The best sausage stuffer

[megasupermagnum]

This is a question for those of you who have tried a sausage stuffer both as a kit for a meat grinder, and as a stand alone unit. In the past I had always lived within 100 miles of my parents, and it had always been tradition for our family to go there for processing meat, and smoking. For years and years we all used the same meat grinder. It is fairly large, I think a #32; it was originally a hand crank, but it has always been driven by an electric motor for us. That same grinder has also served to stuff sausages as well. For years and years I used it, and I honestly can not imagine a more perfect thing for the job. Either last year, or the year before we had broke the plastic casing horn, and being a holiday, we could not find where to buy one quickly. So dad took out his antique sausage stuffer, a curved press, looks like a powder horn. It's pretty simple. Meat is stuffed in it, and a ram pushes it out the other end. We used it, and it worked fine. It was messy, as a lot of meat got around the ram every push. It didn't have much volume, so you only got a handful of brats per push. I would use it again, but I would always choose the meat grinder over it.

Now being a state away, I'm looking to buy my own equipment. Early this week I was looking to buy a meat grinder, but was unable to find one made in USA in the store. I had one online in mind, and asked about a sausage stuffing set for a #12 grinder. The guy at the store looked at me like I was growing horns out my forehead. The short version is that they didn't sell them, and he is really confused why anyone would willingly use them. He did have a few dedicated sausage stuffers he wanted to sell, all made in China.

I bought the USA made grinder online, a smaller version of the one my dad has used for decades, and began searching for sausage stuffers. I was really surprised to find a huge number of people have the same opinion the guy from the store did. The more searching I did, the more people I found that thought making sausage through a meat grinder is a very slow and tedious process. Here's the thing that has got me, most videos that show sausage making with a grinder are insanely slow. I really don't get it. All I ever used was a plain old grinder with a sausage making plate, and a tube. Slide the casing on (I've tried a few, and always come back to lamb), and I could have 6' of it filled in a minute or two tops. The grinder was not turning fast, it is driven by a slow gear box. I doubt it turns the grinder more than 1 RPM.

This is the danger of the internet. Suddenly decades of complete success and contentment has got me wondering if I am missing something. There's no way I'll buy one of those horn style sausage stuffers. I am intrigued by these big vintage presses, often doubling as fruit presses. The most common seems to be made by Enterprise, and I've seen reference that they held the patent originally. There are at least two modern version that are near copies. One made by Cast Rite, which appears an identical copy. I almost choked when I saw the nearly $600 price tag. The other is a stainless steel version made by The Sausage Maker, with an also very high price of $280. There are a lot of similar made in China sorta-copies with plastic gears and parts as well.

My question to those of you who have used both a meat grinder and a dedicated sausage stuffer. Is a dedicated sausage stuffer worth the price? If I buy one, I'm keeping my eye out for a vintage one, and I think I should be able to eventually find one around $100. I require they be made in USA, I will not compromise on this.

[MaryB]

I have a 5 pound vertical stuffer, plenty for my use. All stainless including the gears. But not USA made...

[Omega]

I tried every way, including the curved one you mentioned and I must say, a dedicated unit is the way to go. I got a Cabelas sausage stuffer, the 5lb size, it is currently on clearance for $74.77. With the 5lb capacity I can stuff an entire summer sausage casing in one go, which is what I mainly use it for. Others may make much more sausage so a bigger one may suit them better, but the 5lb one is just fine for most people. The "new" ones just cover the gears, or motorize it, but this one works great if you clamp it down with the included clamps or bolt it down. One hand turns the crank while the other holds the casing.
https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/cabelas-5-lb-vertical-sausage-stuffer
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fs7d2.scene7.com%2Fis%2Fimage%2FCab elasCA%2F135024-202630%3Fwid%3D460%26hei%3D460&f=1&nofb=1

[BJK]

I can't really help with your question but that won't stop me. :bigsmyl2:

I have an Ankarsrum Assistent (not a typo) and it's anything but slow. It's alot faster than the wife and I can go so I have to slow it down. I just put a sausage stuffing tube on the end of the grinder. If your grinder is a standard size I can't believe you can't find a sausage tube for under $20 online. If it's slow so what? You're not going into production, right?

