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Sausage making essentials
Posted on 3/12/22 at 4:19 pm
Posted on 3/12/22 at 4:19 pm
Looking to get into making sausage at home. Already have a kitchenaid mixer. Would the kitchenaid grinder/stuffer attachment work good enough for this? Would probably make one batch a month max. Also, would a cheap masterbuilt electric smoker suffice in the beginning? Don’t want to invest a lot of money up front if I’m not going to stick with it regularly.
8
Posted on 3/12/22 at 4:23 pm to Ric Flair
I suggest skip the kitchen aid and buy a sausage grinder and a separate stuffer. You don’t need anything huge, just order on Amazon or buy at Academy.
Screw using a grinder for stuffing. Buy a 10-pound hand crank stuffer. Soooooo much easier.
Electric smoker will work but you’ll never get the full heavy smoke flavor with electric. That being said, I think you’d be happy with it and I say go for it.
I have a masterbuilt and an offset and use them both for sausage. Like the offset for traditional sausage but I’m happy with the masterbuilt as well.
Screw using a grinder for stuffing. Buy a 10-pound hand crank stuffer. Soooooo much easier.
Electric smoker will work but you’ll never get the full heavy smoke flavor with electric. That being said, I think you’d be happy with it and I say go for it.
I have a masterbuilt and an offset and use them both for sausage. Like the offset for traditional sausage but I’m happy with the masterbuilt as well.
Posted on 3/12/22 at 4:24 pm to Ric Flair
Your mixer should be fine. Get some casings from Iverstine's on perkins. I'd use a stick burner or rotisserie for smoking, but then again, I've never used an electric.
Pink seasoning salt will help as well.
Good luck!
Pink seasoning salt will help as well.
Good luck!
Posted on 3/12/22 at 4:50 pm to Ric Flair
If using pork to make your sausage and buying pork butts on sale, be sure to remove any silver skin, sinew, etc. or it WILL clog up the blade and openings in the grinder plate.
When the meat is all trimmed up, put it in the freezer for a while as this makes grinding the meat a lot easier and faster.
Seasoning mixes are out there, but I found a site that has recipes for dry and wet seasonings and thing like green onions, garlic, etc. and I use them, then tweak them to suit my taste.
I have an LEM #10 hand grinder I use to grind the meat and I bought a designated stuffer that holds about 7 lbs. of product and it is WAY faster than using the LEM stuffing attachment. I can case up the whole container of meat in no more than 5 minutes, and it's a hand crank appliance.
If you plan on smoking your sausages, make sure the outside of the casings are dry before putting them in the smoker. I lay my cased sausage out on cooling racks spread out so none are touching. I will put them in my fridge overnight and the skin of the sausage dries out and they are then ready to smoke. Drying the skin gives them a nice brown color when smoked.
I just got a Masterbuilt 30 in. smoker yesterday that I'm smoking thick pork steaks on right now. Yes, it will work for smoking sausage.
I also have a big homemade smoker that I've used many times to smoke sausage and I can put around 30 lbs. worth in it by hanging it on hooks like you see professional smoker use.
Plenty of u-tube videos out there on smoking your own sausage and I suggest you watch several to get the feel for it.
When the meat is all trimmed up, put it in the freezer for a while as this makes grinding the meat a lot easier and faster.
Seasoning mixes are out there, but I found a site that has recipes for dry and wet seasonings and thing like green onions, garlic, etc. and I use them, then tweak them to suit my taste.
I have an LEM #10 hand grinder I use to grind the meat and I bought a designated stuffer that holds about 7 lbs. of product and it is WAY faster than using the LEM stuffing attachment. I can case up the whole container of meat in no more than 5 minutes, and it's a hand crank appliance.
If you plan on smoking your sausages, make sure the outside of the casings are dry before putting them in the smoker. I lay my cased sausage out on cooling racks spread out so none are touching. I will put them in my fridge overnight and the skin of the sausage dries out and they are then ready to smoke. Drying the skin gives them a nice brown color when smoked.
