Someone mentioned in a previous post about keeping your meat cold, almost to the point of freezing if you are using the grinder to stuff. Good advice. Putting the grinder head in the freezer is a great idea too. I stated out using a Kitchen Aid mixer with the grinding attachment, and stuffing casings too. It never worked well, and the product…well it wasn’t very good. Too much friction/ heat. There are some really sharp people on here, and we can all learn from their advice. What started out as an “I’d like to try this” has turned into quite a little more than a hobby, with lots of toys. Of all the places I have purchased from in the past, Waltons is my “go to” now. I rarely buy anywhere else, with the exception of natural casings.

Jonathon if I had to buy only one stuffer, your 11 pounder would be the size I would get. For most, it would be all you would ever need. The smaller piston makes sense as well.

Using a longer length of kitchen twine, maybe 20-24 inches. Tie your knot so there’s a short end and a very long end. After tying your knot onto the casing, wrap the longer end around the casing towards the filled section, 2 or 3 wraps, then pull tight. Continue wrapping in this manner and pulling tight against the casing. Tie it off when you are finished wrapping to your desired tightness. Make sure you are NOT overlapping the twine while you are wrapping. Trim off after processing/smoking. I’ve been doing this for years, since I’m rarely stuffing casings with a helper.

I soak mine for 24+ hours before using, after being in the salt or brine. An old German butcher told me to add a teaspoon of baking soda too. Makes them a bit more pliable and less prone to blowout. That being said, they are not as sturdy as hog casings.

Wow. Not a drinker myself, but my neighbor likes vodka and has two lemon trees… I’m going to try this, and if he likes it, I’ll have some swapping ammunition!

Make sure your cheese is cold - in fact I partially freeze mine when I do that. Usually when I’m out of the hi-temp.

Dr_Pain Ditto my friend. Pork remove, Beef keep, especially if you’re doing Dino Bones or Bront Ribs. The long cook/smoke is use on beef back ribs tenders the membrane up, and it’s not objectionable.

I don’t use liquid smoke anymore. 2 teaspoons for 10 lbs seems kind of light. Currently using a heavy tablespoon of hickey smoke powder for 10lbs summer sausage. That seems to be the sweet spot for me without overpowering the taste. I don’t use Tender Quick either - too salty for my taste.

X2 on johnsbrewhouse. Canned pineapple works best.

Many places sell them, on line and in stores (Cabela’s, Sportsman’s Warehouse, etc.). Something to consider, is how much you make at one time? 5 lbs., 10 lbs., or more? I had a 5 lb. stuffer, but usually made 10-20 lbs. of product. It was a pain in the posterior to keep having to load the hopper. My 5 lb. stuffer never held 5 lbs either - more like barely 4. After 4 years, I finally gave in and bought an electric stuffer, a 20 pounder for LEM. They have occasional sales, and I got mine for a greatly reduced price on a 24 hr sale. They are pricey otherwise, but worth it if you are making large batches, especially by yourself. The manual/hand crank stuffers aren’t the easiest to use by yourself, but it can be done. I think a lot of use have done it and still do. But a helper is definitely nice!

The stuffer I started out with came with plastic stuffing tubes. If stainless steel tubes are an option, I’d get those instead, or buy the size you need as an accessory. The casings seem to work better on those than the plastic, in my opinion. Good luck, and I’m sure you’ll be happy with your stuffer! Makes a better product!

Welcome home Dr. Pain! Glad you’re back!

When I make sweet summer sausage (beef meat block) I use 1 lb dark brown sugar to 10 lbs meat.

I bought the LEM 20 lb electric stuffer right after Thanksgiving when they had a One day, 8 hour sale, 40%off. (sorry Walton’s, couldn’t pass up this price and I had free shipping on top of that) It came with a stuffing tube that will easily fit 19mm natural sheep casings. That said, dino21’s recommendation of soaking a day ahead of time with sheep casings makes a big difference. I found this out by mistake when I was still manual stuffing. An emergency came up, and I had to put everything away and respond. I returned 3 days later, and the breakfast links stuffed so much easier. I also use pre-tubed for convenience.

To help the meat get through those smaller tubes, I add just a little more ice water. It flows much better - also found that out during manual stuffing. Now that I have an electric stuffer, I am glad I made the purchase. Hint - start at the slowest speed until you get used to it. Only one blowout, and that was my fault. I usually make 20 lb batches, and it is nice not to have to stop to reload.

Try adding a little more water if you have difficulty stuffing - it has no effect on taste after cooking. Happy sausage making!

I have a #32. Can’t keep up with it, it is a beast. Mine is made by MEAT. They have a great sale going on now. They now make a #22 size. Probably all you’d need. If you want really fast, go with the #32.

I worked up to that 10% dark brown sugar for the sweet bologna. It gave the taste I remembered eating as a kid. I’m now making it using a different process using F-LC fermentation and dextrose, then 48-60 hours of continuous smoke at no more than 75 degrees. It also requires the use of an accurate pH meter to ensure the levels are safe. But that process is a lot more detailed and temperatures are more critical, not to mention the time it takes to make a batch. Making the summer sausage version with cure, sugar and ECA get close to the same flavor as the fermented version, but with a lot less involved in time and equipment. Leave the ECA out if you don’t want the tang, and only the sweetness.

I use 80/20 all the time for all beef summer sausage. Works fine.

I have a 10” and a 12” Hobart. The 12” slices so much better and has more depth adjustment if that matters to you. The downside is the physical size and weight. It won’t fit in your kitchen cabinets! You’ll need a place for it and a cover if it’s going to sit out. If you have a place and don’t mind it sitting out, the 12” is the better way to go.

DarrellT
I found that 10% by weight seemed to be best for my taste. I did make a batch with 20%, which was way to sweet for me, but the friend I made it for likes that percentage, and I’ve made it twice for them. The white sugar tends to have a sweeter taste, I use dark brown sugar, for what that’s worth. I may try Turbinado sugar - the larger granular type used on top of pastries to see what difference that makes. Part of the fun is experimenting with new things. Hope you find what makes your taste buds happy!

Dr_Pain
Yessir - exactly. If you don’t want to make the investment in hog rings and pliers this works very well, even better. (I have them and rarely use them, as the string makes a much tighter casing)

I have a 20lb mixer that attaches to my grinders. Purchased before I discovered Walton’s. It seems to max at slightly over 15 lbs to mix well, 20 lbs and it would be close to overflowing. Toying with the 50 lb tilt mixer for those larger batches so I don’t have to reload the 20 pounder again and again. As for the hand rank or mixing by hand…I’d never go back. Helps to make a better batch of sausage.