INPUT PLEASE...

[teesquare]

I want to buy a meat grinder and a stuffer to do some sausages .  Can I get some reccommendations please? Name brand and model suggestions. I do not think that I will do a lot of this - but...who knows?

SO - is a "caulk gun" type worth buying? Or the vertical or horizontal stuffers? Pros and cons? What are the features to look for?

What about the electric grinders? How do I pick one that is a good value. ( quality for the dollars spent) What features and accessories are important?

Thanks -

T

[lumpy]

Let me see if I can answer some of your questions.

Caulk gun.........used mainly for jerky (ground) I do not use it personally as I like the "rip" from muscle jerky
Stuffer.....depends on your budget and how much sausage you are planning to stuff. I have a custom "Kirby Canon" which I like but if I were to do it again, I would spend the bucks and get a 15# motorized vertical stuffer. LEM or Cabela's.
Grinder.....I have a 1.5 HP Cabela's grinder which I hardly use. It cost me a little more to have my butcher grind for me but I think it is worth it.

Hope that helps.

Lumpy

[TwoPockets]

Tee, the LEM line of meat processing equipment is a high end, high quality line of equipment. It is a little more pricey than some of the others  but on the grinders it is all metal, no plastic gears. I have a nice grinder my wife bought me several years ago, can't remember the name brand but it does a good job. It comes with a stuffing attachment. I have one of the caulk type guns that is mainly used to make flat strips of meat from ground meat to make jerky but it also has round nozzles you could use to stuff sausages. I have never used it.

Here is a link to the line of LEM equipment Academny Sports sells. Costs a good bit less there than from BassPro, not sure about Cabelas.

https://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/TopNavCatalogSearch?Ntt=lem+&Ntk=All&langId=-1&storeId=10151&catalogId=10051&N=0&krypto=iCh8P1m15tXJnSJzzSyPFw%3D%3D.



How far are you from Hickory, NC? Academy will be opening a store there in mid 2012.

[teesquare]

Thanks Ken!

I am about 1-1/2 hr. from Hickory - so well worth the drive. There is an Academy Sports in Greenville SC...I will ck them next trip that way. Thanks for the link too - looks like Academy stocks a lot of the supplies that I would need!

T

[TwoPockets]

Thanks Ken!

I am about 1-1/2 hr. from Hickory - so well worth the drive. There is an Academy Sports in Greenville SC...I will ck them next trip that way. Thanks for the link too - looks like Academy stocks a lot of the supplies that I would need!

T

They are openng one in Rock Hill SC not long before they open the one in Hckory.

[teesquare]

Ken- Rock Hill is a SC bedromm community of Charlotte NC, about 2-1/2 from me here in the mtns.

Jack: Did they originate in the Houston area? Surplus huh....Interesting - wonder if they have any outlet stores...?

[deestafford]

T,  Excepting CB products, if Academy ain't got it....you don't need it.   Dee

[teesquare]

Sure looks that way Dee...Wonder how many pints of blood I can sell in a week...?

[squirtthecat]

Here is a budget entry level stuffer.   I think it is the Grizzly brand, they make them for a number of different companies.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200449319_200449319?cm_sp=Upsells-_-Top%20Sellers-_-Product%20Page

I have a similar one.   (haven't had the guts to try it yet - it's on loan to a coworker, along with my Gander Mountain grinder  )

[teesquare]

Looks well made...Are the gears metal or plastic?

[squirtthecat]

Plastic.

I think the LEM is the only one with metal gears,  but the 5 lb LEMs can be hard to find..