Help me choose sausage making equipment

I'm pretty sure I'll be requesting a sausage grinder/stuffer for Christmas. I know nothing about sausages right now except that they're delicious and I want to make them. My taobao searches are coming up with basically four different types, with varying price ranges in each variety. They're in Chinese, but the photos should be a start:

1 - The plastic meat grinders: With a nozzle attachment for sausage stuffing.

2 - The stainless Corona-style meat grinders: Also with a plastic nozzle.

3 - The Body Disposal Special: which is basically #2 in function (I think) but looks way more badass and unsanitary.

4 - The stainless steel stuffer: Which I believe exclusively stuffs rather than grinding and stuffing. Ideally we would only use one piece of equipment, but if a grinder and a separate stuffer would be the only way to make a good sausage, that would have to be the way to go.

I don't know anything about sausage stuffers. I do know that a friend of mine has a Kitchenaid mixer and the sausage stuffer attachment and loves it.

FloppyKnockers said:

I don't know anything about sausage stuffers. I do know that a friend of mine has a Kitchenaid mixer and the sausage stuffer attachment and loves it.

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I've heard good things. I'll have to do some research - I don't think they sell in China so you have to buy from someone who's importing the mixer, and I'm seeing most imported Kitchenaid mixers going for $500+ here. However, some seem to be selling for ~$150, which is much more reasonable. I'll have to do some research to see why there's such a price swing (and very few in between).

Edit: Nope. $150 is what they're charging for a pair of attachments. The mixers themselves start around $500.

I have a motorized one closer to the #3 style and it is very good. I think I paid about $150 for it but the crank operated ones should work just as well if you don't need to do a ton.

There's a difference between the grinder and the stuffer as you noted. Some grinders have a stuffer nozzle, mine does. This works fine for smaller batches for home use. The hopper style ones like #4 are good for larger batches and easier to use.

With sausage making, technique is very important. You'll want to cut the meat in small chunks and partially freeze it for a good grind. This is especially important with fat. Work in small batches and keep the grind cold. I put my grinder parts in the freezer for a few hours before grinding. Set a bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice and grind into that.

If you are going to do fermented sausage then sanitation is even more important than with brewing.

If you haven't already, check out Michael Ruhlman's excellent book "Charcuterie". I think he has a website if the book isn't available where you are.

Good luck!


My next project is to build a good smoker.

Buy a separate sausage stuffer from the grinder. I have the kitchenaid grinder/stuffer and the grinder does ok. But after buying a 5lb SS stuffer from LEM, my sausages are more consistent and my sausage making days are much quicker.

http://www.lemproducts.com/product/...ertical-sausage-stuffer/processing-essentials

Oldskewl said:

Buy a separate sausage stuffer from the grinder. I have the kitchenaid grinder/stuffer and the grinder does ok. But after buying a 5lb SS stuffer from LEM, my sausages are more consistent and my sausage making days are much quicker.

http://www.lemproducts.com/product/...ertical-sausage-stuffer/processing-essentials

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I agree, that's a winning combination. I bought the 5# SS vertical stuffer from Grizzly. Not sure how it differs from that LEM model, except for about $75

http://www.grizzly.com/products/5-lb-Sausage-Stuffer-Vertical/H6252

So separate is better in the long run, it seems. Would a grinder with a stuffing nozzle be adequate to get my feet wet, or am I going to find it such a pain that I give up before I even begin?

The grinder/stuffer will get your feet wet. But IMO it is a more painful process. One other option is to check with your butcher to see about them grinding your meat. My local grocery store doesn't charge me to grind. When making my family recipe polish kielbasa, I buy a boneless pork butt out of the case and they grind it at no charge. Saves me even more time. I usually ask for a double grind and I mix it with a small amount of ground beef.

Oldskewl said:

The grinder/stuffer will get your feet wet. But IMO it is a more painful process. One other option is to check with your butcher to see about them grinding your meat. My local grocery store doesn't charge me to grind. When making my family recipe polish kielbasa, I buy a boneless pork butt out of the case and they grind it at no charge. Saves me even more time. I usually ask for a double grind and I mix it with a small amount of ground beef.

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I can definitely get meat ground here for cheap or free, but from what I've read, having the meat (and especially the fat) frozen before grinding makes a big difference in making a good sausage, and that wouldn't be an option at the markets here - they'd be putting fresh meat and fat through the grinder at basically room temperature. Maybe that's not as big an issue as I've been led to understand, though.

