Sausage Making Equipment Advice?

Hello all,

After several years of thinking about it and grubbing from my sausage making friends, this year I'm pulling the trigger and getting rolling making sausage and need some input on equipment. I'm a fan of all types of sausage, dried and fresh, have ample venison, fowl, and boar. I'm committed to this and looking to set myself up with gear I won't grow out of but don't want to over do it on some pieces if I don't need to for the first run. From my sausage making friends it sounds like a 1-hp grinder is the foundation I need. I also want a vertical stuffer. After deer season a 25+#/batch would be normal but for fresh sausage I will be doing 5# batches most of the year. Will using a larger stuffer work with small batches or should I be looking at getting two stuffers in the long run? I'm looking at LEM and the Sausage Maker equipment.

Any advice on this and any other helpful/must have tools appreciated.

Tom

I think a 5# sausage stuffer will be fine. After deer season you fill it 5 times. That doesn't sound like you need some giant one. I think I'd rather have one good one than 2 so-so ones.

Dont skimp on equipment, it's more of a pita then most realize with lower quality equipment equipment. A quality metal reduced geared stuffer works awesome. A lot of the cheaper ones cannot handle the pressure of smaller casings like snack sticks if you make those. Plus they usally have fewer attachments and don't cooperate with the universal stuff. I have a 5lb $50.00 Gander Mountain that I haven't used since getting one of the Cabelas bigger versions. It's like 11-15lbs off top of my head. Works great for big and small batches. I usally do about 50-100lbs over a period of a week. No matter size you will always end up with some meat in bottom you can't stuff. Different brands are more wasteful then others. Cabs came out with a cheaper Weston version too but I can't speak for its quality. Use silicone spray for the canister, add a little water or olive oil to make meat flow smoother.

Another thing with grinders is just because it says it's 1hp doesn't mean that's actually what your getting. Always good to look for what final output of HP rating is. I have what is called a true 1hp grinder. It starts out as a 1 1/3hp and final output is 1hp. It's a beast. I started with hand crank grinders. A few years later asked for a real grinder. My wife bought me one of those 1hp plastic heavy duty grinders think Weston makes it. I absoultely hated that thing. I'm sure it's fine for 5 lbs but when your doing 5 deer plus trimmings it was a nightmare. I actually broke out the hand crank. I finally got a sweet deal for one of the GanderMountain Series before they switched manufactures and it's been a beast. It takes everything I throw at it. Doesn't get clogged, stuck or turn the meat to paste ever and has good speed. Keep your blades and plates sharpened , ground flat and meats very cold. Use food grade silicone spray on the auger and plates.
Cabelas, Lem and sausage maker all carry very good grinders. Stay away from anything plastic.
There has been a lot more resources in the last few years then there ever was so it is definstely easier then when I first started. most people don't realize how much works goes into making good sausage, jerky, snack stocks it summer sausages but it's well worth it and you know you got your animal and not improperly handled game etc.

That's me peering over your shoulder Tom.

Hello sausage lovers,

Timely thread, since I am taking the Advanced Sausage Production leisure class at the Louisiana Culinary Institute in 3 days, having already taken the Basic class. http://www.lci.edu/leisureclasses LCI uses the 5 lb vertical stuffer with plastic gears, and aside from being dropped by students, appear to be none the worse for wear. I can't imagine how many zillion pounds of sausage have been run through those.

I geared up for Christmas, after researching all the various companies/ brands etc... comparing them all, here is the logic behind what I chose.

First, no American made stuffer in my market range. I always look.

Next, it appears that one stuffer is marketed by several companies, and it is the same stuffer as the LCI uses. The LEM stuffer http://www.lemproducts.com/product/496/Vertical-Stuffers appears to be the same as the Grizzly stuffer http://www.grizzly.com/products/H6252 with a sticker and $70 attached to it (which may or may not come with metal gears).

Now, LEM does carry parts, including metal gears that have been confirmed to fit the Grizzly http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/83983/replacement-gears-for-the-5lb-grizzly-stuffer and http://www.lemproducts.com/category/Vertical_Stuffer_Parts for those with bad recipes or otherwise are in over their head .

