Do you add the cure as a powder or mix it with some water? Adding it as a slurry will help distribution with the meat.

ppelaez A small amount of fat coming out is not all that uncommon. If you are using Walton’s casings they are pre-stuck, which means the have very small holes in them.

What you might be getting is meat fat that is being over ground or emulcified where the auger shaft meets the grinder plate. If you oil the plate and cutting knife when assembling this will happen, which is what you should do. From the picture I think that is what is happening. Doesn’t look like metal to me.

I have the Weston version of the same thing and use it to stuff the last of the snack stick meat or brat meat that doesn’t go through the stuffer. Works great for what I want it to do. Would not want to use it for a large batch. You would need “The Hulk” sized forearms to get the job done.

Ed Paone I use the lem 11lb. stuffer and make a lot of smack sticks with a 19mm stuffing tube and hope this will help.
1: Make sure the gasket in put on the right way.
2: How much water are you adding to your mix? I use 2 oz. per LB. of meat.
I have adapted the stuffing tubes that work an a Kitchenaid mixer and they work very well for both 19mm casings and 21 mm casings like for brats.

DJS303 I like it because when I finished them in the smoker they tended to come out a little drier than I like. When you bag them and sous vide it keeps the moisture in and you in my opinion get a better finished product.

Moose_MI After the sticks dry in the smoker for an hour or so I start adding smoke for about 3 to 4 hours untill they have a nice color. Then I vacuum seal them and place in my container and add preheated water around 160 degrees and set the sous vide at 152 degrees for 2 hours. Then soak and rinse with cold water for about 20 minutes. The take out of the bags and air dry with a small fan for about an hour to help dry and set the casings.

ciszzco I use natural sheep casings in the 19 to 21 mm. range. They are a little more tricky and time consuming to use but I like the finished product so much better it is worth the extra time.

Just did a 25 lb. batch of smack sticks with willie’s seasoning and came out great. Dried for 1 hour in the smoker then add smoke for 4 hours and finished sous vive at 152 for 2 hours . Came out great. And the meat that didn’t go through the stuffer I used the jerky cannon to make jerkAronni. and did it in dehydrator and also came out great.

Looks great. Almost the exact process I use except I also add a little fresh lemon zest on top of the spices then fresh dill.

If the bags have the rough finish on one side so they would considered chambered they might work. The next question how will the handle the heat? Only one way to find out give them a try.

Amount of water looks good. Maybe give them 1 1\2 to two hours at 150. That should aid in drying before higher temp. starts to cook and seal the outer part pf the meat. And I think the sponges might have counter productive. Added to much humidity.

You just summed it up in two words “mixing technique”.

The amount of cure is so small as compared to the rest of the spices it is almost impossible to get even distribution through out tour meat mix. That is where the water comes into play.

Might be worth a try, just saying.

Garry Tarpley Sounds like you let them soak for 2 beers.

Just as a side note. Do you mix all your spices and cure and water together to make a slurry. It really helps in getting a good mix.

Makes great breakfast sausage. I use the Holly seasoning and a little bit extra pepper flakes. maybe 2 Tbs. for a 20 lb. batch. Also makes great brats with pork fat.

Check out the stuffing tubes that are for a kitchenaid mixer grinder attachment. I adapted then for my stuffer.

I rinse then soak for one beer then rerinse and pat dry. Works for me.