I just got a Masterbuilt 30 in. smoker yesterday that I'm smoking thick pork steaks on right now. Yes, it will work for smoking sausage.
I also have a big homemade smoker that I've used many times to smoke sausage and I can put around 30 lbs. worth in it by hanging it on hooks like you see professional smoker use.
Plenty of u-tube videos out there on smoking your own sausage and I suggest you watch several to get the feel for it.
This post was edited on 3/12/22 at 5:22 pm
Posted on 3/12/22 at 7:23 pm to SixthAndBarone
2nd
SixthandBarone
I have used the KitchenAid grinder attachment. Unless the meat is really clean it will be hard on the mixer. Hand stuffers are the best.
SixthandBarone
I have used the KitchenAid grinder attachment. Unless the meat is really clean it will be hard on the mixer. Hand stuffers are the best.
Posted on 3/12/22 at 10:19 pm to Ric Flair
I would definitely get a separate sausage stuffer. I got one off Amazon that holds about 5 pounds of meat that cost around $40 I think. And it’s made all the difference in the world.
This post was edited on 3/14/22 at 8:51 am
Posted on 3/12/22 at 10:39 pm to Ric Flair
quote:Can I watch?
Looking to get into making sausage
After my trip to DC to watch Congress
Posted on 3/13/22 at 7:17 am to Ric Flair
quote:
Don’t want to invest a lot of money up front if I’m not going to stick with it regularly.
There is a lot of good advise in the replies here. I would suggest you make a batch or two with the equipment you have. If this is something you enjoy then buy the stuffer, grinder, etc.
Posted on 3/13/22 at 9:17 am to unclejhim
quote:
I would suggest you make a batch or two with the equipment you have
He doesn’t have equipment to make sausage. He has a kitchen aid but needs to buy the grinder attachment and from what he says, he doesn’t have the smoker yet.
Posted on 3/13/22 at 11:20 am to Ric Flair
If you are making a batch a month I’d buy a grinder, stuffer, kitchen scale and some meat lugs. The smoker you mentioned will work but you will get frustrated with the small size I’d bet.
I use rebel butcher for seasoning . They have all the supplies you need for sausage making .
I use rebel butcher for seasoning . They have all the supplies you need for sausage making .
Posted on 3/13/22 at 12:14 pm to Ric Flair
quote:
Would the kitchenaid grinder/stuffer attachment work good enough for this?
It would be good enough, if you're processing 5-10 pounds of meat or under and the meat is completely free of sinew. As mentioned, grinders do not make particularly great suffers but, it can be done and is exactly how I started.
Posted on 3/13/22 at 11:48 pm to gumbo2176
quote:
If using pork to make your sausage and buying pork butts on sale, be sure to remove any silver skin, sinew, etc. or it WILL clog up the blade and openings in the grinder plate.
When the meat is all trimmed up, put it in the freezer for a while as this makes grinding the meat a lot easier and faster.
Seasoning mixes are out there, but I found a site that has recipes for dry and wet seasonings and thing like green onions, garlic, etc. and I use them, then tweak them to suit my taste.
I have an LEM #10 hand grinder I use to grind the meat and I bought a designated stuffer that holds about 7 lbs. of product and it is WAY faster than using the LEM stuffing attachment. I can case up the whole container of meat in no more than 5 minutes, and it's a hand crank appliance.
If you plan on smoking your sausages, make sure the outside of the casings are dry before putting them in the smoker. I lay my cased sausage out on cooling racks spread out so none are touching. I will put them in my fridge overnight and the skin of the sausage dries out and they are then ready to smoke. Drying the skin gives them a nice brown color when smoked.
I just got a Masterbuilt 30 in. smoker yesterday that I'm smoking thick pork steaks on right now. Yes, it will work for smoking sausage.
I also have a big homemade smoker that I've used many times to smoke sausage and I can put around 30 lbs. worth in it by hanging it on hooks like you see professional smoker use.
