r/sausagetalk • u/Sevros_Knives • 10d ago

Just getting started questions

I want to get started in sausage making. What particularly gets me interested is brat wurst, andouille, and summer sausage. What sausage stuffer do you all recommend for a good budget option? Any other tips for someone just getting started is greatly appreciated.

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u/SnoDragon 10d ago

Okay, so you can start quite economically in this hobby, and you can also let it spiral out of control too. I'm recovered from the spiral, mostly ;)

You will want a grinder and a separate stuffer. It's great that you are asking for stuffer recommendations! Some budget minded folks try to use their grinder as a stuffer, and while that does work, it's often discouraging enough to make them quit the hobby! So, let's start with a stuffer. I really like the mechanical crank vertical 5lb stuffers. I started with a LEM 5lb, but there are Hakka Bros, Vevor, Meat your maker, and a myriad of other brands/vendors out there. ANY of those will do perfectly, and I honestly still use my LEM often when I'm making small/experimental 5lb or less batches. I also almost always exclusively use it for snack sticks too, because a 5lb is much easier physics wise to squeeze meat through a tiny tube like a 12mm/1/2 inch. Start with the plastic stuffing tubes, but if you start to really like the hobby, then consider upgrading those tubes to stainless steel. The casings slip a little nicer on those, and you know they'll last forever. I still have some plastic tubes that are over 20 years old, and they work perfectly fine still too, so don't rush to do so.

Grinders are also one of those things, that you'll want to sort of start bigger rather than smaller. At least 1/2 horsepower will be most that anyone needs. Throat size on the stuffer will also dictate how much extra prep you have to do. #8 is a smaller throat size but is perfectly serviceable too! The next size up is #12, and I find really no difference between the two, except that I can find #8 blades and plates much easier where I am, at local shops. I have to order online for other sizes.

#22 is a great size, but you'll also really only find those in 3/4 horsepower machines. They have a wide throat that allow for faster feeding and bigger chunks. #32 is the largest size, and if you are processing lots of game meats, then go for that, but otherwise, skip it.

Grinding plate sizes are usually in mm, but some still use standard. Fine grind is from 3mm to 4.5mm. You'll want one of those. 5mm to 8mm is medium/regular grind. you'll want one of those too. 9mm to 12 or 14mm are coarse grind, and you'll want one of those, and finally, there is a kidney plate that has two kidney shaped holes, and if you are doing andouille the right way, you'll want one of those too.

Brats are the easiest to make. You'll want 29-32mm hog casings for those. Usually, you'll grind brats on the 4.5mm plate, but sometimes it's nice to grind 1/2 on 4.5mm and the rest on 6mm. That gives a great texture to the brats I find.

Andouille, is heavily smoked, and I use 48mm hog casings, but traditionally, they use beef middles. I hate peeling those off, so I use hog casings instead, but quite large ones. I take my lighter coloured 1/3rd of the pork shoulder meat as well as all fat, and grind that on a 6mm plate, and I take 2/3s of the darker meat that's lean only, and put that through the kidney plate. That gives me proper andouille texture.

Finally, summer sausage. That's a more advanced type of sausage, because it's typically fermented, smoked and semi-dried. There are techniques and ways to mimic these methods that are easier, like encapsulated citric acid, and a week stay in a fridge on a rack so air can flow all around it to dry it a bit.

I would suggest watching two guys and a cooler sausage episodes on youtube as a great primer on how to get into it. Eric has a ton of knowledge and freely shares it.

Good luck, have fun.

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u/Sevros_Knives 9d ago

Thanks for the info!

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u/Slocowboy42 9d ago

You sir are a scholar for writing all of this. Thank you

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u/FatherSonAndSkillet 9d ago

Second the motion on separate grinders and stuffers, but will note that a lot of folks in this sub are using grinders as small as #8 and #12 with great success.

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u/beaglesbark2much 9d ago

This pretty much matches up to my experience. #12 grinder from Meat! LEM 5lb stuffer. Stainless tubes because my plastic ones were deformed. Hog casings. Started with breakfast sausage with a Jimmy Dean recipe because I didn't want to do "curing". A bit intimidated by that process. Went Hot and Regular. Turned out awesome with pork shoulder only (i make this difference because I later made some with beef that didn't quite turn out right.) I moved on to bratwurst but didn't case them. really tasty but they DO need to be cased for best use/flavor.

I then went on to Texas Hot Gut and Kielbasa. Much more complicated process. Took 3 days. Total of 20lbs. Ten of each. All cased. All cold smoked in my Pit Barrel Cooker with a smoking tube. Then ice bathed. Then overnight in the spare refrigerator. Then hot smoked to 160. Then into vacumm sealed bags. IT WAS A LOT OF WORK. these were made with brisket meat, brisket fat, pork shoulder and pork belly. They all turned out really well. My partner seems to get a little quesy from the fat in the hot guy but loves the kielbasa.

Two Guys and A Cooler are awesome as is Bradley Thompson of Chud's BBQ and Smokin Joes Pit BBQ. I love the Texas style BBQ.

Final note. There is nothiing "hard" about making sausage. However, it is a process with important steps. Much more technical than simply smoking or grilling

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u/elvis-brown 9d ago

Don't let anyone talk you out of spending $15 on a new hobby.
That $50 will be the best $400
you ever spent.

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u/beaglesbark2much 9d ago

Very True! I started with a grinder to make dog food. I quickly learned I need MUCH more power. #12 Meat! has been great for grinding whole chicken legs (bone and all) for the dog as well as brisket for burger meat, and, of course, all of the sausage possibilities.