NEVER , EVER, NEVER AGAIN

[cal1956]

today was our (me and wife ) 1st ever attempt at making smoked sausage , got the meat grinder in early this morning on fed ex and went to work , cutting up ( 3 ) pork butts ....easy........... grinding them up ...easy stuffing them with the meat grinder ......HARD !!!!!! 

now I understand why you old timers use a separate stuffer , I just had to try doing it with the meat grinder for myself but now...... NEVER , EVER , NEVER AGAIN

I will be ordering a sausage stuffer very soon 

25lbs of sausage using a meat grinder .....no thanks !!!!!!

DSCN5423.JPG

• cal1956
• May 11, 2015

 

[cal1956]

this is the  sausage after it came off the smoker...couldn't have asked for it to taste any better !!!!!!!

DSCN5433.JPG

• cal1956
• May 11, 2015

 

[daveomak]

When using the grinder as a stuffer, it will work, kind of, if you chunk and season the meat, chill it well, grind and stuff in the same operation.... once ground, the meat doesn't like to go through the stuffer again... it mushes past the auger because the stuffing pressure is too high...

 

[unclebubbas bbq]

I agree w / Dave but a vertical sausage stuffer is the way to go. Check out the link below, you can get a 5lb stuffer from Northern Tool for $90

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/category_food-processing+stuffers

 

[cal1956]

never having made sausage before I really didn't understand the need for a separate stuffer ....NOW  I DO

the sausage turned out great,  but I swear I haven't worked that hard since I was in my 20s .  if i was only stuffing 3-5 lbs  of sausage I might do it that way again

but 25 lbs  oooooooooh hell no ,

I knew you old hands at this used a separate stuffer but being hard headed and NOT knowing any better I thought , hell the grinder has a stuffing attachment why not just use it . NOW I UNDERSTAND WHY

 

[aeroforce100]

Ahhh Grasshopper,  with experience comes wisdom!

 

[themule69]

I have made a lot of sausage and have never even thought about using my grinder for a stuffer. I got a Lem stuffer and have never looked back.

Happy smoken.

David

 

[cal1956]

 
I have made a lot of sausage and have never even thought about using my grinder for a stuffer. I got a Lem stuffer and have never looked back.

Happy smoken.

David

well I can tell you that it will work , but its an awful lot of work poking ground meat into that little hole plus its slow as hell  .....I am now on the hunt for a separate stuffer !!!!

 I will say that the meat grinder that I bought from harbor freight works great for grinding , went through 25 lbs of meat like butter and you can't beat the price  $ 56.00

 

[tjdcorona]

Harbor freight !! Love that place!

 

[jaxrmrjmr]

I started out with a kitchen aid grinding attachment and trying to stuff sausage from that thing was terrible, as you all describe. Then my stepfather bought a small grinder and had the same issues. Then I bought a 15# verticle stuffer from Gander Mountain it was much better.

Then I bought a big grinder - #22, but I was still stuffing using a 15# verticle stuffer and things were good.....

On the evening of the Alabama-Clemson game a couple of weeks ago, my nephew and I had gotten a little behind on grinding and stuffing 40# of sausage. We were getting dangerously close to game time and still did not have it stuffed. I decided to just go with the stuffing tubes provided with the grinder and expected a half-azz'd final product - but hey, it's game time. Very pleasantly surprised at how quickly and tightly it was able to stuff 35-38mm hog casings. Turned out great. It went really quick with me manning the foot petal and stuffing and with him feeding the grinder. It may just be the size of the grinder and the size of the casings, but I will do it again just for simplicity's sake.

 

[myownidaho]

25#?!? That's masochism, right there.

 

[chef jimmyj]

I started out with a kitchen aid grinding attachment and trying to stuff sausage from that thing was terrible, as you all describe. Then my stepfather bought a small grinder and had the same issues. Then I bought a 15# verticle stuffer from Gander Mountain it was much better.

Then I bought a big grinder - #22, but I was still stuffing using a 15# verticle stuffer and things were good.....

On the evening of the Alabama-Clemson game a couple of weeks ago, my nephew and I had gotten a little behind on grinding and stuffing 40# of sausage. We were getting dangerously close to game time and still did not have it stuffed. I decided to just go with the stuffing tubes provided with the grinder and expected a half-azz'd final product - but hey, it's game time. Very pleasantly surprised at how quickly and tightly it was able to stuff 35-38mm hog casings. Turned out great. It went really quick with me manning the foot petal and stuffing and with him feeding the grinder. It may just be the size of the grinder and the size of the casings, but I will do it again just for simplicity's sake.

BIG difference between a POS plastic KA grinder with it's tiny face plate and all the pressure that makes it back up when stuffing and the huge face of a #22 grinder. That and with any stuffer one man can operate it fairly easily. There is a lot of Cussing if you don't have a helper to feed the grinder while you get the casing filled just right...JJk