Snack Stick Stuffing Problems

joespiek · December 19, 2011, 01:17:52 PM

I tried making about 40 pounds of snack sticks this weekend and had a heck of a time getting them stuffed.
I've got a Cabelas 20lb vertical stuffer with the motor and was using 21mm collegen casings.
The first batch fed through the stuffer nicely and didn't have many issues.
But all the other batches I couldn't get into the casings. More meat would blow by the O-ring on the stuffer plate then actuall went into the casing.
I started with the stuffer recommended 1/4 cup of water per lb of meat. I tried adding more water to the meat but that didn't help very much. I thought about adding more water but didn't want to make meat paste since I was already almost double the amount of water the snack kit directions said to use.
It was getting late and I was tired so I gave up on the sticks and went to plan B.

I ended up putting about 10 lbs of the meat into some larger summer sausaage casings I had left over. And about another 5 pounds into bags to use as seasoned burger. and threw a few lbs away before i realized I could use it for burger.

I remember it being a little difficult last year when I made sticks but this was too aggravating to continue.
Any tips to get the meat into the small casings, or any improvements to the O-ring/push plate to help it seal better?
How much water is too much to add to the mix to thin it out.
Would it work better to only put 5-7 lbs in the stuffer at a time and reload more often?

CoreyMac · December 19, 2011, 03:18:03 PM

Odd, what size horn were you using? I would assume a 5/8"or maybe a 3/4". Did you try pushing some meat out without casing on the horn? I usually get a little going by the o-ring but no more than a tsp. I don't prefer to underload a stuffer because you get a slug of compressed air above the meat and when it decides to exit stage right, it usually ends in a colossal blow out. I've put less in but you have to go real easy.

This is a strange one, I have a little 5lb stuffer, and I did some sticks this weekend virtually the same kind you did, 22mm collagen, used a 5/8 horn. It was all I could do to keep the meat from coming out and its just a hand crank machine. Plus I feel I put too little water in and it still went fine.

I will wait to hear from the experts on this one, sounds like you did everything properly ???

joespiek · December 20, 2011, 05:52:20 AM

I'm not sure on the size of the horn and don't have it in front of me at the time. But it's the smallest horn that came with the stuffer.
If anyone has the cabellas stuffer it is the smallest one that is half plastic and necks down to a long metal tube.
The horn has a sticker that says add at least 1/4 cup of water per lb of meat and I was almost at a 1/2 cup of water per lb before giving up.

When the meat wouldn't go into the casing I tried to just push it through the horn onto the table and still couldn't get it to stop blowing past the O-ring.

Another weird things is that for the last batch a bunch of meat blew by the O-ring, then everything started to flow nice and smooth for a about 15-20 feet of stick, then the O-ring started leaking again and hardly any would go through the horn. That is when i got upset and gave up on small sticks and made the great big 3 inch Mega size sticks in the summer sausage casings. I was using a pepporni flavored mix so I figured I'd just make regular size pepperoni instead.

The o-ring holds the meat below the plate with any of the other horns but there must be too much pressure when using the small horn for sticks.

pensrock · December 20, 2011, 06:12:55 AM

Did you try stuffing right away, after mixing in the spices and cure? Or did you mix and stuff the next day?
The reason I'm asking is, the cure will firm up the meat quite a bit and IMHO make stuffing more difficult. When I do sticks I mix and stuff right away. Then I can wait till the next day to smoke if I'm short on time.

CoreyMac · December 20, 2011, 07:24:02 AM

This is a long shot but what size grinder plate did you use to grind the meat? Is the meat maybe too coarse? Again this is a long shot becasue unless the chunks a huge they should pass through the horn.

Still thinking ???

mikeradio · December 20, 2011, 08:23:59 AM

I have the same stuffer and the same problem with the o ring when stuffing smaller diameter casings. I agree the presure is
too high and the o ring can not hold it. Also it really bugs me that there is so much meat left in the bottom of the canister, like 3/4 of a pound.
I have purchased a Kirby Canon (which I have not had time to use yet :() to slove the problem.

pensrock · December 20, 2011, 09:10:15 AM

I use a cheapo 5# hand crank stuffer with the plastic gears. Only time I had a problem stuffing sticks was when I let the cure sit in the meat overnight then tried to stuff the next day. I thought I was going to break the plastic gears but made it through. There is very little left in the stuffer when done. Maybe enough for a small pattie.

joespiek · December 20, 2011, 09:24:13 AM

Didn't wait very long to stuff after mixing. No more than a couple hours from the time I started stuffing until I quit. I had the same problem with the meat that came right from the mixer and into the stuffer.
I ground it through the smallest plate I had. Not sure of the size but smaller holes than a pencil, it was a fine grind so I'm sure that wasn't the issue.