Plenty of u-tube videos out there on smoking your own sausage and I suggest you watch several to get the feel for it
Very good advice. The Kitchen Aid grinder will just frustrate you.
Posted on 3/14/22 at 10:10 am to SixthAndBarone
Thanks to all who replied.
Any particular recs on grinders and stuffers available from Amazon or Academy? Brand/size/etc?
Any particular recs on grinders and stuffers available from Amazon or Academy? Brand/size/etc?
Posted on 3/14/22 at 10:17 am to Ric Flair
The LEM mighty bite grinders work well. They are available at several retail places and online . Academy has it for 219.
I have the buffalo tools 11 pound stuffer and haven’t had any issues with it in 8 years. It’s heavy but works great. It’s on Amazon for $203 now.
I have the buffalo tools 11 pound stuffer and haven’t had any issues with it in 8 years. It’s heavy but works great. It’s on Amazon for $203 now.
Posted on 3/14/22 at 10:17 am to Ric Flair
Like I mentioned, I've got a hand crank LEM #10 and it works just fine for grinding the meat once it's all trimmed up and put in the freezer to get it real cold before grinding.
My sausage stuffer is made by Weston and has a stainless steel container that holds the meat, comes with 3 different size nozzles for different size casings. Not sure what I paid for it since I bought it in 2018. Once you load the canister and thread the casing on the nozzle it's a one hand crank operation with the other hand moving the cased sausage in the tray to make room.
Once the sausage is cased is when I twist them to the size links I want.
ETA: I've used these 2 tools to easily make and case up well over 300 lbs. of sausage over the past 4 years.
My sausage stuffer is made by Weston and has a stainless steel container that holds the meat, comes with 3 different size nozzles for different size casings. Not sure what I paid for it since I bought it in 2018. Once you load the canister and thread the casing on the nozzle it's a one hand crank operation with the other hand moving the cased sausage in the tray to make room.
Once the sausage is cased is when I twist them to the size links I want.
ETA: I've used these 2 tools to easily make and case up well over 300 lbs. of sausage over the past 4 years.
This post was edited on 3/14/22 at 10:33 am
Posted on 3/14/22 at 10:50 am to Ric Flair
Hakka brothers is a good company. LEM seems to be good as well but I don’t have experience.
You don’t need a large grinder. Large grinders are good if you are making a lot (quicker). With at-home batches, a $200 grinder is fine. Large grinders are awesome, but not needed for at-home sausage.
Now, you can stuff the sausage on this grinder as well if you want to save money to start. But just know that a hand crank stuffer will be so much easier and won’t be half as time consuming as the grinder stuffer. So don’t get frustrated thinking you don’t like stuffing. But there’s nothing wrong with skipping the stuffer to get started.
A 5-10 pound stuffer is all you need. I have a 7 pound that costs under $200.
You don’t need a large grinder. Large grinders are good if you are making a lot (quicker). With at-home batches, a $200 grinder is fine. Large grinders are awesome, but not needed for at-home sausage.
Now, you can stuff the sausage on this grinder as well if you want to save money to start. But just know that a hand crank stuffer will be so much easier and won’t be half as time consuming as the grinder stuffer. So don’t get frustrated thinking you don’t like stuffing. But there’s nothing wrong with skipping the stuffer to get started.
A 5-10 pound stuffer is all you need. I have a 7 pound that costs under $200.
Posted on 3/14/22 at 10:52 am to Ric Flair
Honestly I would use the kitchenaide. It worked for us for years just fine albeit slow. Kinda like a tractor, listen to the motor. If you get addicted you can upgrade. Too bad you're not close I would let you try mine.
However if you are buying a grinder I can tell you that Cabela's Carnivore #12 is a beast. We process about 10 deer and make pork butt sausage all the time.
However if you are buying a grinder I can tell you that Cabela's Carnivore #12 is a beast. We process about 10 deer and make pork butt sausage all the time.
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