Author Topic: Small batch stuffer  (Read 2858 times)

polarlys

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 64
Small batch stuffer
« on: December 04, 2018, 03:17:36 PM »
I have a large hand crank Koch sausage stuffer.    I get together with friends and make large batches and my stuffer gets a workout.   We usually do around 200# or more.   For myself however I'm looking for something more practical for small batches, say under 20# for myself.   I seen some small stuffing horns in antique shops but they are old and well used and usually made from galvanized tin with a wooden pusher.   I'd like something a little more up to date for myself and at the same time being easy to clean and sanitize.  I have been reading about using one of the jerkey extruders for this.   I guess they come with, or you can get, a stuffing attachment for them.   I have a kitchen aid mixer with the grinder and stuffing attachment but I don't like it.    It's a decent small batch grinder but the stuffer,   eh,   not so much.   So, I 'm hoping to get some input here and some direction that might help me out.   

Thanks all.   Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all.   

Roger from NJ
Roger from NJ
Somerset, NJ
retired Police Officer
retired Air Nat'l. Guard
US Army '69-'72 (20th Engineers Vietnam)
SI-3d

old sarge

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4046
Re: Small batch stuffer
« Reply #1 on: December 04, 2018, 07:52:50 PM »
Roger - I don't make sausage (but I eat a lot of it).  Have you looked into LEM?  All sorts of processing equipment and accessories.
David from Arizona
US Army 70 - 95
SI 3D & Big Red Controller
CS 066
Lodge Sportsman Grill
Weber Kettle
Ducane Meridian 42 inch Grill
LEM MaxVac 1088A
LEM Big Bite #8 Grinder
Chef's Choice 665 and Rival Slicers
Old Hickory Knives
InstantPot Duo80 Plus

polarlys

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 64
Re: Small batch stuffer
« Reply #2 on: December 05, 2018, 07:31:50 AM »
I did take a quick look at LEM.   They have a small jerky extruder  that has a stuffing capability but I think it's plastic and not sure how it will hold up.  Just want to see what else is out there and working and  and how well they work.

ThanX ,

Roger from NJ
Roger from NJ
Somerset, NJ
retired Police Officer
retired Air Nat'l. Guard
US Army '69-'72 (20th Engineers Vietnam)
SI-3d

Grampy

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 648
Re: Small batch stuffer
« Reply #3 on: December 05, 2018, 09:42:55 AM »
Roger, I have not used any of their sausage stuffers but Waltons Inc has a variety of stuffers. I have used a lot of their jerky and snack stick seasonings and they are really good.
Jimmy from Arkadelphia, AR
Smokin-It #2
Woo Pig Sooie!

NDKoze

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3008
  • Gregg - Fargo, ND
Re: Small batch stuffer
« Reply #4 on: January 02, 2019, 12:22:28 PM »
Hi Roger,

I am sorry that I missed this and my response is late, but in case you are still looking and for the benefit of any other viewers, here are my 2 cents:

I have the following two sausage stuffers:

Guide Gear Stainless Steel 15-Lb. Capacity Sausage Stuffer
Walton's 2-Speed Gearbox 11 lb Sausage Stuffer

Huntrite Stainless Steel 5-Lb. Capacity Sausage Stuffer - I do not own this stuffer, but it is basically a 5lb version of the 15lb Northern Tool stuffer. They have put various names on these stuffers over the years, but they are all made by the same manufacturer from what I can tell and appear to be pretty much exactly the same as the LEM versions from what I can tell, except the 5lb Northern Tool stuffer has metal gears whereas the LEM stuffer has plastic gears.

I have pushed literally thousands of pounds of sausage through my 15lb Northern Tool Stuffer and it is still going strong. My family makes roughly 400lbs of sausage every year (split between 4 families). That being said, I purchased my 11lb 2-speed stuffer in 11/2016, and in my opinion, this style with the dual speed gearbox is far superior to the traditional single gearbox especially if you plan to stuff snack sticks. Walton's does make a 7lb version, but it is only $10 cheaper than the 11lb, so why bother?

The Northern Tool style stuffers work AWESOME for Fry Sausage AKA Country Style, Summer Sausage, or anything larger than 30MM. But, if you want to make breakfast links, snack sticks, hot dogs, etc that are in the 16MM-22MM size range, pushing the meat through these small tubes in the 1-speed gearbox is pretty stressful on the gears.

Walton's runs some pretty good sales in the Fall around Deer Hunting season and also off and on during the year, but right now they do not appear to have any sales on stuffers other than giving 15% off on any seasonings.