So I chose the Grizzly, if the gears happen to mess up I can get replacements for $15. I got the Grizzly in and can confirm that it is the same as the ones used by the LCI, which I have used before. Have not used it yet, but following the upcoming class I am sure I'll be wanting to try my hand.

For a grinder I have the Kitchenaid mixer attachment. I may need a coarser grinder plate for Andouille, which I can get aftermarket.

Since you guys are interested, I pulled out the syllabus that includes the recipes from the first LCI class- Tuscan (with port), Hot Italian, Fresh Kielbasa, Breakfast, and the most interesting Buffalo Wing Sausage.

Chicken thighs- 5lbs
Kosher Salt- 2oz
Fatback- 1 1/2lbs
Black Pepper- 1/2 oz
Cayenne pepper- 5tsp
Ice Water- 1/2 cup
Frank's hot sauce- 2tbsp (after tasting, our class doubled it or more)
Sheep Casing

Wow, I can't wait to hear more about these projects.

Alacrity59 said:

Wow, I can't wait to hear more about these projects.

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I didn't know you guys cared about that stuff. Ok, well, pics or it didn't happen is the rule.

Here is my Grizzly 5lb stuffer, that is a Flare thrown in for scale.

What about a grinder? I was under the impression that was the more critical item.

Just seeing the word "Charcuterie" draws me in. A bit of dry German sausage, bit of cheese, mustard, with a nice bun . . . I'm in Heaven.

My kingdom for a trisket and piece of sausage!

Jim said:

What about a grinder? I was under the impression that was the more critical item.

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I have the KitchenAid mixer attachment, which seems like it would be a little on the small side but in Michael Ruhlman's book Charcuterie (the greatest book on the subject), he makes extensive use of the KitchenAid mixer grinder attachment.

Alacrity59 said:

Just seeing the word "Charcuterie" draws me in. A bit of dry German sausage, bit of cheese, mustard, with a nice bun . . . I'm in Heaven.

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It starts with fresh sausage (meaning no cure, or preservatives), then goes to cured sausage (cajun andouille and the like, using different types of what is basically salt and saltpeter substitutes for the cure... can you say "home cured BACON"!!!!!!!!), then goes to the dried, aged and fermented sausages (PhD level sausage making).

I will be moving to the 2nd level on Saturday.

AH.... very good.

If you think your wife loses it over your shaving purchases, just wait until you broach the subject of buying an old refrigerator for curing sausage in. Let's just say I am a bit away from making one of those. On the plus side, she doesn't say jack about the appearance of new shaving gear.

http://sausagemaker.com/tutorials/chamber/partslist.html

Charcuterie porn- http://mattikaarts.com/blog/charcuterie-recipes/

Here's my latest 9 lb. batch of hot Italian with Pecorino and Chablis (Chardonnay). That's my stuffer in the back. If it wasn't a family hand-me-down I'd get a smaller SS one with a removable hopper so it would be easier to wash. We do an annual batch of smoked German venison/ pork sausage that uses my Grandpa's recipe. A couple of years ago it was a 300 lb. batch. We used a stuffer the size of mine: Chop-rite #35. That makes for a long, smoky day.

acutao said:

We do an annual batch of smoked German venison/ pork sausage that uses my Grandpa's recipe.

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Looks wonderful!

I'm not going to shamelessly ask for that recipe.

So, full of shame for intruding into your family legacy, I would humbly like to ask for that recipe.