Just something to consider.

[Hogtamer]

285169I’ve got a 15 pounder (actually more like 13 lbs) I’ve stuffed miles of sausage with. Relatively inexpensive, think I got it from Northern Tool on sale about 10 years ago.285168

[jim147]

I bought a grinder stuffer attachment for my wife's big kitchenaid stand mixer years ago. It's about as much work as I want to do. I have a bigger electric one in storage I have never used.

[GhostHawk]

With the grinder, it does get ground one more time. With a straight up stuffer once you have the grind and mix you desire. You can spread it out on a table, season it. Fry up a little ball of it to see how that changes the flavors. When your happy you can stuff without grinding one last time.

I've done it every which way it can be done. If you do a single coarse grind, then mix and season and grind and stuff one last time it works well.

It comes down to what you prefer. It will all make sausage. So what is most convenient for you?

[white eagle]

Buy all my stuff at Waltons Meats
good quality stuff and stuffers

[megasupermagnum]

With the grinder, it does get ground one more time. With a straight up stuffer once you have the grind and mix you desire. You can spread it out on a table, season it. Fry up a little ball of it to see how that changes the flavors. When your happy you can stuff without grinding one last time.

I've done it every which way it can be done. If you do a single coarse grind, then mix and season and grind and stuff one last time it works well.

It comes down to what you prefer. It will all make sausage. So what is most convenient for you?

With the sausage stuffing plate on a grinder, there is no grinding at all. The plate is nothing but the bushing to hold the end of the auger, and it has the biggest cut outs possible. There is no meat being ground or chopped. You don't even use the blade. All it is is the auger moving the meat into a casing.

[megasupermagnum]

285169I’ve got a 15 pounder (actually more like 13 lbs) I’ve stuffed miles of sausage with. Relatively inexpensive, think I got it from Northern Tool on sale about 10 years ago.285168

Have you tried using a meat grinder to stuff sausage? What didn't you like about it?

[Winger Ed.]

I use one of those big powder horn, lever type and it seals real well.
Your old one might be missing the rubber/plastic disc that goes on the front of the ram.

I broke the plastic filler tube on mine and made a new one by carefully
hammering a flare onto the end of a piece of 3/4" copper tubing.

[hawkenhunter50]

I have a Weston #12 grinder that I use for both grinding and stuffing. It works pretty well at stuffing but it's a 2 person job. It takes 1 person to feed the grinder and push the sausage down and 1 person to control the casings while filling. While just grinding it pushes it through pretty much on it's own, but once it's ground and you are stuffing, it is much harder to get it to move the meat by itself. That's why a 2nd person is needed to put pressure on it to keep it moving. I have thought about a dedicated stuffer but didn't feel it was worth the extra expense and room to store it for all the more I use it. I had been looking at the Walton's stuffers. They seemed to have good reviews, although I am not sure if they're US made. waltonsinc.com

Just checked their website and under Q&A, someone asked about being made in USA and they replied made in China. So might not fit your needs but maybe the info on using the grinder as a stuffer will still be helpful.

[megasupermagnum]

Not really, as I've been using a grinder to stuff sausages for many years. Thanks for the reply anyway.

Dad has had a Chop-Rite grinder for decades that we used. Now I bought a #12 Cast-Rite. They are made in USA.

[GregLaROCHE]

What is most important is how you will preserve the sausage. If you are going to eat it quickly or freeze it, it doesn’t make a big difference. However, if you want to hang sausage to dry, like in the old days, it’s important to minimize the amount of air trapped inside the sausage meat. The piston type stuffer tend to do a better job, as long as you do your part.

A bit of personal advice, grind your meat into large pieces and add a minimum of 1/3 fat. The fat is where all the taste is.

[GhostHawk]

With the sausage stuffing plate on a grinder, there is no grinding at all. The plate is nothing but the bushing to hold the end of the auger, and it has the biggest cut outs possible. There is no meat being ground or chopped. You don't even use the blade. All it is is the auger moving the meat into a casing.