There are knock-off models on Amazon that you can buy, but if you dig into the specs I have found that they normally skimp on the gearbox and material quality, so I opted for the Walton's version.

I posted the following review of some of my sausage making equipment that may help as well:
Kitchener 4.2-Gallon Meat Mixer and Walton's 2-Speed 11lb Sausage Stuffer

Hopefully, this helps. Let me know if you have any questions.

Gregg
Gregg - Fargo, ND
Smokin-It #3 (purchased in 2014) that replaced a Masterbuilt XL (ugh) and a 10+ Year-Old Big Chief (still used for fish), and few others over the years, along with variety of Weber Gas/Charcoal Grills, Anova Sous Vide, etc. devices.

PhilH

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 134
Re: Small batch stuffer
« Reply #5 on: January 27, 2020, 03:01:06 PM »
I do not own this stuffer, yet, but this is in the size range I am considering.  Looks to be of decent quality, found on amazon.
Phillip   Ramsey MN

NDKoze

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3008
  • Gregg - Fargo, ND
Re: Small batch stuffer
« Reply #6 on: January 27, 2020, 05:23:55 PM »
Wow, that is a small one. Personally, I don't think I would ever bother mixing and stuffing a batch of sausage small enough for that size of a stuffer.

For smaller batches, I think I would just use my meat mixer stuffing horns which would already be dirty from the grinding. If you are hand-grinding, many hand-grinders can be used with a stuffing horn which could be used as well.

A couple of things that would concern me would be the reliability of the silicone piston, and the handle crank direction. First, it is pretty hard to crank and guide the sausage into the casings with one person, so I am assuming you will have a helper? If so, the handle will be cranking right in front of my face while I am trying to guide the sausage through the horn into the casings. Of these models, I think I like the horizontal version better because of the direction of the crank handle, plus there is a 5lb version for less money.

But, that is just for me and the kind of stuff that I make and how I do things.

The most important questions are what are you planning on stuffing? And how big of batches do you plan to make? Are you going to have a helper?
Gregg - Fargo, ND
Smokin-It #3 (purchased in 2014) that replaced a Masterbuilt XL (ugh) and a 10+ Year-Old Big Chief (still used for fish), and few others over the years, along with variety of Weber Gas/Charcoal Grills, Anova Sous Vide, etc. devices.

PhilH

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 134
Re: Small batch stuffer
« Reply #7 on: February 13, 2020, 10:33:07 PM »
I am putting the Walton’s 11lb stuffer in the cart 🛒 right now.  Will purchase tomorrow. 

I’m pretty sure I found the company that makes the Walton’s stuffer.  (Hakka Beothers). And the Walton’s is just the Hakka stuffer, with their name on it, but I will throughly research it first.  If anything breaks, I know that it will be easier to get replacement parts from Walton’s, than Hakka.
Phillip   Ramsey MN

NDKoze

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3008
  • Gregg - Fargo, ND
Re: Small batch stuffer
« Reply #8 on: February 14, 2020, 01:48:05 AM »
I asked similar questions in a very helpful back and forth email with Jonathan from Waltons (who was VERY helpful) and this was his response:

Quote
You are dead on with the stuffers all looking alike, they are pretty much all made by the same manufacturer to different specifications.  You can see the similarities when you look at the Cabellas, Westons and ours.  There are some that are manufactured to a far higher standard and are designed for heavy-duty use such as the F. Dick (made in Germany) but most of them are similar and for home use.

We think the gears on ours are a more efficient design and the support are a little heavier duty than our competitors in the same price range.  We sell a lot of these stuffers and we have issues with very few of them.  The one thing I would say is no matter who you go with, make sure you order a few extra gaskets for the piston as this is a wear part and if it breaks on you then you are down until you can get a replacement and to order some white oil for lubrication.  White oil is a highly refined packers tech oil and is 100% food safe and will not gum up, it can be used to lubricate the gears and the canister/piston.

That being said, from what I have seen the Hakka stuffers appear to have really good reviews versus some of the obvious copycat stuffers out there. So I would have no problem giving one of them a shot.

If you have any questions about the Walton's stuffers Austin and Jonathan over at Waltons are super resources and have provided me with some really great customer service over the years.
Gregg - Fargo, ND
Smokin-It #3 (purchased in 2014) that replaced a Masterbuilt XL (ugh) and a 10+ Year-Old Big Chief (still used for fish), and few others over the years, along with variety of Weber Gas/Charcoal Grills, Anova Sous Vide, etc. devices.