the wife and i are making venison summer sausage today

[Lloyd Smale]

in the past ive gotten most of my high temp cheese here https://www.butcher-packer.com/index...2a3433d141b01d haven't looked recently but they allways had the best prices ive found

[smoked turkey]

Whew some of you are professional sausage makers. I am taking notes. I made a few pounds a while back, but not near the quantities you are speaking about. I did get my pepper jack high temperature cheese from a local meat market type of grocery store (Harter House) and it is our favorite cheese for most of our sandwiches and other cheese uses. I do have a question of those of you who put your summer sausage in casings.The size of the casings? How do you go about stuffing the casing? I would prefer a sausage stuffer but can't spring for the bucks they cost for our small quantity of summer sausage we make. Thanks.
Stan

[Chad5005]

sure not pro but we use 2inch or 2 1/2 inch and a stuffer but you can stuff with a spoon or roll the meat up so it will go in the tube then squeeze it down,then twist the end to tighten it up

[MaryB]

Hand stuffing funnel, use yor thumbs to push the meat into the casing http://www.theingredientstore.com/ge...etails/828.htm

[smoked turkey]

Thank you MaryB for the link to the hand stuffing funnels. I had never heard of them and I learned something today. Also thanks for the good info Chad5005. I have a question on the grind plate. I would think the better summer sausage or brats would come from a finer rather than a course grind. I have small to large plates for my grinder and almost never get to the finer grind. Am I missing the boat on this by not using the fine grind plate? Thanks.

[Chad5005]

Thank you MaryB for the link to the hand stuffing funnels. I had never heard of them and I learned something today. Also thanks for the good info Chad5005. I have a question on the grind plate. I would think the better summer sausage or brats would come from a finer rather than a course grind. I have small to large plates for my grinder and almost never get to the finer grind. Am I missing the boat on this by not using the fine grind plate? Thanks.

I don't like the fine plate,some times ill grind twice if its to rough,by the time you mix seasoning,mix cure,mix cheese it gets to mushy,

[Chad5005]

this is single grind large plate,3 mixings

[Lloyd Smale]

I don't ever use my fine plate except for hamburger. Fresh sausage like bratts and breakfast sausage gets the course plate for first and second grind and summer sausage the course plate for the initial grinding then I mix in the spice and run it through the medium plate. Mostly just a preference in the consistency of the meat you like. Cheese I always added after the second grind right before stuffing. save your money for a verticle stuffer. Mine is only a 5lb stuffer. Wish it was a 15. But id rather go back to using a hand grinder then stuff any way without a stuffer. Its just so much easier to get good consistant results without air pockets. I couldn't imagine trying to stuff bratts or worse yet breakfast sausage in sheep gut casings with anything other then a vertical stuffer. Maybe a guy could get away without one for summer sausage but to me that would be still like loading 9mms or 556 rounds on a single stage press.

[Chad5005]

Lloyd that's what we use,the stuffer is way better than stuffing off the grinder

[smoked turkey]

I have really been challenged by this thread. I have only taken one deer per season the last couple of years. I always do my own processing and I'm so slow that I just want to do one per year. I can see right now that I need to up my take of deer per season and learn to process faster. I may do just that and grind the whole thing. We really like the summer sausage. A vertical suffer might be in my future.

[Lloyd Smale]

yup grider stuffing is tough. Especially with the small sausage. You either have them full of air or the skins are tearing. Once you drop the meat in theres no way to regulate how fast it comes out.

Lloyd that's what we use,the stuffer is way better than stuffing off the grinder

[Chad5005]

I have really been challenged by this thread. I have only taken one deer per season the last couple of years. I always do my own processing and I'm so slow that I just want to do one per year. I can see right now that I need to up my take of deer per season and learn to process faster. I may do just that and grind the whole thing. We really like the summer sausage. A vertical suffer might be in my future.

the wife and I eat 5 or 6 a year,some we process some we have done but we always make our own sausage,jerky and summer sausage and weve started doing our own bacon also,you can pick stuffers up for a reasonable price