Getting started

[Livin the dream]

I have been thinking about buying some equipment to get started making sausage. Could you guys make some suggestions on a grinder, stuffer and anything else I may need to get started. It's just the wife and I at home now, so I don't need the biggest baddest equipment. I did notice my l&m fleet store sells lem products. Thanks for the help. 

[Boar]

lems 5 lb stuffer is all you need, a 1/2 hrs grinder, and mixing totes, 16 quart or 24 quart. ya got a smoker?

i wish i had a mixer but for what they want.for them, im still hand mixing in totes. i rear rubber dishwashig gloves to stave.off the cold.

[Mid-Lake Rock]

I agree with Boar on the stuffer.  I purchased the 5 lb LEM stuffer at Northern Tool for $99.  That was recommended by RH1.  Works great and easy to use.  

[Livin the dream]

Thanks for the quick responses guys. I do have a electric smoker I bought at menards, and a traeger pellet grill. I bought a A-maze n tube smoker for the traeger last year to get more smoke but it goes out after the traeger gets up in running. Haven't tried it yet in the electric. 

[lovebigbluegills]

I love my 5lb LEM stuffer, and as Boar mentioned you could get by with a smaller grinder for sure. The one I have is the smallest electric I could find.

And as TL just said\/ \/, go with a reputable brand, and ensure the gears are metal. I've had the misfortune of one going kaput about halfway through what I wanted to grind.

Edited March 1, 2016 by lovebigbluegills

[ThunderLund78]

All the other suggestions are spot-on for your operation.  One thing I would suggest when looking at grinders is to ensure it has metal internal gears as opposed to plastic.  Most are metal anyway, but if you see a REALLY good price on one, that might be why.  Ask if it doesn't say it on the box.  Pay a little more for quality if it comes down to it.  Nothing worse than being 10lbs through 20 lbs of trim and it goes kapoot!

[reinhard1]

Yep, a 5 pound vertical stuffer [Northern Tool for around $100, 1/2 horse stuffer, and Tot's to mix the sausage in.  Depends on how much you will be making also.  I have friends who have a Kitchen Aid mixer with the stainless steel grinder attachment [attachment is around $70 for the stainless steel one].  That is good for 5 to 10 pounds but you still need the stuffer.  I grind all year long so the above will be needed, but I do 25 pound batches tops.  Still mix with my hands.  Smaller batches like this, you can get away with hand mixing.  Larger batches I would recommend mixers that fit the amounts that are ground.  But I am looking at getting a mixer myself for the 25 pound batches.  Been doing this for years and the cold does get old on my hands.  

It would help to know how much you are going to make and how much y ou are willing to spend.  You say there are just the two of you so that enters into this as well.  We are here to help you with all the steps.  Don't want to tell you to buy more than you need.  good luck.

[Livin the dream]

Thanks again guys. The actual dollar amount is not a concern, I just don't want to buy more than I need. I'm a weekend warrior type of guy, so 25lb batches may be to big? Is there lots of recipes for 10-15lbs? Or is most recipes based on 25?

[leechlake]

I mix 10 pound batches easily in a turkey roasting pan if you want to skip the totes.  It's a pretty big pan but works great.

[reinhard1]

You are living the dream being up north.  My advice would be to go to Curley's Sausage to get pre-mixed seasonings.  They have a great variety.  They have seasonings in the 10 pound or larger mixes.  OwensBBQ also has some [not sure on smaller than 25 pound batches though.  I have been getting mine from Curley's.  Check out my page [my personal blog type] www.sausageheavenoutdoors.com in the Home Made Sausage page and it will give you step by step help.  Any questions just ask here so we can all help out.  I have my own recipe's as well on my page.  I'll be posting a new type of sausage tomorrow here.  that is part of the fun of doing your own.  good luck.

[Boar]

yup curleys sausage kitchen and owens bbq are the one I use and both have 10 and 25lb recipies, one thing i noticed with the 10 lb batch is its just wnough to not give any awya it seems. 25lb batch seems perfect cause theres plenty to eat and to give away, more work but its worth it. good luck, oh and you have a treager grill huh? your golden buddy, good luck.

whers up north??

[Livin the dream]

Ok guys...My name is LTD..meaning living the dream..I was born and raised in Blaine/Andover and now livin in bemidji. I get my nickname because my wife travels for work and is gone most of the time. I work 3 days a week, get my 40 hours and the rest is fishing and hunting and trying to keep the wife happy. I will check out curleys and Owens . 

