Stuffer and grinder

[hardwaterdriller]

Cabela's 1.5 hp grinder and a 20# stuffer, with a electric drill, concrete mixer, and plastic tote to mix the sausage. I can grind a deer and 60# of pork butts in about 10 minutes. Takes longer cleaning the grinder than actually grinding the meat. Stuffing the sausage doesn't take that long, but smoking all the sausage usually takes all weekend.

 

[ItemB]

Are the newer stainless steel stuffers any easy to crank or stuff with then the older cast iron stuffers. Or just easier to move and clean?

 

[dust in the wind]

Are the newer stainless steel stuffers any easy to crank or stuff with then the older cast iron stuffers. Or just easier to move and clean?

In my opinion, yes they are. At least with my stuffer it seems to be easier.

 

[bigbrad123]

As others have said, buying a separate stuffer is well worth the money. I stuffed with my small grinder for 3 or 4 years and once I bought an actual stuffer (even though its a small one), I can't believe the amount of time it saved. I usually only do very small batches at once (ie: 10 or 20 lbs), so having smaller equipment is just fine for me. A good mixer may need to be my next purchase though.

 

[espringers]

regarding cost: if you keep your eye on ebay, sometimes you can find a steal on those enterprise/chop-rite stuffers. doesn't happen often. but, every once in a while you can get one for $100 to $150 with the large and small plate and the strainer basket and all the fixings. if you've got an old motor laying around, you can mount it to a board with a #32 grinder and connect the 2 with a belt. the #32 or #22 are under $50 i think. we had trouble with meat wanting to push back past the stuffer plate sometimes. especially when using the smaller outlet tubes for sticks. solved that problem by buying a poly type gasket online for like $10. its one of the best $10 purchases i've ever made. both the stuffer and grinder are big heavy bitches and take more time to clean up than it takes to grind and stuff one deer. but, they simply work. like said above. the smoking and packaging takes 10X more time than the grinding, mixing and stuffing.

 

[RustyTackleBox]

my family does anywhere from 500 - 2000lbs of sausage a year (depends on # of deer and if we get pigs or a cow or 2) and we use nearly all LEM stuff... grinder is a 1hp and we have a 30lb hand crank stuffer, and a 50lb mixer... the mixer is a glorious machine (no more frozen hands)... we also have a commercial grade stuffer, it holds 50lbs at a crack and can shoot 50lbs of pepper sticks out in under 10 min, it's fantastic but also comes with a fantastic price tag... we have used the cabelas electric stuffer in the past and I think it only lasted 2 years before we broke it, the LEM hand crank stuffer has lasted 10ish, the current LEM grinder is 3 years old and seems like it will last a lot longer than the 1/2 hp that was done in 3 years. we used to do it all by hand years ago, and if you want equipment that won't break get the hand crank stuff but for speed and ease of use the electric is worth the money... if you are only doing 1 deer a year a small unit and mixing by hand wouldn't be bad but if you do 9 deer in a weekend and mix it 50/50 with pork then you need some ease in your life

 

[Lycanthrope]

1hp cabelas cuz its got reverse, which comes in handy a lot. Use a stuff from northern tool I think? its a vertical one and works good.

 

[Retired Educator]

Cabela's 1.5 hp grinder and a 20# stuffer, with a electric drill, concrete mixer, and plastic tote to mix the sausage. I can grind a deer and 60# of pork butts in about 10 minutes. Takes longer cleaning the grinder than actually grinding the meat. Stuffing the sausage doesn't take that long, but smoking all the sausage usually takes all weekend.

Have also found that smoking takes the most time as well as the most beer. Nothing better than the smell of smoking sausage after a day of grinding and stuffing with a cold beer in hand and a cooler to work through, while sharing lies about the hunts that took place during the fall. That is the reason you make your own sausage instead of taking it to a meat shop.

 

[gst]

Could be as I can definitely picture gst in a tutu !

Good thing you can picture it cause it ain;t happenin.

SDMF, You, you guys got it bad .....I mean a fella trying to get some info and ya can seem to help yourselves.

- - - Updated - - -

Enterprise grinder hooked to a motor a fella from Flasher made with a large contaimer and cutting board on top. cabelas 25# stuffer that the seal wants to leak on.

 

[SDMF]

SDMF, You, you guys got it bad .....I mean a fella trying to get some info and ya can seem to help yourselves.

You're the only one not laughing.

 

[LBrandt]

Dad had an old hand crank grinder that you could drop a softball into. Hooked it up to a 3/4 horse electric motor and had it geared down with oversized and undersized pulleys and belt tightner. I swear you could stick a cows tail in there and turn it on and the rest was history.