Well obviously times have changed since I made sausage.

The only stuffers I have worked with still had the blades and grate in place, but the horn was added on. Clipped into 3 rivets.

So in that case there is no downside.

[WebMonkey]

I have a 5 pound vertical stuffer, plenty for my use. All stainless including the gears. But not USA made...

same here. i make enough that i could use a bigger/better, but can't justify the upgrade to save an hour or so.

:)

[rondog]

I used to be good at stuffing a sausage, but that was a long time ago.....

[megasupermagnum]

What is most important is how you will preserve the sausage. If you are going to eat it quickly or freeze it, it doesn’t make a big difference. However, if you want to hang sausage to dry, like in the old days, it’s important to minimize the amount of air trapped inside the sausage meat. The piston type stuffer tend to do a better job, as long as you do your part.

A bit of personal advice, grind your meat into large pieces and add a minimum of 1/3 fat. The fat is where all the taste is.

That's something I never really thought of. While I don't notice much for air, one would think a grinder would have more potential for air than a press. 90% or better of what I make are smoked, and the plain ones I let set in the fridge for a day. All of them are frozen immediately after. In the past we used to go crazy with fat, especially pork. We even mixed deer with pork 50/50. I was never that enthusiastic, and now I prefer to add very little. Deer I do had about 1/4 by weight of pork trimmings from the local butcher, which are highly fat. The black bear I got last year was the finest meat I have ever had. I added NOTHING to my black bear, and it made the most fantastic brats. Generally for seasonings I make two big batches, and one experimental. I do something different every time. My favorites almost always end up being something along the lines of a hot teriyaki. I love adding ground ghost pepper.

I'm still looking for someone who has tried both a decent grinder (not a kitchenaid add-on) as well as a dedicated stuffer.

[gbrown]

I haven't made any sausage in a couple of years due to health issues. I have a Thunderbird #12. It is a beast. I have 2 Enterprise lard/fruit presses. I believe a 4 qt and an 8 qt., not sure of their capacity. They will make sausage like quick. My grandson and I processed a deer for 1 of his friends who didn't have the means to. We made about 40 lbs. Of sausage in less than an hour in grinding, and after letting it sit overnight, stuffed it in no time at all. Just made rope sausage, not links. A good place to look for anything about butchering/sausage making is www.alliedkenco.com
Whether it's worth the money is how much are you going to use it? I used mine a lot. Still plan on making sausage with mine in the future.

[megasupermagnum]

I haven't made any sausage in a couple of years due to health issues. I have a Thunderbird #12. It is a beast. I have 2 Enterprise lard/fruit presses. I believe a 4 qt and an 8 qt., not sure of their capacity. They will make sausage like quick. My grandson and I processed a deer for 1 of his friends who didn't have the means to. We made about 40 lbs. Of sausage in less than an hour in grinding, and after letting it sit overnight, stuffed it in no time at all. Just made rope sausage, not links. A good place to look for anything about butchering/sausage making is www.alliedkenco.com
Whether it's worth the money is how much are you going to use it? I used mine a lot. Still plan on making sausage with mine in the future.

So you have tried both a grinder and a sausage stuffing press? What didn't you like about using the grinder? What did you like more about the press?

[gbrown]

The grinder was slower, and would produce excessive pressure at times, splitting casing. I usually make 1 lb links. The stuffers seem to keep a fairly consistent pressure. Making links is a little slower, but still faster than with the grinder. Using the grinder, I can do it myself, but the press is a 2 person job. One to turn the crank, one to hold the casing and give some resistance to fill the casing.

