Looking to start tooling myself up for some sausages as I can't hold out any longer! I am looking for a quality grinder, I'd prefer a hand crank unit, I don't see myself doing much more then 10-20 lb batches. Also stuffers. I want a vertical, are they all essentially the same? The lem one seems nice, but not sure how much it matters? Probably a 5 lb stuffer, I would think.


Thanks for any tips you guys have.

Get a power grinder!! You're arms will thank me!

I'd prefer a hand crank unit, I don't see myself doing much more then 10-20 lb batches.

get an electric.

for batches up to 5lb hand cranked works very well. But anything larger than that you're going to need an electric grinder.

Nothing to do the actual manual effort (I actually enjoy that). It's all about time.
A basic electric grinder will process at least 1lb of semi-frozen meat a minute.
a decent hand grinder will take you around 5 minutes a pound.
During that time the meat is warming up. Not only is that effecting safety but the warmer the meat the less clean grind you get, and that negatively effects the final texture of the sausage.

Plus a small 350-500watt grinder isn't going to cost you much and will make sausage making that much quicker and safer. (http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_36989_36989)

Stuffer wise a 5lb vertical is a good buy. (http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200449319_200449319) But if you're planning on doing 20lb batches than a 10-15 lb would probably be a better buy. (http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200425065_200425065)
PLus pricewise a decent manual grinder (http://www.sausagemaker.com/6123232stainlesssteelmeatgrinder.aspx) is more expensive than an electric

A good spice grinder is - for me - as essential as a stuffer or grinder.
I use a magic bullet - but any decent coffee grinder should do the job.
The hamilton beach grinders (http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-80333-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B002SB8LZ0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1296304070&sr=8-4) seem pretty decent.

A vacpacker is also an essential addition to the sausage makers 'tools'.
Contact rowdyray for amazing deals on vacpackers :thumb:

Also if regularly making batches larger than 5lb a meat mixer wouldn't hurt either (http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200452390_200452390)

Having mixed up about 6lb of B2B (http://www.smoked-meat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12353) last night I can testify to the fact that your hands hurt - a lot, when manually mixing sub zero sausage meat.

A good 8 inch chefs knife is also a good idea.

So for me the essentials would be Stuffer, Meat Grinder & Spice grinder - in that order.
everything else you can add to birthday, fathers day, christmas, easter etc present lists :thumb:

get an electric.


^ What he said :whistle:

great work on the shopping list CA :thumb:

Add a good 5" or 6" boning knife to CA's list...you'll appreciate a more "nimble" knife to trim the junk bits off of the meat before you grind.

If you have a KitchenAid mixer, the grinder attachment for those works pretty well for smaller batches...and the dough hook makes mixing 4-5 lb. batches of sausage pretty painless.

Whatever you get for a grinder, make sure you partially freeze the meat before grinding...it really makes the whole process go much smoother...:thumb:

L8r,
Eric

CA nailed it, the only thing I would add is, don't fall for the claims that an electric grinder can be used as a stuffer. Some people can get away with it and more power to em. But for me, trying to stuff with my grinder was an awful and frustrating experience. I'm sure there are tips and tricks I don't know, that would make it work, but the vertical was such a pleasure to use after trying the grinder stuffing. You're gonna love this hobby.

Looking to start tooling myself up for some sausages as I can't hold out any longer! I am looking for a quality grinder, I'd prefer a hand crank unit, I don't see myself doing much more then 10-20 lb batches. Also stuffers. I want a vertical, are they all essentially the same? The lem one seems nice, but not sure how much it matters? Probably a 5 lb stuffer, I would think.


Thanks for any tips you guys have.

Most of these 5# stuffers are made by the same manufacturer just a different sticker for a name.

Here are some good prices on 5# SS Vertical Stuffers, I have the Grizzly and am very happy with it...

Grizzly $75.75 Regular Price
http://grizzly.com/products/5-lb-Vertical-Sausage-Stuffer-SS/H6252

Midwestern Regular Price $99.99 On Sale for $20.00 off now$79.99
http://www.midwesternresearch.com/INDEX.htm

LEM $139.99 (Over Priced In My Opinion)
http://www.lemproducts.com/product/496/lem-stuffers

Before anyone says, "Yes but the LEM has metal gears", the gears are the same in all machines and can be replaced with the metal LEM gears if the Nylon gears ever break which if properly used shouldn't...

You can buy the metal gears here for $29.70 and still be cheaper than buying a LEM...
http://www.lemproducts.com/product/1470/Vertical_Stuffer_Parts

Most of these 5# stuffers are made by the same manufacturer just a different sticker for a name.

Here are some good prices on 5# SS Vertical Stuffers, I have the Grizzly and am very happy with it...

Grizzly $75.75 Regular Price
http://grizzly.com/products/5-lb-Vertical-Sausage-Stuffer-SS/H6252

Midwestern Regular Price $99.99 On Sale for $20.00 off now$79.99
http://www.midwesternresearch.com/INDEX.htm

LEM $139.99 (Over Priced In My Opinion)
http://www.lemproducts.com/product/496/lem-stuffers

Before anyone says, "Yes but the LEM has metal gears", the gears are the same in all machines and can be replaced with the metal LEM gears if the Nylon gears ever break which if properly used shouldn't...

You can buy the metal gears here for $29.70 and still be cheaper than buying a LEM...
http://www.lemproducts.com/product/1470/Vertical_Stuffer_Parts

Dang it Paul, I didn't get to say "but the LEM has metal gears". I think if your meat mix has the proper viscosity for stuffing, the nylon gears will never be an issue. I'm still considering one of the cute little 5 #ers for small batches. The 25#er is just a bear to clean up.

what do you use the coffee grinder for?

what do you use the coffee grinder for?

Spices... just remember after grinding up dried cayannes to wash it before you make up a pot of coffee. :whistle:

Good probe Thermo & or a Thermapen.

Spices... just remember after grinding up dried cayannes to wash it before you make up a pot of coffee. :whistle:

Nothing like a cup of "hot" coffee first thing in the morning... :eek: :faint:

actually if you're going to grind your own spices (highly recommended :thumb:) you're also going to need a decent set of scales. (http://www.amazon.com/KINTREX-SCL0640-Digital-Tempered-Kitchen/dp/B003LZIGLQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1296662945&sr=8-3)

Spices... just remember after grinding up dried cayannes to wash it before you make up a pot of coffee. :whistle:

That's why I have TWO coffee grinders...one just for spices...:bounce:

Sometimes you can get lucky and find a cheap spare on ebay...or even at Goodwill...for a few bux it's nice to have a backup.

I think everyone pretty well covered the topic.

You can pick up used stuff if you are not in a hurry and save some bucks.

One item that I can add, is buy your spices as you need them. Figure out what sausage you want to make and buy what you need. Some spices lose there potency after sitting for a while.

The spice grinder is also a good tool if you find that your seasoning blends have caked up on you because you kept them around too long.

For vertical stuffers, I also recommend the 5# grizzly. It was my entry-level stuffer, and since much of my sausage is made in 20-25# batches I spent a fair amount of time reloading it. When a 30# Cabelas stuffer showed up on ebay for the right price I jumped on it. Now I can load the whole 25# batch into the stuffer at once, wash my hands, and stuff my casings--until the plunger is all the way down, and there's still about 3# meat left in the stuffer. I can freeze it bulk for patties later, or bring out the 5# grizzly to finish the job and clean two stuffers when I'm done. I find myself still using the grizzly alone most of the time.

I got my "spice" grinder (read coffee grinder) at Krogers in Toledo, OH a few years back... I think it was a whopping $9.00... best $9.00 I've ever spent. :thumb: