meat mixers

[cal1956]

are they worth it ? for years i have thought about buying one of them but always wondered if they mixed the seasoning into the meat as well as i can do by hand , as i get older mixing that cold meat is getting more and more painful in my hands

 

[Winterrider]

It does save from freezing your hands. Personally I didn't care for it so gave it to my brother. It was not very fun to get cleaned up when done using. If you had a bigger wash/slop sink it maybe wouldn't be bad. You can be doing other things while it is mixing was a plus of having it.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Just watch the bushings on both ends, they shave brass into the meat. I returned 3 of them and when i worked at Cabelas we were getting lots returned. Dont know if LEM ever fixed the problem. I have built in mixes at the ends of my arms...HA

Or if you have a KA mixer you can use the dough hook. Screw the paddle like them 2 guys say works best, best at clumping the meat in the middle.

 

[JckDanls 07]

Myself.. I didn't like mine at all... it was a 20lb Cabelas hand mixer... For it to work best (which wasn't very good at all) you had to do the full 20lb's ... the only meat that got mixed was what was in line with the paddles.. no matter which way you turned it... It left a lot of meat in the corners that didn't get seasoning or cure mixed in ... no way would it do 5 or 10 lb batches ... I still have it... if you want it I will give it to you free just pay shipping...

 

[cal1956]

thanks , i think you fellas have pretty much answered my questions , guess i'll just keep mixing by hand and keep a bowl of warm water handy !!!

 

[JckDanls 07]

Somebody had posted the same exact gloves I use UNDER my disposable gloves ... I'll see if I can find it... they work really well at keeping hands warm (er) ...

 

[YooperSmoker]

how coarse of grind are you all mixing the seasonings at
I usually do a coarse grind mix the seasoning in [by hand]
let set a day or 2 in the cooler then finish grind at the desired size
cooler is set at 30-32 degrees

still looking at getting a mixer from LEM but so far the postings are not encouraging

Mike

 

[Nefarious]

Somebody had posted the same exact gloves I use UNDER my disposable gloves ... I'll see if I can find it... they work really well at keeping hands warm (er) ...

The post I saw was from indaswamp and the post was in a thread I started about taking the sausage making plunge. I am busy minding 2 smokers and the oven making smashed potatoes or I would post it. I will later if it hasn't been posted yet.

 

[JckDanls 07]

The post I saw was from indaswamp and the post was in a thread I started about taking the sausage making plunge. I am busy minding 2 smokers and the oven making smashed potatoes or I would post it. I will later if it hasn't been posted yet.

Thanks.. I went and found it.. here's the link to the post..

Sausage making plunge

I am six months ahead of you...so not quite a "noob" anymore but definitely not a veteran by any means. Listen to the veterans. I hope you enjoy making sausage as much as I do!

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[poacherjoe]

I agree on the need for a big wash up sink for cleaning it up after using it but I have one ! I still push the meat around with my hands to get it to mix but when the mix gets tacky it pulls the meat from just about everywhere in the mixer and I don't have to freeze my hands so I think it's worth it. I got mine off fleabay for 50 bucks and it was practically brand new so I got a good deal. I always mix at least 12.5 pounds at a time . Cleaning up the meat grinder and the stuffer and the mixer is a lot of work so I try to plan on doing 25 pounds or more at a time .

 

[Sven Svensson]

I used mine less and less because of the cleanup. It is a chore. But I may need it again as my arthritic hands rebel at the touch of cold meat.

 

[cal1956]

if we were only doing 10 lbs or so at a time i wouldn't complain but i plan on doing 2 batches in the 60-70 lb range each and 1 of about 40-50 lbs , and thats gonna take a lot of mixing , oh well , but from what you fellas that have them are saying they just don't sound like they are worth the investment

thanks again

 

[indaswamp]

I make large batches 1-200# at a time. Mix in 160qt. ice chest on the floor with either a stainless steel paddle or an mud mixer with a drill.
See my threads on our annual deer and wild hog processing days....

 

[cal1956]

thanks for the suggestion, but i think my sausage would be to thick for that to work as i use 0 water in my sausage , but i must admit , i have thought about trying that very thing

 

[indaswamp]

Are these smoke sausages or fresh sausages? Sausages always come out better with added water. 3% for fresh and 10% for smoke sausages.

 

[DougE]

Are these smoke sausages or fresh sausages? Sausages always come out better with added water. 3% for fresh and 10% for smoke sausages.

I don't know that I adhere to those percentages, but I usually add a little liquid when mixing, be it water, wine, broth, etc.

 

[indaswamp]

The percentages I posted are the USDA allowable limits.

 

[DougE]

The percentages I posted are the USDA allowable limits.

I expect I am under the limit since I only add enough to loosen things up a little. Sometimes I don't add any. It just depends on how the batter feels.

 

[JckDanls 07]

As I stated... I use very little water as well... just enough to dissolve the cure ..

 

[Nodak21]

I agree with the others.. My LEM meat mixer sits in the closet because it is a Pain to clean and doesn’t mix the meat that great. I use a cheap pair of cotton gloves under my neoprene disposable gloves and you don’t feel the cold. It sucks on the shoulders but for a couple times a year I just suck it up.