Partially frozen meat just keeps the grinder from getting jammed up. I'm not a aware of any other benefits, but I might be missing something. I've just found it to cut my sausage making days roughly in half and I can't distinguish a difference.

Oldskewl said:

Partially frozen meat just keeps the grinder from getting jammed up. I'm not a aware of any other benefits, but I might be missing something. I've just found it to cut my sausage making days roughly in half and I can't distinguish a difference.

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Freezing the meat and fat makes a big difference in the end result. The definition is much better. Instead of being a paste, you get the visible pieces of fat and meat.

Freezing also helps keep things sanitary as you grind.

Rhumbline said:

Freezing the meat and fat makes a big difference in the end result. The definition is much better. Instead of being a paste, you get the visible pieces of fat and meat.

Freezing also helps keep things sanitary as you grind.

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Hmm, sounds like I need to make a decision. Although the cost isn't great, I'm not going to ask my wife to get both a grinder and a stuffer at once - it's more about the clutter (which we have far too much of already, thanks in part to my brewing, in part to our pack-ratty natures). So do I get a grinder with a stuffer attachment and grind myself, or do I get a stuffer and have the meat ground at the market? There's also the possibility that I can find someone that can grind my meat into chunks rather than paste - after all, all the Chinese sausages are like this.

FatDragon said:

Hmm, sounds like I need to make a decision. Although the cost isn't great, I'm not going to ask my wife to get both a grinder and a stuffer at once - it's more about the clutter (which we have far too much of already, thanks in part to my brewing, in part to our pack-ratty natures). So do I get a grinder with a stuffer attachment and grind myself, or do I get a stuffer and have the meat ground at the market? There's also the possibility that I can find someone that can grind my meat into chunks rather than paste - after all, all the Chinese sausages are like this.

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Get the grinder with the stuffer attachment. Hands down it's the best choice. It's important for me to know what went into my food and how it was handled. It's fine for doing 5 to 10 pound batches.

This is the unit I got, heck, I'm pretty sure that it's made in China. I don't know if that's for export only.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0012KJBR0/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0012KJBR0&linkCode=as2&tag=bestprodtag200-20

Good luck.

Get a grinder with the attachment. It'll work. Just go slow and if you get your muffin to help you, it'll work.

Rhumbline said:

Get the grinder with the stuffer attachment. Hands down it's the best choice. It's important for me to know what went into my food and how it was handled. It's fine for doing 5 to 10 pound batches.

This is the unit I got, heck, I'm pretty sure that it's made in China. I don't know if that's for export only.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0012KJBR0/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0012KJBR0&linkCode=as2&tag=bestprodtag200-20

Good luck.

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passedpawn said:

Get a grinder with the attachment. It'll work. Just go slow and if you get your muffin to help you, it'll work.

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Sounds like a plan. Any reason I should consider paying four to five times as much for this stainless grinder versus the nasty looking monster here or one of its smaller clamp-on cousins? What's the functional difference for a home sausage maker between #8, #10, and #12 grinders?

FatDragon said:

Sounds like a plan. Any reason I should consider paying four to five times as much for this stainless grinder versus the nasty looking monster here or one of its smaller clamp-on cousins? What's the functional difference for a home sausage maker between #8, #10, and #12 grinders?

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Haha, no idea. Good luck.

Dang nabbit. Y'all give me one more hobby to consider and I'll just conference you all in with my wife.

I can't see that there is an appreciable difference between the #8, #10 and #12 units. The difference seems to be the diameter of the die and that's not a huge issue for occasional home use.

One thing I noticed about the two you linked to is that they each offer only one die. That's not a big deal, you may see recipes call for a large or small die but the taste is the same, just the appearance may be different.

I have a cast aluminum auger on mine like in the cheap version and it's fine. I would go with the cheaper one.

You'll need a second pair of hands when it comes time to stuff. I get away with doing it solo because I have an electric machine.

Rhumbline said:

I can't see that there is an appreciable difference between the #8, #10 and #12 units. The difference seems to be the diameter of the die and that's not a huge issue for occasional home use.

One thing I noticed about the two you linked to is that they each offer only one die. That's not a big deal, you may see recipes call for a large or small die but the taste is the same, just the appearance may be different.

I have a cast aluminum auger on mine like in the cheap version and it's fine. I would go with the cheaper one.

You'll need a second pair of hands when it comes time to stuff. I get away with doing it solo because I have an electric machine.

