Best grinder for deer and hog processing

[reloader28]

We have the 1 horse Cabelas and love it. Super quiet

Been around a couple LEM's and you couldnt pay me to take one. So loud you had to shout over it.

[Powder Burn]

(Mrs.) Santa dropped off (early) a LEM #8 .35 hp, so I could do my own this year. Bless her little heart. I will only process a couple deer per year. These things are really fun to use. Looking at a sausage stuffer next. Sounds like you got a sweet deal. Happy Grinding!

[blikseme300]

What I learned is twofold, get a larger unit than you think you need and that it is a start of a new hobby. Like casting and reloading you accumulate more and more tools.

My story:
It starts with a grinder, grinder too small and takes a lot of effort to get the meat ground. Grinder one day burns out in the middle of processing. Rush to Walmart and get what they have to finish.

Get bigger grinder and get a small sausage stuffer as stuffing using grinder is slow. Now this is fun but mixing meat and spices starts to hurt hands due to cold meat and arthritis. Get mixer and vacuum sealer. Now things are getting professional.

All is well until there are 3 deer and a farm hog to process. Takes a whole day and good part of the night to get done. Next day buy another freezer to have enough space for the meat and sausage.

Get bigger stuffer, bigger mixer and a second vacuum sealer.

Convert unused dining area into processing area with 2 stainless steel tables to work on.

Yep, now it's easy and cheap to do your own processing. Sounds familiar as when justifying your casting and reloading.

Here you can see some of my other hobby: http://www.bliksemdonder.com/category/myfood/

[Powder Burn]

Nice set up Blikseme300. I have a feeling I am at the beginning of another expensive hobby.

[Smoke4320]

Me too !!! Grinder, stuffer, cuber, scales, bags , casings, paper, tapes containers ect ect ect

[blikseme300]

Nice set up Blikseme300. I have a feeling I am at the beginning of another expensive hobby.

Powder Burn, thank you for the compliment.

It started out as we had a need for a kind of sausage not available in this area. I'm originally from South Africa and my wife and I missed the traditional Boerewors common there. There are now a few sausage makers that do this commercially and will ship but the prices are quite high and their recipes are not what we prefer.

Once some of my friends and others found out what I do they approached me to help them out processing game or domestic meat. Some are generous and some are cheap-skate as I quickly found out. My standard deal is that they supply all the meat and packaging material and I get to keep half of the finished product in return for my effort and use of my equipment. No money changes hands and my freezers stay stocked.

/Bliksem

[Omega]

What I learned is twofold, get a larger unit than you think you need and that it is a start of a new hobby. Like casting and reloading you accumulate more and more tools.

My story:
It starts with a grinder, grinder too small and takes a lot of effort to get the meat ground. Grinder one day burns out in the middle of processing. Rush to Walmart and get what they have to finish.

Get bigger grinder and get a small sausage stuffer as stuffing using grinder is slow. Now this is fun but mixing meat and spices starts to hurt hands due to cold meat and arthritis. Get mixer and vacuum sealer. Now things are getting professional.

All is well until there are 3 deer and a farm hog to process. Takes a whole day and good part of the night to get done. Next day buy another freezer to have enough space for the meat and sausage.

Get bigger stuffer, bigger mixer and a second vacuum sealer.

Convert unused dining area into processing area with 2 stainless steel tables to work on.

Yep, now it's easy and cheap to do your own processing. Sounds familiar as when justifying your casting and reloading.

Here you can see some of my other hobby: http://www.bliksemdonder.com/category/myfood/

Nice, any recipes you can share? I've been looking for a good spicy bratwurst recipe but it's been a bust so far.

[blikseme300]

Me too !!! Grinder, stuffer, cuber, scales, bags , casings, paper, tapes containers ect ect ect

Smoke, it can get expensive fast but buying things wholesale is much cheaper. Vacuum packaging can be quite expensive and my best savings have been to buy bulk rolls. I typically mix my own spices and this saves quite a bit also as you can buy 1# of black pepper for about the same as a shaker in the supermarket. Same for casings, the small packs that are typically available are expensive and quite nasty. Properly stored natural casings can keep well for a long time so don't hesitate to buy in bulk.

