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[NorCal Smoker]

Big Dave mentioned that it is better to have a dedicated stuffer and not use the grinder for that process. My questions are this:

1) if you use the grinder, can one person do it?
2) if you use a hand crank stuffer, can 1 person do it?
3) where do you but natural casings?

Thanks for any help.

[Bentley]

1. You can, I did it it that way for a few years.  It is much easier if the piping tube in at counter level, you can kind of wet the counter top and the casing should slide along, leaving one had to keep casing on tube and other to crank.  With the KitchenAid, it is up about 10 inches and that was tough.  Also, if the grinder has a large feeding space to put the ground meat in (or you can season, grind and pipe in one step) it will make it easier to do with one person.

2. Yes, how stabile it is makes a big difference and the above rules apply.

3.  Some supermarkets, a lot of Hispanic grocery stores, Amazon, and many times any deli that MAKES its own sausage!

1) if you use the grinder, can one person do it?
2) if you use a hand crank stuffer, can 1 person do it?
3) where do you but natural casings?

[BigDave83]

1)  Yes you can do it by yourself with a grinder, I would make sure I have 2 things in order to do it easier. first would be a foot pedal, they are cheap now, and hey I won't tell if you steal the one from the wife's sewing machine. Just clean it up well before putting it back. Also a kidney or stuffing plate, a lot of grinders will come with a thin metal 3 spoke piece of metal. They have worked for me if my sausage was finer ground and on the wetter side, a kidney or stuffing plate will be the same as your other plates and be stouter. As mentioned keeping the table wet will help you control it as it is coming off the horn.

2) I have used some of the old hand crank stuffers, like the enterprise ones, still have one or two here some place, those were mounted to a table via bolts usually or to something like a 2x8 about 4-6 foot long, then clamped to a bench or a set of saw horses, and depending on your work area I have seen people have someone sit on the ends of the board.  I have an old cabales (Weston) 11 pound I believe, it has a gear reduction and it is fairly stable on a table, I also have a motor for on it along with a foot pedal making it nice because again you have both hands free to work. I have never used one of the horn type stuffers, the ones you put the meat in the back of it and it has a handle to push it through.

3) Depending on where you live grocery stores will sell casings and even some seasoning mixes, hunting is still big around me and a lot of hunters will process their own deer. If you have a butcher shop or meat market you could probably get them from them, also some areas have butcher supply stores, they have every thing from seasonings to the equipment, you only need to supply the meat. Also online, The Sausage Maker, Allied Kenco, LEM, and Amazon just a few places to look.

[NorCal Smoker]

Thanks for the helpful responses.

[Quadman750]

I have the LEM 30 pound motorized stuffer with the foot pedal, and I absolutely love it

[NorCal Smoker]

Thanks for responding. I look forward to Bently's review of the LEM sausage stuffer. A 10lb LEM sausage stuffer may be in my future.

[Bentley]

I am really looking forward to using the one that was sent to me.  Finding time to get to it is the issue right now!  I at least have the pork ground!

I have the LEM 30 pound motorized stuffer with the foot pedal, and I absolutely love it