and get one. I did for my first few sausage matches. Grinder works well, but the stuffer is painfull. Took me about 30 minutes to stuff 5lbs. After three batches I bought a vertical 5lbs stuffer. After a 10lbs batch I bought a dedicated grinder. For about 40 bucks it is a good way to find out if you even like making sausages and prepares you to invest in the deticated equipment. After getting the stuffer and grinder I would never go back.

 

[pops6927]

The grinder works good, I've processed hundreds of lbs. of sausage through it and never a whimper.
Stuffing with it however is a challenge; slow and frustrating, mushing of meat, etc.
So I got a new grinder and found the same disappointment with it also, even though it's a 1 hp. grinder.
I got a 15 lb. stuffer and that ended the conflict - no mushing, great color and bloom to the final product plus stuffing as fast as you can turn the crank! I'd recommend the grinder but invest in a 5lb. stuffer vs. buying the tubes to stuff with the grinder. A little more money but a huge time-saver and maintains the integrity of the finished product!


Grinding with KitchenAid grinder:


Stuffing with it:


Grinding with new 1hp Cabela's grinder:



Stuffing with it:



Stuffing with dedicated stuffer!

 

[txbigred]

Can't add much more than everyone else has stated. The grinder does work good, best for small batches, but I would get a separate stuffer if you think you will be making sausage regularly. I have a big Torrey grinder which is great for doing a box of butts, but if I only have 5 pounds or so to do, I use the Kitchen aid....much easier to clean. You can do lager batches though, I have done up to 60 Lbs. of pork with the Kitchen Aid, it just takes a lot longer. You have to cut the meat up a lot smaller to feed it. If you already have the Kitchen Aid, I'd say go ahead and get the grinder attachment, and buy a cheap stuffer.

Dave

 

[stevend]

Ive had great luck with my Kitchen Aid grinder. Its a PITA for stuffing though. I finally bought the 5# stuffer from Norther Tool. It works MUCH better.

I bought a larger grinder plate last week and now I'm VERY happy with my Kitchen Aid Grinder.

http://cgi.ebay.com/10-5mm-Kitchenai...item27ab3ba63e