Sausage Stuffers?

T

trevj

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Looking for a sausage stuffer. Havin' a heck of a time finding one that I will both be happy with (both functional and affordable), and will hold up to use.

The commercial stuff is a bunch of money (Halford Hide) the cheap ones (Princess Auto 5LB) has plastic gears and loks pretty flimsy, even for the $90 they are on sale for.

The larger verticals from Princess Auto look like the same gear that Cabelas has, Chinese made the both of them no doubt, and the Cabelas site shows some pretty poor reviews, with stripped teeth on the drive gears a recurring theme.

Looked at the Dakota Water Stuffer, and it reminds me of all the Ronco and KTel stuff you used to see on TV.... <sigh> Not a real positive association...

Anyone got any tales to tell, or suggestions?
Usage reports on the PA stuffer? The Cabelas ones?

I'm looking for a stuffer that will handle doing a few batches of, say, 10 pounds of meat at a time (not alll into the stuffer at once) of mostly snack sticks into collagen casings. The home brewed stuffer based on the large size caulking gun, isn't cuttin' it anymore. Not real interested in the macaroni press type, want a crank for control and ease of maintaining pressure

Thanks!

Cheers
Trev
 
I use the LEM 15 lb vertical stuffier here is the link to the manufacturer website for specs http://www.lemproducts.com/product/497/sausage-stuffers

It is tough; all the cogs are made out of very hard steel, no plastic.
The only plastic parts or the stuffing horns.
It cost me a bit more but it’s a once in a lifetime purchase, built to last.
I too did allot of research before taking the plunge to a dedicated stuffier.
Before i used my grinder for stuffing and found it a PITA.

I looked at many brands and also the different types of suffers.

The horizontal hand press stuffers are the cheapest but also the most frustrating and hard to work.
The best stuffers are the horizontal hydraulic stuffers but then we are really talking big money and it can be overkill for the average hunter that uses it once a year for processing just one deer.

I am very happy with my 15lb stuffer it is very well built, easy to take apart and clean.
It is heavy , my guess is about 10lb or so.
The only down side is that there can be some wastage once you press it all the way and it bottoms out.
There is usually about ¼ lb of meat left in the stuffing horn and its almost not practical to use for small batches under 6lb or so since the bucket is so big.

LEM also has a 5lb version of the same stuffer that my work well for you.

when i try a new recipe and run a small experimental batch i still use my grinder for stuffing.
I purchased most of equipment from these guys: http://www.yesgroup.ca/main_site/

They are a Canadian distributer for meat processing products around Canada , they sell to restaurants and stores mostly but they have a guy that also deals with the privet sector.
if remember well his name is Mario.
I also get all my casing and other sausage making paraphernalia from them.
Great guys to deal with, very personal and willing to help, The guy even emailed me some of his personal favorite recipes and send me lots of helpful information and tips.
That is my experience with them so far.
 
Thanks Phishroy, appreciate the input.

The LEM looks like it rolled off the same lines as the PA stuffer, except for the metal gears.
I'm going to take a good look at the 5LB stuffer at PA, as well as the larger ones if they have any in stock. Gonna have a good look at the ones at Halford's today too.


Cheers
Trev
 
Grabbed a 5 pound stuffer at PA. Gonna see how it works out.

Was not able to get a close look at the stuffers at Halfords, as they were doing some forklift work in the area of the warehouse that the stuffers were stored in, and I was on a timeline.

Looked at the 11 pound stuffer at PA. Looked pretty decent, short of being able to look at the gears and stuff like that. Chinese made, and looked like an OK buy at $110. I see what was meant by the amount of meat left in the works at the bottom of the stroke. I figures a nylon or similar material filler block would solve much of that. Maybe. But I left the larger stuffer there, as it seemed quite larger than I needed for the time being.

I'll report back, when I actually put it to use.

Cheers
Trev
 
I have a water powered Dakotah stuffer on the way. I'll let you know how it works when it gets here. Cant be any more annoying to use than the grinder. We will see.
 
Side note:

CTR in Edmonton offered a one day course in sausage making, very informative, worth the money.
And its where I bought mine, stainless, horizontal with metal gears, $300 ish.
Although I've always wanted to hook up a variable spd motor with a foot pedal instead of a hand crank.
 
Well, gotta say I came away from my first use of the PA 5 pound stuffer, pretty pleased with it.

I stuffed 12 pounds of meat through a home made 1/2 inch stuffing tube adapter, into 19 and 22 mm collagen snack stick casings.

I could have had a bit more water in the meat to get it to flow a wee bit better, but it pushed through just fine, and it wasn't a real big deal to have to crank the piston back up to the top at the same gear ratio as it took to drive it down.

I was pleased to see that there was very little meat left in the bottom of the stuffer when the piston bottomed, and all was well. With two of us running, I was able to basicly crank as fast as I dared, and had to slow down to allow the guy who was operating the 'coil' end of things, enough time to get the stuff laid out neatly on the countertop as we worked.

I can see a couple things I would change if they break, like replacing the plastic gears with metal, maybe, or replacing the injection molded piston with a solid one, but overall I'm pretty happy with it. I'd feel that it was too small, if I was making sausage to freeze, in large batches, so if that is you, look at the 11 pound or larger versions, eh!

Cheers
Trev
 
we have been using the Princess Auto stuffer for a while now, it has worked well, no problems, no complaints. you can't beat their warranty, so that's a bonas!
 
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