[smurfy]

Dang you are LTD!!!

[leechlake]

LTD- welcome.  We have a cabin on Kabekona Lake and a family place on a little lake closer to Benedict so we've spent a lot of time just south of you since I was zero years old which is 48 years ago.  You've got a great bakery up there and Corner Drug is in the middle of the block which makes no sense to me!

A good buddy of mine moved from hated Edina up to Bemidji years ago and is also LTD like you.  Met a gal and is raising a family.  Look forward to hearing more from God's Country and from you.

[smurfy]

And we are about an hour north and east. If ya know where talmoon, marcell, or just north of bowstring lake.

[Dotch]

Welcome LTD! Bemidji is the home of one of my little fat buddies. Have been spending more time there over the past 5 - 6 years as it has become a place where we go to get away if nothing else. Spent a lot of my younger years hunting and fishing south and west of there, near Bagley and west of Itasca State Park. Corner Bar in Nymore had good homemade horseradish for their burgers. 

[Livin the dream]

Thanks for the welcome LL..I've been lurking this page for a long time. Made some sausage with a co-worker a while back and figured it was time to do this on my own. Dinner tonight was leech lake walleyes actually. I rented a fish house from Tom Wilson 3 times and had very good fishing.

[smurfy]

Just now, Livin the dream said:

Thanks for the welcome LL..I've been lurking this page for a long time. Made some sausage with a co-worker a while back and figured it was time to do this on my own. Dinner tonight was leech lake walleyes actually. I rented a fish house from Tom Wilson 3 times and had very good fishing.

I see your wife musta not threw them away.... Huh!!!! LL  Can explain.

[Boar]

nice to meet yu LTD !! That was my favorite car.a.76 ford ltd,.love.that car. any and.all.questions.on smoking and some other thi gs can be answerd here, pretty much from reinhard1. hope ur not thin skined like smurf and LL and reb, they cant take a joke.. welcome aboard and welcome to smoke'n yur own its addicting

[lovebigbluegills]

Welcome LTD!!!! Any question you have about smoking or meat in general, the fine gentlemen here should be able to answer it.

[leechlake]

10 hours ago, Livin the dream said:

Thanks for the welcome LL..I've been lurking this page for a long time. Made some sausage with a co-worker a while back and figured it was time to do this on my own. Dinner tonight was leech lake walleyes actually. I rented a fish house from Tom Wilson 3 times and had very good fishing.

I see Tom and his son on Kabekona pretty often.  I passed on his son's name to a buddy of mines brother in law two years ago.  He wanted to fish Kabekona and I wasn't going to be up there.  They caught some fish but not what they hoped for, which happens.  Brother in law guy got a call one night asking if he could come out fishing because the son found the fish finally.  Picked him up and they had a ball catching tons of big walleyes.  I don't know if that stuff happens in the normal world too much.  

[Livin the dream]

LL-I've never fished kabekona, but I have always wanted to. Heard many,many stories of the quality of fish down there. You guys that bought your stuffer from northern tool, is it the kitchener brand? That's the only stuffer I could find that was 99$

[reinhard1]

Ya, it's the Kitchener brand.  It has the hard plastic gears instead of the stainless steel ones, but I have had mine for a few years and ran a lot of sausage through there.  You can pay more for the all metal stuffers but this one works fine.  good luck.

[Livin the dream]

Thanks RH-1. I will order that today and pass on l&m fleet. Your page is simply awesome. Thank you 

[KEN W]

2 things I should mention.....

1.Almost all companies list how much seasoning for 10 or 25 lbs. If they don't just measure out how many table spoons you get out of the 25 pound bag of seasoning. Most of them will come out as 1 tablespoon per pound of meat.

2. Hardly any of the retail butcher suppliers mix their own seasonings. Most buy large quantities of pre- mixed seasonings from Excalibur Seasonings. If you use Red Barn Bologna or  Chili Dog seasoning somewhere....it will be the same everywhere. So look for the one that has the lowest price and add on S&H, which can make a difference depending on where the company is and where you live. Plus almost all sell casings also. So you can get a specific size as compared to mixed sizes bought locally.

Here are some I have ordered from.

P S Seasonings

Allied Kenco

Eldon's

Sausage Maker

Curley's Sausage Kitchen

Owens BBQ

Walton's Seasoning

Pittsburgh Spice Company

Butcher Packer