[Bulldogger]

I got a very good deal (sub $100) on a 7lb Hakka Bros stainles steel stuffer a few years ago on Amazon. Stainless is nice bc you can put most of it in the dishwasher.
https://www.amazon.com/Sausage-Stuffer-Stainless-Vertical-Horizontal/dp/B011U2EPNY/ref=sr_1_19?dchild=1&keywords=hakka+brothers+sausage+stuffer&link_code=qs&qid=1624894162&sourceid=Mozilla-search&sr=8-19
Vertical or horizontal is a matter of personal preference. As I recall vertical used to be a bit less expensive.
BDGR

[megasupermagnum]

The grinder was slower, and would produce excessive pressure at times, splitting casing. I usually make 1 lb links. The stuffers seem to keep a fairly consistent pressure. Making links is a little slower, but still faster than with the grinder. Using the grinder, I can do it myself, but the press is a 2 person job. One to turn the crank, one to hold the casing and give some resistance to fill the casing.

Thanks, that is the kind of opinion I am looking for. Doing this with one person is a concern to me. An electric grinder is as you say, like having an extra set of hands. This was actually one thing I liked when looking at the Enterprise or Chop-Rite style press. They are set up in such a way that in theory you should be able to crank with your right hand, and manage the casing with your left. Did you find that it was simply too difficult to concentrate on two things while maintaining good quality, or it was too hard to crank one handed, or some other reason?

[megasupermagnum]

I got a very good deal (sub $100) on a 7lb Hakka Bros stainles steel stuffer a few years ago on Amazon. Stainless is nice bc you can put most of it in the dishwasher.
https://www.amazon.com/Sausage-Stuffer-Stainless-Vertical-Horizontal/dp/B011U2EPNY/ref=sr_1_19?dchild=1&keywords=hakka+brothers+sausage+stuffer&link_code=qs&qid=1624894162&sourceid=Mozilla-search&sr=8-19
Vertical or horizontal is a matter of personal preference. As I recall vertical used to be a bit less expensive.
BDGR

Please, everyone, stop posting recommendations for these Chinese made stuffers. I'm not looking for recommendations on which stuffer, and I'm definately not going to buy one made in China. I made this as clear as day in my first post. Read it.

I am looking for one thing. Opinions from those who have used BOTH grinders and stuffers to make sausage, brats, bologna, etc.

[Geezer in NH]

Mabey you should google search USA made sausage stuffers

[megasupermagnum]

Mabey you should google search USA made sausage stuffers

:groner:

I'm at a loss for words. I don't know how to be more clear, so I'll state it a 3rd time.

I am looking for one thing. Opinions from those who have used BOTH grinders and stuffers to make sausage, brats, bologna, etc.

Any continued insulting posts will be reported.

[LenH]

My opinion may be a bit lopsided but I did not like the stuffing attachment for my grinder (#22 hand crank) it was odd shaped and would split the casing if using
the collagen type casing, with natural hog casing it did ok. I decided to get a stuffer. The first one was a cast iron tin plated deal that looked like a 90 deg elbow
that worked pretty well but was small maybe 3#. I was looking at the larger crank type and was going to get the 5# and my wife talked me into the #15 one. At the time
prolly 35 years ago or more they were only about a hundred dollars difference so I got the larger one.

With this stuffer I can stuff a large bologna casing about 8# in about a minute and a half, one hand cranking and the other holding the casing. Stuffing snack sticks can be a bit
tricky but manageable as pressure can be tricky, I usually split the casing a time or two while trying to be too fast.

Another thing to consider is the seal provided by the stuffer. The one I have has an O ring and one time while making something the O Ring snapped and I didn't have a replacement.
After a search at the local hardware store the clerk asked if I tried super glue, it had never crossed my mind but it worked to get me through that predicament, until I could order replacement.

I hope this helps.

[Bulldogger]

OK. I've used a grinder and stuffer to make sausage. Grinders when stuffing need the product to be easily moved by the large screw that forces it into the business end. Those screws are sized to move chunks of meat, not ground goop. To stuff conveniently with a grinder you have to freeze the ground mix to nearly solid so the grinder screw/worm can move it into the casings. Otherwise it just globs up and won't move. If you move FAST, you can grind and mix half frozen meat and stuff it, but if you are delayed you have to freeze it. This means having space in your freezer enough for a tub of ground meat, or dividing it up into portions and so on. The preceding lesson is why I bought a large piston stuffer. And it happened to be from China.

