When making most fresh sausage, my father, grandfather always just ground into the casings with 3/16 . . . I was doing a little research as I also am trying to avoid paying for a stuffer . . I found this of interest:
from:
http://www.alliedkenco.com/517.aspx
Kidney Plates (3 hole) are used with a knife if you want big chunks for stew meat, for your first grind or when making chum.
Spacer Plates (2 hole) are traditionally used to hold the feedscrew centered when stuffing off a grinder using a stuffing tube. You remove the knife, install the spacer plate and stuffing tube and commence stuffing.
A better way is to use the spacer plate is for the first grind. After the first grind, install the finish ( 2nd grind) plate (usually 3/16" for sausage) & knife, along with the stuffing horn, then grind AND stuff on the second grind. The larger first grind provides the bigger chunks of meat needed by the feedscrew to move the meat out of the cylinder, pass the backpressure created by the small holes of the second grind plate and the small hole of the stuffing tube.
They are available in different thicknesses, with and without hubs and with 1 or 3 notches so be careful when ordering.
