Thinking of getting started with sausage making...

[mdbannister]

I'm thinking I'd like to try my hand at making sausage. What equipment do I need? What is helpful? What should I stay away from? Help a brotha out! :-)

 

[crazymoon]

MDB, You need a grinder to process the meat.You can stuff with a grinder BUT I would recommend a 5 # stuffer(w/metal gears) to make life easier. There are cheap grinders /stuffers on the market if you want to try sausage making w/out spending a lot of money.You'll also need some casings. I suggest some hog casings in the 32mm size,these too can be purchased cheap by buying "home packs" of casings.

 

[SmokinAl]

I would start with fresh sausage, like Italian, or breakfast sausage.
These both can be made into patties. You only need a grinder & if you have a KA, the grinder attachment will work fine.
Or you can even just buy already ground pork at the grocery store.
Then you can move on to a dedicated grinder & stuffer. I have a Cabela's Carnivore grinder, & a 5# LEM stuffer. You will want a stuffer that has metal gears. As for casings, I get mine from TheSausageMaker. I also get cure #1 & my sausage spice mixes from them too. But beware, making your own sausage can become addictive, just like smoking!
Al

 

[shoebe]

I would start with something simple, like breakfast sausage patties. A small 5 lbs or bach will give you a good idea on what you are doing.

You will need a grinder, if you have a kitchenaid stand mixer get the grinder attachment. If not look on craigslist for a used stand alone grinder.

Do a search on this website and you will find a ton of easy to do recipes that you can try. The big mistake I made the first time was not having everything cold. It really helps to have the meat and grinder parts almost frozen before you start. After you grind the meat, have the spices in,make sure to do a test patty.

Enjoy

 

[mdbannister]

Thanks guys! My wife wanted to buy me something for Valentine's Day, and since I have been thinking about this, I told her I wanted to get the tools to make some good homemade sausage. After all, nothing says "I love you" like fresh homemade sausage, right? :D:D

I'll look into getting the grinder and stuffer. I was actually figuring I'd need both of those, but I wasn't sure which ones to buy or if there were other tools I'd need. I appreciate the recommendations.

 

[jimmyinsd]

I know others have had fair success with the kitchen aid grinder, I can't second that choice. I wen that route, tried to follow all the suggestions and still ended up buying a dedicated grinder. Imo one of the keys is keeping your fats as cold and intact as possible and the kitchen aid is so slow and builds heat. The kitchen aid is about $50 IIRC, I think many have haD good luck with the LEM grinders. I went a little bigger after my disappointment with the KA grinder so I went with the 1hp cabelas and am really happy. It's a lot of money, but it should be something I can pass down to my kids someday.

I will echo the suggestion of starting with fresh sausage, we did breakfast bulk sausage first, then bought a stuffer and started brats and bfast links and only recently jumped into smoked sausage. It's like math. Start simple and add complexity as you get your process down.

I would suggest you look on amazon at the hakka vertical stuffers. I got the 7 lb model and it works fine, but if I did it again I would pay the extra 20 bucks and get the 11 pound model as I find myself making most batches in that 8 to 12 pound range for some reason.

If you enjoy making your own food you will love this hobby, just be ready to add on to your house as it end up becoming an obsession and one you don't really want to put away every other week. I am looking at building a second kitchen for this as well as my wife's canning.

Best of luck and welcome.

 

[forvols]

Meat lug(s) makes things easier too. something like this(do some searching you can probably find the cheaper.
https://www.waltonsinc.com/gray-poly-pan

Waltons is a great site where you can purchase everything you need or look at a lot and search for a better price.

Another good place to peruse is: http://www.lemproducts.com/

And one more: https://www.meatprocessingproducts.com/stbybr.html

Lots of other places for supplies, I have bought from all three never a bad experience.

ETA: I have a Weston #22 grinder and just the knife and plates it came with. Weston 11lb stuffer. Grinder was originally bought several years ago for processing deer and doing ground beef(I just got into sausage making not long ago--didn't like using the grinder for stuffing, though it is more than capable). Grinder has plenty of HP and gets through meat quickly. Stuffer is all steel gears 2spd, Canister/stuffing horns are stainless steel, frame/base all metal. 11lb will hold a 10lb batch so no reloads(well unless you have more than 10lbs to do). I usually do 5-10lb batches.

What I use every stuffed sausage making session -- Grinder, stuffer, meat
lug(s), butcher twine, sausage prick, food safe silicon spray.

Another item to consider if you don't have one is Vacuum Sealer, I also end up using it at some point after making sausage. Bulk sausage I vac seal right away. Stuffed sausage:
FRESH - after a night in the fridge to dry and firm up some vac seal the next day // Smoked - spend a night in the fridge after smoking and blooming get vac sealed the next day.

 

[SmokyMose]

You'll want a decent kitchen scale as well, one that measures grams as well as ounces.
All the talk about metal gears is ok, but my little 5# Gander Mountain with plastic gears has put out a lot of # of sausage :)
As others have said, this can be addictive. You'll end up needing a bigger freezer.....

 

[idahopz]

Starting with the patties is a great way to begin, and if you like to use sausage in recipes (e.g., like Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana), it works great to put about a pound flattened in a zip-lock baggie for easy thawing. I'm at about the same as you right now - making free form sausage, but have not moved to the casing sausages yet. I've been here for a while because the sausage uses are so versatile even without being in the traditional casing.