A couple sausage making questions

[TXbowman]

For you guys who use a stuffer, does the hand crank work fine or are you using an electric one?
Do you use the stiffer for meat bags too or links only? I would think it wouldn't be too hard to fill a bag straight from a grinder.
Do most of you season meat mand mix before grinding? In the pictures of Cabelas meat mixer the meat is already ground.
Thanks for any help.

[kd350]

Hand crank... if we had a bigger one it would be nice to have electric

We don’t use meat bags. We vacuum seal our ground meat after we grind

We Have a mixer so we mix before. It will also mix when you grind

[ColinR]

I use a hand crank stuffer no problem. Way way better than stuffing with a grinder.

When I used the bags for ground..yes I used the stuffer not my grinder. Now I just vacuum seal.

I don’t have a mixer so yes I add my seasoning before I grind. I put the cut up meat in a cooler, add seasoning and mix by hand. Then grind.

[TXbowman]

Good info. Thanks guys

[Rick]

When I load meat bags w ground meat, I use a canning funnel. Slip it in the mouth of the bag and wrap hand around it to hold it on. use other hand to load meat. tap bag lightly on cabinet a couple times to pack it, twist and tape. It is the easiest way I have found to do it

[Electrican]

Hand crank stuffer for sausage links.

Use the grinder with 2” stuffing tube with bags for hamburger meat.

[WTucker]

I use my hand crank stuffer for sausage links and bags. I cube up all the meat and put it in a cooler and mix all the seasoning in before grinding.

[TXbowman]

Eventually I like to get a vacuum sealer. But until then what are the opinions on the best way to package sausage for the freezer? Butcher paper...ziploc bags?

[Smart]

I stuff off my 1HP Cabelas grinder with the extended plastic auger in the horn. That sucker will move some meat through casings.

[Pope&Young]

Electric stuffer for sausages. Just grinder for bags or “bricks” more on that below.

When making ground meat, I use a rectangular storage container to shape 1LB packages.

Meat goes directly into plastic container from grinder. After scale under container reads 1LB knock out meat “brick” out onto cookie sheet. After filling cookie sheet with meat bricks place sheet into freezer for an hour then pull out and vacuum seal “bricks.” You end up with a neatly shaped packages that store better and have that commercial look your non-hunter friends will appreciate if you gift them some.

Cubed meat is seasoned before grinding seems to work well for me.

[Grizz83]

I have a vac sealer and I don't even use it for ground burger or pan sausage. Both of those go into the cylindrical game bags.

Matter or fact, I don't use it much at all for big game processing. I usually leave backstraps and all the roasts whole. Those get wrapped in butcher paper. I have a standup freezer, and I like to stack everything. Anything that's vac sealed doesn't really stack well at all. And it seems that no matter what I do, I always have some vac sealed packages that lose their seal.

[panhandlehunter]

I use a hand crank for sausage and stuffing the bags. Works great. I also have a neck sealer for the bags that makes it easy to seal them up and cut the excess bag. To me it is much easier to use the stuffer for the bags. I have a mixer so I don’t have to hand mix anymore.

[Smart]

For you guys who use a stuffer, does the hand crank work fine or are you using an electric one?
Do you use the stiffer for meat bags too or links only? I would think it wouldn't be too hard to fill a bag straight from a grinder.
Do most of you season meat mand mix before grinding? In the pictures of Cabelas meat mixer the meat is already ground.
Thanks for any help.

I missed the rest of this.


Season when it is cubed and mixed with hands....then run through grinder to help mix even better.



If we have folks at the sausage making that want meat bags for their ground, we stuff off the same horn and extended auger with the 1HP Cabelas grinder or hand stuffer....moves it real good.


I personally like to place my gound in vacuum sealed bags in 1.5lb amount and then press them flat with my hands before we seal. Super easy to do, thaws quicker than a round chunk and makes for a great stack in the fridge. Besides space savings, sealing this way, makes it real easy if I want just burgers. Just cut off bag and make a t in the middle for 4 perfect square patties already pressed.


















Sausage mixings....pre grinding...

[Uncle Saggy]

I like the square burger idea


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[sendit]

For you guys who use a stuffer, does the hand crank work fine or are you using an electric one?
Do you use the stiffer for meat bags too or links only? I would think it wouldn't be too hard to fill a bag straight from a grinder.
Do most of you season meat mand mix before grinding? In the pictures of Cabelas meat mixer the meat is already ground.
Thanks for any help.

It just depends on the amounts you are doing and how much effort you want to put into it. Grew up hand cranking everything and now being much older and wiser I prefer doing things the easy way and having everything powered. Big grinder, electric and hydraulic stuffers and mixers.

Have added seasoneings before and after grinding but now grind all meat then add seasonings and mix in an electric mixer.

Try doing different things and you will find out what works best for you.