grinders

[Pooh]

looking for a machine to process 2-4 deer a year. Would also be a plus for it to stuff sausage also. Ive been looking at the #12 Kitchener carried by Northern Tool. The reviews look good. Not looking to break the bank either. Would like to stay under $150 u guys got any input or ideas

[reinhard1]

i have a Torrey 3/4 PH1. i have had this for about 8 years with no problems and i made over 200 lbs. of sausage with it this year [venison with pork]. cant remember what it cost me but it was under $400 at the time. i used to stuff from it also but found that a verticle stuffer saves time and does a better job controling the sausage flow. since i do smaller batches [25lbs per batch]. i got a 5lb verticle stuffer from Northern Tool for $100 and am happy with it.

you could get by with a hand grinder also, and i would go with the larger ones. realy depends on how much venison trimmings you will end up with. in our party of 4 we only keep the tenderloins, back straps, and roasts from the round. so we end up with a bit of trim. the guys want sausage more that anything. you may be different and only get a limited amount of trim. so buy accordingly. good luck.

[toughguy]

Oh man.... I thought this was gonna be a sandwich thread.

[reinhard1]

. check out page 7 of the cooking and reciepe forum for the Burgers On Steroids thread. lot's of good stuff. good luck.

[TruthWalleyes]

My dad got a nice grinder from cabelas two years ago. Grinds great, but does not stuff well...ended up ruining a 5# of meat before i found out that the grinder was turning the meat into a paste while trying to stuff 3/4" tubes for sticks.

I would take Rein's advice and buy a stuffer if you plan on doing lots of stuffing.

I'll have to check out northern tool stuffers as i'd like to give sticks another try this year.

[reinhard1]

when stuffing from a grinder only the worm gear and the stuffing tube should be used. i'm thinking maby you were using a knife or plate or both on your worm gear. once you are ready to stuff no plate or knife is required. that is what creates the mess you ended up with i'm guessing. a vertical stuffer is the way to go. my 5 pound capacity is all i need and the verticle stuffer gives you better control of your casing pressure you apply with your fingers. one steady flow until you reach bottom or run out of cassings. good luck.

[TruthWalleyes]

We were just using the worm gear, but i'm thinking that there is too much space between the worm gear and the housing to create enough pressure to fill the small diameter tubes, so using the plunger with lots of force is what eventually filled the tubes. I ended up using the larger casings for summer sausage which the worm gear could fill without my putting all my weight on the plunger... I'd still do summer sausage in there again, but will take you advice on the vertical stuffer.

[reinhard1]

once you have a verticle stuffer you will be happy you purchased one. there are a variety of sizes and prices. all metal gears vs heavy nylon gears. prices vary also. if you do a lot of sausage at a time they have a 25 pound capacity down to a 5 pound as i have. mine was bought at northern hydrolics for a hundred bucks. it has 4 differnt sizes of tubes. saves time, casing feed is nice, and filles those summersausage casings great. i always spray my stuffer with pam on the inside of the stuffer and inside and outside of the stuffing tube before stuffing. keeps everything moveing better and is easier cleaning after. good luck.

[Pooh]

verticle stuffers are nice. I grew up using my grandmas. She has an old cast iron verticle stuffer. my dad has since bought an old cast iron stuffer, same as my grandmas its just bigger. They are a must have if you are making your own sausage.