I used a 7ft bench and set it up like an assmebly line when making sausge, jerky, processing meat, etc. Here is a pic of bench and some of my equipment. Wood has all been treated and sealed but it gets covered in plastic before any meat ever gets placed anywhere near the bench. Id love to have a tall stainless steel table but havent found a good deal on one yet. Im tall so I built my table so that I dont have to lean over it. I know people who have the Kitchen aid attachement and they love it. If I remeber correctly for certain things it does have its short commings but I also thought it had something uniqe advantages when grinding certain things. Its been a while and I dont remeber everthing that guy I know who uses the kitchen aid told me about thepositives and negatives. so sorry, I cannot be specific. Hands down, the big grinder for what I do is the best way to go. If you are going to be doing a lot, you have to look at ease and set up. The way I have mine I put a chair at and of table place a large meat lug on it and run until Im done grinding letting meat fall into lug. I do same when making sticks our sauage. I can easily make over 30lbs without haveing to stop except for refilling cannister when I use the stuffer. When I was a kid the butcher had us stuffing with a big grinder which worked fine except it was a two person job. I have done up to 5 deer at once from butchering to end reults of summer suasge, various flaovrs of jerky, snack sticks and several different fresh and smoked sausages all by myself. I have acutally found it takes longer whne I have help verus doing it myeslf before I got hurt. So I have everything set up to be run as a one man operation. There are several good books that have been in publication for a while with current revisions on the topic of making suasges and smoking meats that also cover equipment.
I was siiting down at bar for a quick lunch a few years back after a day of pheasant hunting with some friends from out of town. In walked the butcher who taught me how to butcher deer, cut steaks and make sausages when I was a kid. He was the last true butcher to retiree from one of the big grocery stores to give ya a clue how long he has been doing it. I think hes been retired for over 20 years. This guy has a butcher shop in his garage, another in basement and a sweet old log cabin smoke house. Its his true passiosn. He smokes a few hundred pounds at once during the smoking season. But, that was guy who taught me basics. One thing I rmebered was the things I hated because of clogging etc when I was a kid, I made sure to find ways so I never had to deal with it again. Sometimes what the books tell you to do isnt the only way and you need to think outside the box. I ended up teaching the old butcher a few tricks last time I ran into him and like he said you can always learn new things. Here is a pic of some Chorizo pre stuffed a neighbor had me make. I cant find pictures of my fridge which was filled top to bottom with sausges curing. My house smelled like a chorzio facotry for days. thankfully wife was out of town. It is a very rewarding hobby. I wish my back wasnt all jacked up now so I could enjoy this passion more.



Unfortunately, with the iphone camera and basement lighting it doesnt caputre how redish from the seasoning and curring this meat really looked. It had a beautiful redish tint to it. It was my first time making Chorizo and it was the friend's receipe. So I wasnt sure what to expect and figured for the worse. but it when it the smell set in and it had the such a great hue to it, I knew it was guna be good. I love chorizo but never had a receipe for it. This stuff smelled amazing!!! Can you beleive I think I made over 75lbs of sauasge for the person and he never he gave me a pound. He still brags about how good it turned out so guess I did something right.

I hate my kitchenaid attachment. Too small. For 5# at a time it is fine but when I have a day off and feel like doing sausage I go to work and use the 3hp grinder!

Lots of stuff has been covered... Only thing I can recommend is getting a couple 50# meat lugs or rubbermaid containers for catching and mixing meat in.

I make pancetta in 60# batches and will be starting on some peppered genoa come next thursday when I can relax a little after Valentine's day... Just wait for the fermentation chamber to be built! You will never buy another sausage or pepperoni again.

I guess I can think of a few things...
A pate mould can be nice if you like those. They make for some great treats and are really cheap to make!

Large and long brining needles can be a blessing, especially for hams, turkeys and briskets!

Find a good source for cheesecloth and butcher's twine.

Don't forget the vacuum sealer!

Mark, that is one heck of a set up! I am pea green with envy! Is that at your hunting camp, or your house? I'm still in the city, so I can't have the setup I really want.

I'm tall too, hunching over a short table is for the birds! I love that you built a tall one.

They sure don't make butchers like they used to. I have such a hard time finding fatback, most butchers have no idea what I am even talking about. One trick I learned for gummy grinders is running some stale bread through to clean it out.

The problem with the KitchenAid is that standard plates don't fit, you have to get them custom made. That and the size.

It looks like your 5lb stuffer is the same design as the rest on the market. That big dog has to be at least 15lbs.