Getting started

[lovebigbluegills]

Ken, of all those places you've ordered seasonings from, which were your favorites???

[Livin the dream]

Thanks again guys to have all responded so far. Nice meeting you guys and thanks for the warm welcome. Before I went to town today the wife reminded me of some l&m fleet gift cards we had, so I used them up and bought a lem 5#stuffer. My next question is, do I really need a grinder? I'm retired from deer hunting, and I'm really good buddies with the guy who owns the local meet market. So couldn't I just have him grind my meat to order and save the 300 bucks?

[reinhard1]

Hey, if you have a buddy that will do that for you, then you don't need the grinder.  Have him grind the meat and then bring it home and mix your seasonings in ect.  By having a grinder at home you don't have to depend on him of course and everything is done that day vs the possibility of your buddy not having the time to do that at a given time.  Normally if he is going to grind that day anyway it would be a good thing.  However a lot of times you don't want to clean equipment just for one order, but I think you guy's can plan that out.  good luck.

[LindellProStaf]

You will love the LEM.  I have the 5 lber and it is great.  Love using it.  I used to try and do the stuffing with my grinder and it worked but not very smooth like the stuffer.  When I get a sausage filled I back it up a half crank.  Well the wife actually backs it up a half crank.  She enjoys helping me now.  

[KEN W]

Over the past 30 years, I have ordered from all of them. Just depends on what I am looking for. The last few times, I have ordered from P S Seasonings out of Wisconsin. They have the most seasonings.....like 44  kinds of Brat seasonings alone. If you can't find what you want there....it probably doesn't exist. The last Brat seasonings  I ordered included...Bacon Ranch, Bacon Cheeseburger, Garlic Brat, I also really like the Red Barn Bologna.

 

Edited March 3, 2016 by KEN W

[delcecchi]

6 hours ago, Livin the dream said:

Thanks again guys to have all responded so far. Nice meeting you guys and thanks for the warm welcome. Before I went to town today the wife reminded me of some l&m fleet gift cards we had, so I used them up and bought a lem 5#stuffer. My next question is, do I really need a grinder? I'm retired from deer hunting, and I'm really good buddies with the guy who owns the local meet market. So couldn't I just have him grind my meat to order and save the 300 bucks?

Sure, but it isn't 300 bucks. 

[KEN W]

It won't cost $300 for a grinder. Plus as you may have noticed the guys here are using their grinders a bunch of times during a year. I never make a lot of pounds at one time. Enough to last for a month or 2 and then use fresh meat to make the next batch.

Edited March 3, 2016 by KEN W

[PropsterII]

Like LTD, I will start making my own. RH1 and others here have been very helpful. Made it up to the cities last weekend and stopped at FF.  They had a grinder on sale for like $55.  I think it was called a #8, but there was no mention of hp anywhere.  Anyone seen this and know the horsepower and if it will work or too small?  Don't want to undergun myself even though I will mostly be making smaller (10#) batches at any given time. By the way RH I haven't checked with the local meat market to see if they offer a ground chuck in that 80/20 range, but if they do what is the going price for that? Is that still mostly what you use for your sausage?

[delcecchi]

80% is pretty much the bottom of the burger sold these days.  So whatever place you buy burger.  Just look at the package.  Be about $3 or so a pound.   You probably could get those big tubes of burger, which I never buy since I like to see it. 

[RebelSS]

Fareway butchers has fresh ground they pop in a 10 lb tube, 85/15,  for $2.99 lb right now. IT's GOOD stuff. Get ready for summer grilling. 

[PropsterII]

I thought ground chuck was a little more specific than generic hamburger?

[reinhard1]

Propster,  pure ground chuck is usually sold in service cases in the stores and butcher shops.  It is meat from the chuck only.  I do used 80/20 as a addition to sausage I make along with pork and venison or all pork butt with some 80/20 added.  Beef adds flavor to the sausage.  I have used all 80/20 for small batches of summer or sticks, but mostly as a add on with other meats involved.  Ground chuck is normally more expensive than 80/20 ground beef.  75% ground beef is the lower end of what's out there.  If I see a good sale on chuck roasts I will buy up some of that instead of burger like 80/20.  Best beef summer is made from ground chuck roast with no other meat added.  But that can get spendy to make.  good luck.

[PropsterII]

Any thoughts on the #8 grinder with no hp listing?

[delcecchi]

6 minutes ago, PropsterII said:

Any thoughts on the #8 grinder with no hp listing?

Brand?  If it is 

Lem, I think it would be OK.

[leechlake]

#8 refers to the grinding plate.

Here is my grinder info for reference that may help.

Cabelas "heavy duty" Grinder  $124

400 watt and it says it grinds 2 pounds of meat per minute.  

Use wise I've had it for 5 years I bet and this Fall ground almost three full deer through it along with pork butt etc.  One night I just sat at the grinder and ground two adult bucks as we butchered.  We ground everything gut the loins and necks and a roast or two per deer.  

This is no big time grinder for sure but works for a non German, non butcher amateur like me.

Sometimes I even wipe the blood off of the sides of the motor, I always clean all the parts that touch meat.

 

[Boar]

I have a turboforce,stx  1800 W seen 5 bear and ten deer and it keeps pluging along, got it online fro 100 bucks 5 years ago.

[smurfy]

38 minutes ago, Boar said:

I have a turboforce,stx  1800 W seen 5 bear and ten deer and it keeps pluging along, got it online fro 100 bucks 5 years ago.

your neighbors give you those deer and bear???????????????????

[leechlake]

for those that are new Smurfy shot two bucks in November.  You may have to look back three or less threads to see how he happens to drop that fact in every now and again.  I saw it in the Home Improvement forum and in the Lake Minnetonka fishing forum for heaven's sake.  

"Speaking of shower head repair I shot two bucks this year including a ten pointer...."   It's amazing...

 

[smurfy]

ha...................liar liar pants is on fire! never been in the Minnetonka forum!!!!!!!!!!!

[leechlake]

smurf-  I'm just bitter I blew it on a buck that was coming out of a swamp.  Back in the day I would have killed him but I've been watching too many hunting shows and I waited for him to turn a bit.  That would have been the tags filler for us and I, the wily vet of the group blew it, would have been the first time we filled out.  I'm a loser.

[smurfy]

just think how much bigger he will be next year!!!!!!! NOW I gotta go post some dues!!!!!!!!!!!

[Boar]

stick to the topic athand.......

 

 

 

 

 

 

[leechlake]

Hey TurboForce,  

you should change your name to that.  Sounds pretty cool.  Probably a couple characters at that Andover Swinger's Club that use that name.

[RebelSS]

Turboforce and his swingin' sidekick, Wheezywind.  ( smurfy)   

Edited March 3, 2016 by RebelSS

[leechlake]

I still miss Turbo's  good morning photos from the bunk bed at Eelpout.