Some advice for a very junior sausage prodigy?

[pbsmokin]

After looking at all this great sausage you all make I am shopping for a meat grinder. Anyone have any experience with these two brands?

This one claims it has a 2.5 hp motor…
http://www.amazon.com/STX-TURBOFORCE...d=LHVM79YWEHSB

having a bit of a hard time believing they stuffed that big a motor in this unit. It doesn’t look any bigger then the northern that is rated at ˝ hp.

I also like the looks of this one…its shiny and only has one switch LOL
http://www.amazon.com/Waring-MG-800-...d=LHVM79YWEHSB

I have at least heard of the Waring brand and think they are fairly reputable.

Figured I would start off with a unit that can stuff also until I talk the boss into a stuffer for fathers day.

Also, Is there any “must have reads” to start my journey into sausage making?
I like to do my research and having reference material.

[Fishawn]

Rytek Kutas' book Great sausage recipes and meat curing is often reffered to as "The Bible" of sausage making and meat curing.... I would suggest that to start.... As far as the grinder goes, I own a Northern and it has been bulletproof since birth. I ordered a Northern stuffer at the same time, so I don't know about how they work as a stuffer, but here it can be a challenge... There are some others here with different opinions on different gear... Glad you decided to join in, you will like it.

[Meat Hunter]

There was a writeup on this site I believe some time ago about how they rate the hp/wattage of grinders to make them look bigger/tougher than they really are.

The Waring I believe a few folks on here have that model. BBQ Engineer has on if I'm not mistaken.

When it comes to grinders, it depends on how much meat you plan on putting thru it. If you only plan on making like 100 pounds or less a year, than maybe a decent hand crank grinder would suffice, and use the rest of the money for a dedicated stuffer. Just an idea to toss around ya know.

Don't be in a rush to buy one, get one that will suit your needs. If you plan on makin a bunch of sausage or find that you might want to start grinding your own ground beef, or if you process deer after deer season, then invest in a decent size one.

As far as a must read, most here I think would consider Rytek Kutas's book, "Great sausage recipes and meat curing" a must have to start with. Well written, easy to understand and provides you with several recipes that allow you to taste the sausage and make adjustments to the spices as you see fit.

[pbsmokin]

Actually I sold the wife on the grinder by saying it was for grinding hamburger. Haven’t actually mentioned the sausage angle yet. Being married as long as I have I have learned it is best to break these things to the women folk in stages.
Thanks for the advise on the book. I will order it when I purchase the grinder. A good lead in to the next step of my master plan.

[Texas-Hunter]

You will find the sausage book Scott mentioned HERE Along with a few other quality sausage books..

[Jimh]

I have the northern grind also and i has been bullet proof from 5# to 200 # in a day its just keeps going and as for stuffing i just did a 5# pound patch and used the grinder to stuff with and it went very well doing it by myself

[Meat Hunter]

Being married as long as I have I have learned it is best to break these things to the women folk in stages.

Attention all young married men. Listen to these words of wisdom

[Fishawn]

Yes, do take note of Texas-Hunters link above... There are some newer books also noted on his link.... T-H has a Northern grinder that is, if memory serves me, 10-12 years old+/-..... AND... He has put out some outstanding sausages the past couple of years on this site and for sure, several years prior.... There are A LOT of real sausage pro's here.... Just post any questions you have.... Someone will be around shortly.

[pbsmokin]

Thanks for the tip Ken. Should post more Items through this associate link. I shop on Amazon frequently.

[JustSmoke2]

Really can't add anything to the grinder all good info. BUTTTTTT before you purchase the book get a Library Card and check and see if they can get books for you to look at. Before i buy a book I get a copy thru my local libray sharing program. I can view for 2 weeks and if maybe there is one or two recipes that interest me I just copy them from there book and send it back.

[IrishChef]

You will hate stuffing sausage if you stuff it with your grinder. Get a small vertical stuffer. You will not regret it. In a pinch, a jerky gun with the right stuffer tube will work. Don't bother with the old horizontal type either. Buy quality casings from your butcher, or a reputable online source such as ButcherPacker. The ones they sell at Gander/BassPro suck.
Just my 2 cents...

[T-bone Tim]

After looking at all this great sausage you all make I am shopping for a meat grinder. Anyone have any experience with these two brands?

This one claims it has a 2.5 hp motor…
http://www.amazon.com/STX-TURBOFORCE...d=LHVM79YWEHSB

having a bit of a hard time believing they stuffed that big a motor in this unit. It doesn’t look any bigger then the northern that is rated at ˝ hp.

I also like the looks of this one…its shiny and only has one switch LOL
http://www.amazon.com/Waring-MG-800-...d=LHVM79YWEHSB

I have at least heard of the Waring brand and think they are fairly reputable.

Figured I would start off with a unit that can stuff also until I talk the boss into a stuffer for fathers day.

Also, Is there any “must have reads” to start my journey into sausage making?
I like to do my research and having reference material.

I bought the Waring to start , ground approx 1 lb thru it and promptly cleaned and returned it , it was a POS in MHO ...I ended up with a Tasin 108 off of E-bay butt if I was gonna buy another grinder , I would save a few bucks and buy one of the Cabelas units of 1 hp or higher and a small seperate stuffer , just my .02 worth

[Richtee]

Actually I sold the wife on the grinder by saying it was for grinding hamburger. Haven’t actually mentioned the sausage angle yet.

Heh... well, hamburger technically IS sausage, but no need to tell her that!

By God..go get a hunk of fresh chuck and grind it straight up and cook up some patties... you'll have her BEGGING for more

[Whisky Fish]

Can't argue with anything that's been said here. If you are going to be doing small batches of sausage, even a Kitchen Aid with grinder attatchment will work. But any significan't amounts should have a bigger unit. I absolutely agree with the dedicated stuffer. I tried to use my grinder as a stuffer, , ,works for some people, but not for me. Almost ruined me on sausage making.
As for the 2 1/2 horse grinder, , ,I am not familiar with that particular unit, but my horse and a half Cabelas grinder will chop up a pair of Danner work boots in the time that it takes to say "holy crap". If you want to do a bunch of sausage check out Cabelas, lots of folks on here have used em and loved em for many years. But I'm a little biased in favor of Cabelas.

[curious aardvark]

that turboforce looks like a good unit - lots of good reviews. and a good price.
That ticks all my boxes - I'm not a big brand name guy - they're all mostly made in the same factory in china anyway :-)

Books are okay - I was making sausage for over 8 years before i bought a book on it. So not a biggie :-)
They're useful more for the information than the recipes - all of which i modify before using anyway.

Anything you want to know just ask - we've most of us read the books anyway and can tell you what they say :-)
definitely get a vertical stuffer - that's a non-negotiable item in my opinion.

never bought casings in the states - so see advice above :-)

there is a thread wheer we stated the equipment for a new sausage maker. Someone will know what the link is - I've got to go shopping lol