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Interchangeable die plates are available for less than $2 each, at least for the cheaper one. I'll have to ask Mrs. Claus to get a couple of them with the grinder.

I would consider going electric with the grinder.

Oldskewl said:

I would consider going electric with the grinder.

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To me that seems like I'm spending more money for something that's way more likely to break. What's the value added in going electric?

FatDragon said:

To me that seems like I'm spending more money for something that's way more likely to break. What's the value added in going electric?

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Convenience mostly. I'm not sure I could stuff casings solo with a hand cranked version. The hand cranked is a good choice if you are just starting out and don't know if this is something you'll continue with. If you are flush with cash, go electric.

So, be nice to your wife, you're going to need help stuffing unless you are just a lot more coordinated than I am.

If you haven't already, check out YouTube to get an idea of the process and tips.

Rhumbline said:

Convenience mostly. I'm not sure I could stuff casings solo with a hand cranked version. The hand cranked is a good choice if you are just starting out and don't know if this is something you'll continue with. If you are flush with cash, go electric.

So, be nice to your wife, you're going to need help stuffing unless you are just a lot more coordinated than I am.

If you haven't already, check out YouTube to get an idea of the process and tips.

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I do need to check out some videos and guides for sure. I have a basic understanding of what to do, but watching some old hands in action and hearing their advice as they do it would make a big difference.

Electric sounds like it may be in my future if sausage stuffing becomes something I do regularly, but after an internal pros and cons list I realized the current answer is simple: the hand-cranked grinder I'm looking at costs $10 shipped; that's my opportunity cost of trying out sausage stuffing. If I decide I'm going to continue and want an electric machine that will allow me to stuff solo, I can surely find someone to give the hand-cranked grinder to - my in-laws would surely be able to use it, for example. I would also have the option to keep the grinder and buy a motorized stuffer as an alternative to a motorized grinder with a stuffing nozzle.

Sounds like a plan. I like to grind using an electric grinder and stuff using a hand crank. Crank grinder is too much work if you are doing more than a couple pounds of meat. I like the control the hand crank gives me when I'm stuffing. I can control the speed the meat is going into the casings so I don't have blowouts and can fill them to my liking. Nothing worse than inconsistent lumpy sausages. Lol!

Rhumbline said:

Convenience mostly. I'm not sure I could stuff casings solo with a hand cranked version.

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It's simple to stuff sausages with a handcrank stuffer. No problem at all. Left hand guides the casing coming off the tube, right hand cranks slowly. Each sausage length, two hands spin the sausage one way, next sausage gets spun the other way. I think some people will make one long sausage, then turn them to create 6" lengths, but I've never done that.

Get whatever grinder with a stuffing attachment you prefer.You can,and probably will,get a stand alone stuffer later.They make life so much more enjoyable!

Just like brewing, whatever you buy to start you will always decide you want to upgrade to something bigger/cooler/neater/shinier/fancier soon :-D
I had a #8 grinder/stuffer that I got as a present a few years back. Now I have a #12 grinder and a water powered stuffer that I built. :-D It makes it so much more enjoyable and less frustrating.

(the difference between #8, #10, #12, etc is how many pounds per minute they are rated to grind i.e. 8 pounds per minute at full load vs 10 or 12. You really only need a larger model if you are doing a finer grind such as 3mm or 1/8" for smooth sausages or emulsions which go much slower. I believe the ratings are based on using a 1/2" coarse die.)

johngaltsmotor said:

Just like brewing, whatever you buy to start you will always decide you want to upgrade to something bigger/cooler/neater/shinier/fancier soon :-D
I had a #8 grinder/stuffer that I got as a present a few years back. Now I have a #12 grinder and a water powered stuffer that I built. :-D It makes it so much more enjoyable and less frustrating.

(the difference between #8, #10, #12, etc is how many pounds per minute they are rated to grind i.e. 8 pounds per minute at full load vs 10 or 12. You really only need a larger model if you are doing a finer grind such as 3mm or 1/8" for smooth sausages or emulsions which go much slower. I believe the ratings are based on using a 1/2" coarse die.)

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I ground 5# of frozen chuck last night for pepperoni. I was really wanting a better grinder than my kitchenaid. It works really well but it's a little tedious and slow feeding it. Then again, I'm feeding almost completely frozen meat in there, so that might be why.

johngaltsmotor said:

Just like brewing, whatever you buy to start you will always decide you want to upgrade to something bigger/cooler/neater/shinier/fancier soon :-D
I had a #8 grinder/stuffer that I got as a present a few years back. Now I have a #12 grinder and a water powered stuffer that I built. :-D It makes it so much more enjoyable and less frustrating.

