Pastry bag

[john dice]

Anyone ever try using a pastry bag as a stuffer? I've been reading "Legends of Texas BBQ" and the book suggested it.

Inexpensive way to try out sausage making.

 

[walking dude]

yeah i have heard of it..........you can also use a zip lock baggie, with a corner snipped off...........my last summer sausage, i hand stuffed it.......you can also use a jerky shooter..........

 

[earache_my_eye]

It should work just fine, but I think it will depend on what kind of sausage you are stuffing....summer sausage might be a little too stiff to run through a pastry bag, but breakfast links and/or bratwurst I could see working quite well as the mixture would be a little "wetter".

A vertical stuffer is still your best bet because to pump all that sausage through a pastry bag,...you'd wind up with one arm lookin' like Popeye by the time you got done!!...

..LOL

L8r,
Eric

 

[john dice]

Brats and breakfast links are what I would want to make at least at first. Just don't feel like saving up 80 dollars for stuffer to find out that will just collect dust in the corner of my kitchen.

 

[earache_my_eye]

In that case, find a store that sells Wilton pastry equipment.....or do some searching online....I don't recall if they have a tube-type tip in their arsenal or not....you would want something with at least a half-inch opening, and make sure you have your sausage mix wet enough to go through the tip.....pastry bags can be a real beast to use if what is inside them is too dry/stiff.

L8r,
Eric

 

[walking dude]

don't need a tip eric..........my mom used to do cakes.........she has/had all that equipment.........the bag comes with a large plastic tip......that you screw a ring on to hold on the specialty tip...........just get a bag.........will werk perfect........don't need a add on tip

 

[earache_my_eye]

Once upon a time, I did a fair amount of decorating myself......yeah, I know, whouda thunk it!! Just trying to give John some ideas to keep it simple.

John...found a couple links for you....if I were to attempt this, I wouldn't get any less than a 18" canvas pastry bag....otherwise, you'll spend more time filling it than you do emptying it. The canvas bags are some pretty tough hombres too. The tips I found may not have as large of a hole as you might want, as they are for filling bismark pastries, but, I think they are a step in the right direction....and for around $10 + shipping it's a minimal investment.

Anywho...here's the links....

http://bakerstools.com/Merchant2/mer...y_Code=BAGSCAN

http://bakerstools.com/Merchant2/mer...de=TIPSBISMARK

Hope this helps,
Eric

 

[mulepackin]

I've not used a pastry bag, but have used a cake decorating tube. Very similiar, but it is a cylinder about as round as a soup can, and half again as long with a screw type piston. Did ten lbs of snack stix one time with this tool. It worked, but I was about babbling to myself by the end of it.

 

[lcruzen]

If your making sausage I'm assuming you might have a meat grinder. You can get tubes to attach to the grinder to stuff sausage casing pretty cheap. The pastry bag will work but I wouldn't want to do it that way.

 

[earache_my_eye]

There have been several threads about stuffing with grinders.....a few people have had success, but most end up cussing the whole process because the grinder doesn't like to push the wet sausage mixture through the tube and they wind up with a bad attitude about making sausage. I don't want to discourage anyone from trying any of the processes available....to stuff with the grinder you would want your sausage very, very, VERY cold, and with a less water in the mixture to give the grinder something solid enough to push through the tube......just my $.02

L8r,
Eric

 

[jerrykr]

For making fresh brats (not cured or smoked), I like to do a single grind and stuff in one pass. But, I prefer my brats to have a course grind. Still, a small plate would get you a pretty fine grind texture.

There's a short learning curve to stuff the grinder and control the casing at the same time, but it's really easy. Don't get in a hurry, don't try to stuff the casings too tight, and use the stop button on the grinder when needed.

works good for me.

Here's what I do:

www.homesausagemaker.blogspot.com

Jerry

 

[john dice]

Talked to my mom last night and found out she has a meat grinder she never uses. It is very old (hand crank yuk!), it was my grandma's. But hey, it is better then nothing.