Meat Grinder w/ Saugage Tubes, Help!

[PensacolaJim]

I just bought a grinder w/ sausage attachment. My question is the instructions say to leave the cutting blade in, not the grinder plate when attaching the tubes. It seams that the cutter blade would push out into the tube and damage it. Any help would be appreciated, thank you.
Jim
???

[Smokin Soon]

Jim, Lots of yak on that subject here, but to save you the time, it just does not work very well. If you would like to get serious with sausage, get yourself a stainless  5 lb stuffer available from many sources and get the job done right, without the frustration of trying to do it with your grinder. Prices range from $80 to $150. It really is fun with the proper equipment, frustrating without it.

[PensacolaJim]

Thanks for the reply,
I just wanted to try my hand on sausage first before I spent a lot on good equipment. I won't be out much if it fails. I'll get a good stuffer if I like the way it comes out.

[Stargazer]

Much agreed with Smoking Soon about the stuffer vs grinder with stuffing attachments.

However, if your planning to start small to give it a try, leave the knife out.

You will want a spacer plate for your grinder which goes in place of your grind plates.

This is for a #10-#12 head grinder.

http://www.sausagemaker.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=703

They also make them for #22 and #32

This way you don't "double grind" your meat so your sausage keeps its full body. Otherwise using a knife and/or a grinding plate will sacrifice your spiced meat into mush instead of a nice full body that is one of the pride and joys of making your own sausages. Also to note, use a big orifice plate for your grind. Most meat sections in the grocery use the smallest they can to help hide the fat, but makes the meat way to mushy. Use a 1/4 or 3/8 for your grind if you have it. Spiced meat for sausage is only half of the magic. A nice grind is another part along with a good stuffing into your casings.

The spacer plate also keeps your worm gear in place during use and no need for a knife either.

However, this is still a very painfully slow process. Use your meat stomper wisely and keep it oiled with food grade oil and press on the side of your hopper with it to try and fight air pockets and meat from sticking to your stomper. Youll find air pockets majorly slow you down. Youll keep stomping and stomping and stomping only to find you been fighting an air pocket the whole time.

While I still agree getting a separate stuffer, if you wish to try at least once with your grinder converted to stuffer I suggest try with a small load just so you get the feel for it. This way while new at it and fighting with it, your not leaving a large load to start drying out on you, plus not much work to start getting familiar with this. Maybe 10-12lbs or even less, like even 5lbs. Because it's gonna be a chore to do with a grinder.

Also, like with your grind, stuffing you want to toss in some slightly stale bread crumbs "large chunks" at the very end. This way you can push the last remaining meat out of your auger and horn when stuffing. Might not be alot of meat, but you want to utilize every last bit of meat thats your creation. Just stop the process, grinding or stuffing as soon as you see the bread starting to come out thats pushed the last of the meat out.

Good luck and welcome to the forum :D

Added: The description for that spacer plate says only to use with bell stuffing horns. However, I have stuffed alot of sausages and bratwursts with my grinder "way to much work" and used the standard stuffing horns that came with my grinder and didn't have any problem with the non bell style horns; other then the typical stuffing with a grinder problems in general.