(the difference between #8, #10, #12, etc is how many pounds per minute they are rated to grind i.e. 8 pounds per minute at full load vs 10 or 12. You really only need a larger model if you are doing a finer grind such as 3mm or 1/8" for smooth sausages or emulsions which go much slower. I believe the ratings are based on using a 1/2" coarse die.)

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I'm pretty good at not upgrading if it's not necessary. It helps that I'm completely inept with building or fabricating things: hmm, should I put a ball valve and a thermowell on my kettle? Oh, wait, that requires aptitude, scratch that... A stuffer might be in the future, but that's a logical next step that complements, rather than pushing out the grinder.

My wife is concerned about sanitation and reliability with the grinder I want, so she might make an executive decision and make me buy something a bit fancier or shinier (or technically buy it for me, as this is supposed to be a Christmas gift for me), but I'm getting excited about this...

Now I need to get my cheese making stuff together - I've been planning it for months but keep putting things off. I think I've got everything I need but a press (plan on getting some kind of plastic container and using it as a mold and then jury-rigging the rest, probably with a big bucket of water for the weight) and a place to store the cheese while it ferments (probably my wine-fridge fermentation chamber, which means I need to get off my butt and make the chest freezer ferm chamber happen so I can make room for the cheese).

passedpawn said:

I ground 5# of frozen chuck last night for pepperoni. I was really wanting a better grinder than my kitchenaid. It works really well but it's a little tedious and slow feeding it. Then again, I'm feeding almost completely frozen meat in there, so that might be why.

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Your meat should be only partially frozen. Stiff and dry on the surface but still pliable. Putting fully or near fully frozen meat in a meat grinder is likely to damage it or turn out bad product

Cut the meat into strips instead of cubes to speed up the process.

For what its worth I think using a grinder to stuff is a terrible way to go and you are likely to get a sub par sausage because the fat gets worked too much into the meat. Kitchenaid grinders are ok for 5lbs or less but you will overheat the mixer above that. A dedicated sausage stuffer makes life great.

I wouldn't use those grinders that look like hello kitty toys.

For anyone in the states, I use a cabelas 3/4 HP grinder and it is awesome. We normally do 20-30lb batches and it is true to its specs for lbs/min.

barnaclebob said:

Your meat should be only partially frozen. Stiff and dry on the surface but still pliable. Putting fully or near fully frozen meat in a meat grinder is likely to damage it or turn out bad product

Cut the meat into strips instead of cubes to speed up the process.

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Yea, I do long strips.

And no damage yet. Been doing it this way for a years. I'd call it partially frozen. It starts out totally frozen, but after about 10 minutes it's just semi.

Regarding bad product, nope.

barnaclebob said:

For what its worth I think using a grinder to stuff is a terrible way to go and you are likely to get a sub par sausage because the fat gets worked too much into the meat. ....

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The recipes I do usually call for grinding the fat separately from the meat and mixing afterward by hand. Some suggest different size grinds for fat vs. meat.

Keeping everything very cold helps the definition. I've done ten pound batches but that was breakfast sausage/italian bulk sausage that didn't get stuffed.

Best to have two seperate machines to do the work. I grind fat and meat together, alternating pieces and then mix by hand and add spices. Another option to mix is a paint stir wand and an electric drill.

I have a #22 Cast Iron Grinder with a 1/2 HP motor and flywheel hooked up. Someone fabricated it years ago, and it does quite well.

I've read the Kitchen Aid grinder will wear out the mixer motor or burn the gears. I had a friend who had a cebelas stuffer with a foot pedal and it chewed gears up as well. Haven't used a LEM.

I suggest "The Sausage Maker" store out of NY. They have an on-line catalog, sell mixes, cases and equipment. I have a 10 lb stuffer from them and it kicks ass. Has a pressure release valve, O-Ring and it is smooth. I bought mine after usinga friends stainless model, and when I finally decided to buck up and buy one - they quit making the big stainless one, so I bought the regular unit. I love it, and it was about $100 cheaper!

Did two batches of 80 lbs this fall, and it's amazing how fast and well this stuffer works.

Allied Kenco has a great selection and decent prices. I get my 18 mm collagen casings from them ,and have gotten other things .I have always been pleased.