Very long and maybe more information than you may want to read. But, here are my thoughts. Others can agree/disagree.
Ok, this one is going on my todo list. Do you guys think a KitchAid thing like I link to below would work for stuffing these? I'd rather not buy a whole new monstrosity to store in my house like I seen in your pictures of this thread.
https://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-SSA-Sausage-Stuffer-Attachment/dp/B00004SGFQ
If you already have a KitchenAid mixer with the grinder attachment, the stuffing tube kit that you have noted here would probably be a worthwhile and recommended option to use for an initial batch of sticks. This would be a super cheap way of doing your first batch to see if it is something you might like to do more often or in larger batches.
That being said, I have watched many YouTube videos of people stuffing sticks, sausage, etc, with meat grinder stuffer attachments, and I gotta tell you it was pretty painful to watch. Stuffing through a grinder/mixer takes a looooooooooooooooooooong time because you have to run the pre-ground meat mixture through the grinder auger which sticks really bad because the meat is tacky and doesn't suck into the auger like whole meat chunks do. So, you constantly need to be using your grinder pusher tube to push the meat down into the auger. And if you want to use high temp cheese in your mix, even if you use the sausage stuffing plate, it will tend to grind up your cheese more than I like. We did this for one year I think before we gave up and got a stuffer.
I am not a snack sticks maker. Or a sausage expert. But if you have a KitchenAid and want to grind meat and stuff sausage with your KitchenAid on a small scale, this is probably the best quality attachment out there. All stainless steel. I have considered it just for making my own ground beef, on a small scale. That being said, if your goal is meat grinding and sausage making on a larger scale (more than a few pounds at a time), there are probably better options out there if you are willing to purchase dedicated appliances for the task, and have the space to store them.
http://smokehousechef.com/the-original-stainless-steel-meat-grinder-attachment-for-kitchenaid-mixer-plus-sausage-stuffing-kit/
This looks like really nice grinder attachment for the Kitchenaid and way better than the plastic Kitchen Aid version. But again, if you decide you like these sticks, I am guessing that you will eventually want to upgrade to a stand-alone stuffer at some point. I can stuff 28lbs of sticks in about 30 minutes with my 15lb stuffer, whereas I would guess it took us closer to 1.5-2.0 hours with the grinder.
If you don't already have a grinder, that would be the last thing I would buy, because you can easily buy preground hamburger and/or pork and not need a grinder. Grinding your own meat does save some money though especially if you like to include some pork in your sticks like I do. But, unless you are doing pretty large batches, there are a number of hand-grinders that can be had for a very reasonable price and work just fine for snack stick making. If you keep your eye open for sales, you can find some good deals on grinders. With a combination of a good sale price and a $20 off of $100 purchase, I bought this
Kitchener #12 grinder for under $70 last month. This is definitely not the quality of a LEM 'Big Bite' grinder (what I would want if money was not an option). But, it works very well for the 10-30lb batches that I do at home. When my family and I do our Snack-Stick-A-Paloozas we have a LEM #12 grinder that we use. But, we are grinding 300-400lbs of meat for those events.
A stuffer is more utilitarian as it can only be used for stuffing sausage and/or meat bags, but it is an astronomical improvement over using a grinder to stuff sausages with. A stuffer is going to make the biggest difference in your snack stick/sausage processing for the money.
Just an FYI, that the
Walton's Inc 2-Speed 11lb Stuffer is on sale right now for $179.99 and a
Walton's Inc 1-Speed 7lb Stuffer is on sale right now for $119.99. It looks like they just added a code for 15% off all seasonings with the purchase of a Walton's stuffer. I wish they would have had this deal back in November when I bought my stuffer and a bunch of seasonings.