I think the stuffer is just a pile a junk and wouldn't reccommend it to anyone that wants to make sticks. For larger diameter sausage it works fine but it does leave a couple pounds at the bottom of the can when it bottoms out which is annoying. I've read that these stuffers also have problems with the gears on the stuffing ram breaking off.
If I could I'd return the stuffer and motor but have had it for too many years now. Didnt' get into making sticks until last year so it wasn't a problem before. Now I like to eat the sticks more than the "fry sausage" I usually make

I was hoping some one may have figured out how to upgrade to O-ring to something that creates a better seal. Still not sure why the stuffer would include the small horn if it can't push the meat through it.

Do the people with the smaller 5-10 pound stuffers have issues like this making sticks? Maybe I can buy a small stuffer for sticks and use the Cabelas for the days we make a couple hundred pounds of larger sausages.

joespiek · December 20, 2011, 09:31:13 AM

I'd like to use one of the kirby cannon stuffers but make the sausage in my garage which doesn't have running water.
Do you think I could convince my wife that I have to remodel the garage, plumb for water, insulate and heat it full time just so I can make snack sticks?

The only shot I have is if she learns to like my sausage alot more than she does now. (pun intended) ;D

CoreyMac · December 20, 2011, 09:35:55 AM

Couple of pounds??? of meat on the bottom! Wow, I would be upset as well. Just get yourself a smaller unit for doing the smaller jobs (snack sticks) and be done. The little 5lb units leave a perfect amount on the bottom, just enough to fry up and sample but by no means a waste of meat. You will not regret ever getting a small one, they are cheap to buy and work very well, I make my big 5lb 3 1/2" sandwich meat sausages right down to 19mm snack sticks with mine.

Corey

Thomas DeWitt · December 20, 2011, 11:49:40 AM

Quote from: joespiek on December 20, 2011, 09:31:13 AM
I'd like to use one of the kirby cannon stuffers but make the sausage in my garage which doesn't have running water.
Do you think I could convince my wife that I have to remodel the garage, plumb for water, insulate and heat it full time just so I can make snack sticks?

The only shot I have is if she learns to like my sausage alot more than she does now. (pun intended) ;D

I use the Kirby Cannon in my garage with the garden hose. The problem works great. Slight modification to attach a discharge hose to feed water outside. You can actually use the fitting Kirby supplies for the cleaner if you don't want to buy another one. Super easy.

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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=33.079800,-117.278138

joespiek · December 20, 2011, 12:02:50 PM

Quote from: Thomas DeWitt on December 20, 2011, 11:49:40 AM

I use the Kirby Cannon in my garage with the garden hose. The problem works great. Slight modification to attach a discharge hose to feed water outside. You can actually use the fitting Kirby supplies for the cleaner if you don't want to buy another one. Super easy.

That might work in CA but in ND it would only work about half the year. This time of the year if I tried to run water through a garden hose and stopped the flow to stuff sausage I'd have a green ice sausage in a matter of minutes.

Thomas DeWitt · December 20, 2011, 12:10:15 PM

Ha funny forgot about that. It is about 70 outside right now and very sunny. My back yard

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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=33.079736,-117.277939

pikeman_95 · December 20, 2011, 12:26:35 PM

I just have to jump in here.
You can use the cannon in the kitchen with out incident you just have to think before you act. I do it all the time. The reason I do it outside with my friends is, they are the worst meat flicking bunch you ever saw. My wife is picking it off the walls, the floor and in one case the ceiling. A couple guys think the way to get the meat off that is stuck to their hands is to flick there hands. I do the water stuffing with out incident. It is the other mess that gets me into trouble.
Kirby

pensrock · December 20, 2011, 01:12:55 PM

I have a large 15# cast iron stuffer for large loads of sausage and bought the 5# one for mainly sticks. I have not used the cast iron one in a couple years. Even if I'm doing 10-15# batch the smaller one is easier to clean. A water stuffer would be great but I'm not sure I make enough anymore to pay for one. We used to make 100# plus each year but now its just me so a small batch here and there is plenty. Still it would be cool to use the water stuffer.