[Markopolo]

i make a lot of sausage... i started out with the kitchen aide thing, that was a lesson in frustration... my wife wanted one of them old cast iron vintage ones that doubled as a fruit press.. it did not seal well, so we got a new after market disk for it... it worked ok... we also used a bag and cut the end off and positioned it carefully inside before we pressed it out.. it was so so...

then we bought the real deal. a 30lb sausage stuff all stainless, easy to care for, sealed well, cranked out the stuff, and had a 2 speed handle. wow.. making stuffed casings was fun again... we do whole bears at a time.

MSM... you are a hunter gatherer.. more then a weekender. you hunt everything, and fish and gather. get the right tool, you will be happier in the long run by far. my 30 pound stuffer was just under 300 bucks shipped.. for you it would be prolly 70 bucks less.. get a stainless something with stainless gears. when you are done processing at the end of the day, you will be happier.

Marko

[pertnear]

This is similar to the model I use. It's very handy because you can back the press back out quickly when it's empty.
285363

[cwlongshot]

EXCELLENT TOPIC!! Marked for proper reading soon!!!

I want to make this purchase this year for the upcoming hunting season. Last two years we have quadrupled my sausage making. Two years ago I made about 40# and it was gone in a month. (Sharing) Last year... I made closer to 200#... I still have about 35/40#. It will be gone with a few cook outs over the up coming months.

Stuffing Casings was so bad last year I only stuffed 1/4 of my sausage going mostly to patties and 1/2# bags. For my Italian sausage meant for sauce.

[gbrown]

Thanks, that is the kind of opinion I am looking for. Doing this with one person is a concern to me. An electric grinder is as you say, like having an extra set of hands. This was actually one thing I liked when looking at the Enterprise or Chop-Rite style press. They are set up in such a way that in theory you should be able to crank with your right hand, and manage the casing with your left. Did you find that it was simply too difficult to concentrate on two things while maintaining good quality, or it was too hard to crank one handed, or some other reason?

Well, sometimes you run into resistance that requires you use more power than one hand. Not often, but sometimes. For one person, I would probably suggest an electric, slower, but as you said, an extra set of hands. Usually, there would be 2 or 3 of us doing the processing deer, but alas, now there is only me. It's a trade-off, just figure out what works best for you.

[Lloyd Smale]

my stuffer is my choke point. Ive got a big #32 grinder and a grinder motor powered mixer but cheapened out and bought a 5 lb verticle stuffer. To me its a pain in the but. It wont even do two sticks of summer sausage without refilling. I keep wanting to buy a 15 lb verical with the fast return feature but i tell myself we just dont ever know when the farmer is going to say we dont need you to kill deer anymore or my old body wont allow it anymore. So i keep going wading in mud. If your idea of a day of stuffing is 4 sticks of summer sausge one would work fine. but i usually do more like 25 at a crack and if i was going to do it again id have bucked up for AT LEAST A 10LB unit. But even an inexpensive 5 lbs stuffer is a zillion times better then doing it with your grinder. Especially if your doing small skins like bratts or breakfast sausage.

[megasupermagnum]

You guys convinced me to give a stuffing press a try. I figure worst case I don't like it, I can return it, or even sell it. It seems these good ones hold their value well. Since the price difference was not monumental between the 5lb and the 15lb, I went with the bigger one. The pocketbook might hurt for a week, but I'll forget about it when I taste some bear brats.


I bought this one from another site.
https://www.sausagemaker.com/Sausage-Stuffer-15lbs-p/18-1023.htm

[Markopolo]

This is similar to the model I use. It's very handy because you can back the press back out quickly when it's empty.
285363

this is very similar to what I use too... Did I mention i have also use a 1/4hp grinder with attachment for stuffing as well... my fishing buddy convinced us to buy the 30lb er. i have and never looked back.. also, the one comment about air in the casing was totally valid. I use a tiny needle if I get any at all, and we dry most the old way in an old refrigerator.

Keep one hand on the casing at all times with your new press... i have learned that an extra pair of hands is nice to keep everything moving smoothly, when available.. you will make short work of that bear.