There are so many good recipes available online as well as a number of good books on the subject. Sausage making is rewarding in so many ways. I know what goes into what I eat, no lips & a**es in my food, and I make what I prefer. You will never buy those commercial products from the supermarket again once you make your own.

/Bliksem

PM or email me for any additional info or questions bliksem at bliksemdonder dot com

[blikseme300]

Nice, any recipes you can share? I've been looking for a good spicy bratwurst recipe but it's been a bust so far.

I'll send you what I have.

[blikseme300]

I know this is thread drift but for those interested in sausage making the publication that I equate with the Lyman cast bullet handbook or the LASC notes is titled "Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing" by Rytek Kutas. It contains a staggering amount of information but learning and understanding what it contains will help you in making good & safe sausage.

[Lloyd Smale]

have the book and highly recommend it. My go to brat recipe came from that book. Best brats I ever ate

I know this is thread drift but for those interested in sausage making the publication that I equate with the Lyman cast bullet handbook or the LASC notes is titled "Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing" by Rytek Kutas. It contains a staggering amount of information but learning and understanding what it contains will help you in making good & safe sausage.

[dverna]

I know this is thread drift but for those interested in sausage making the publication that I equate with the Lyman cast bullet handbook or the LASC notes is titled "Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing" by Rytek Kutas. It contains a staggering amount of information but learning and understanding what it contains will help you in making good & safe sausage.

Just ordered the book. Thanks for the info.

Did our first sausage this year. We are hooked

[Smoke4320]

I'll send you what I have.

I would be interested in that as well if possible

[rr2241tx]

Making your own can truly get out of hand before you realize it. Last year at the end of hunting season my friends all decided to have a "sausage party" at one of their ranch houses that has easy to clean tile floors. Everyone brought meat, spices, casings, etc., and especially etc. An immoderate amount of etc., mostly good bourbon. We had been working pretty steadily at it for a few days when the deputy sheriff showed up to do a health and welfare check on us because our wives had been told this was a weekend deal and it was getting on into a second weekend and no one had thought to check in with them. The smoke house was so full the rafters were about to break and the double carport had sausages drying until it looked like a South Carolina live oak full of Spanish moss. We probably won't make sausage again this year...

[Smoke4320]

Sounds like fun .. Already seeing sausage making is just like reloading and casting If I keep buying equipment , spices, casings, ect ect someday I am going to save money ... yea RIGHT

[USMC87]

I have a Cabelas 3/4 hp grinder and it is great, I use the manual hand crank cuber and it does fine for the amount I do.

[Lloyd Smale]

25lbs of brats Bratts need fat and I use only pork but but if using venison don't use more then a 1/3 ven 2/3 pork or they will be to lean.
6 TBS salt
2tsp mace
1tsp nutmeg
2tsp white pepper
2tsp allspice
2tsp marjoram
2tsp parsley
1tsp celery seed
1TBS garlic powder
1TBS onion powder
1tsp sage.
2 cups powder milk
1 cup water.

[Smoke4320]

Lloyd Many thanks for sharing that ..
are you smoking these or fresh and freezing

any tips as I am all new to sausage making

[Lloyd Smale]

brats I stuff in casings and freeze fresh. I sometimes will cook them in the smoker though. Not often because my smoker is so big its hard to justify firing it up for a few brats. No reason you couldn't smoke them for a couple hours though and then freeze them. Personaly I like my brat to taste like a brat and probably prefer them not smoked.

[Elkins45]

For those of us with slightly underpowered grinders, one of the best tricks I have learned over the last few years is to have your meat cubes still just slightly frozen when you run them through. It prevents "smear" where the front plate gets clogged up with membrane and tendon. Anther thing that has made a HUGE difference is to sharpen the cutter blade with a flat stone. My grinder has carbon steel parts and the blade had gotten dull from being washed and then rusting a tiny bit while drying. I found this made a huge difference with my old hand crank grinder because I think it had sat in a barn for 40 years before I started using it.