Do I need a Sausage Stuffer?

C

Camelfarm

Well-Known Member
I am the lucky owner of a Trespade mincer and its great - powers through a roe in no time. However when I make sausages the filling comes out very fine and makes the consistency more like frankfurters than sausages.

My method is mince the meat and a bit of pork fat first on the coarse plate, season, hand mix and knead and then let it stand for a bit in the fridge to firm back up and then take the blade out of the mincer, leave the coarse plate in and put the mix back through with a sausage nozzle on the end.

I wonder if going through the machine twice is over mincing the mixture - do I need to get a sausage stuffer or is there a different way of using the mincer to stuff?

If I do need a stuffer has anyone got a recommendation - not looking to spend too much but wary of the £40-£50 models that look a bit weedy.

Thanks everyone.

(edited for sausage fingers - SWIDT?)
 
Sounds like you're doing it OK, but I don't think you should be taking the blade out. Forcing the meat through the plate without the blade will a) turn it into paste and b) eventually knacker the motor on your machine.
Putting it through the mincer twice is the correct way to do it, second time with sausage nozzle.
 
I used to do it with two passes through the mincer. But found it took far too long to do and the results were not as good as they could be.
Bought an upright sausage stuffer from Bushware. Altogether different, the same amount of meat in minutes and far better texture too. Well worth the money.
 
VSS said:
Sounds like you're doing it OK, but I don't think you should be taking the blade out. Forcing the meat through the plate without the blade will a) turn it into paste and b) eventually knacker the motor on your machine.
Putting it through the mincer twice is the correct way to do it, second time with sausage nozzle.
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Interesting - the instruction booklet (looks like it was translated from Italian using google translate) says to take the blade out but your reply does seem more logical - thanks very much

One more try but with a blade this time and then will invest in a stuffer if the result is still too fine.
 
Camelfarm said:
Interesting - the instruction booklet (looks like it was translated from Italian using google translate) says to take the blade out but your reply does seem more logical - thanks very much

One more try but with a blade this time and then will invest in a stuffer if the result is still too fine.
Click to expand...
Well I might be wrong of course! I also have a trespade mincer, but bought it secondhand so never read the instructions that came with it! However, I have been successfully making my own sausages for about 30 years and what I do seems to work OK.

(edit: I do seem to recall that the first cheap mincer I bought had a sort of bullet shaped piece that you put in instead of the blade when stuffing. Didn't last long though - motor burnt out!)
 
Another thing: How big are the holes in your coarsest plate? Just had a look at mine, and they're 10mm diameter. That's the one for stuffing sausages if you want a bit of texture. I have 4 or 5 different plates, and that's the coarsest of them.
 
VSS said:
Another thing: How big are the holes in your coarsest plate? Just had a look at mine, and they're 10mm diameter. That's the one for stuffing sausages if you want a bit of texture. I have 4 or 5 different plates, and that's the coarsest of them.
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Mine is a 10mm plate as well - I figure it must be pushing it back through the plate without a plate that's turning it into pate. Due to mince and stuff (oooer) next week some time so will let you know
 
Don't pass it through the grinder twice. Grind both meats through the coarse disc first, then add your seasoning and half a glass of ice-cold water, and a quarter-cup of skimmed milk powder per kilo of meat (seriously, trust me on this!?). Mix by hand, THEN leave overnight (or at least for an hour or two) before stuffing. And yes, you NEED a stuffer. Well, let me qualify that by saying you CAN do without, but as the words 'want' and 'need' are synonymous it's pretty much a moot point :lol: Kidding aside though, a stuffer will make your life SO much easier!!!
 
Your doing it right, but don’t take the blade out, even with my stuffer (trespade) I still mince it twice and it’s not like a paste for me.
 
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It could be a paste due to blunt blades, or sinew around the blade ?
I would not leave in a fridge over night, it will stiffen and make it more difficult to push through a stuffer. Buy a stuffer for around £150, bare in mind the upright stuffer will save space but it is awkward at times as it has a tendency to tilt while turning the handle, and look for metal gears, a fast return is handy too(2nd gear)
Another tip is to replace the water with red wine, gives it a richer taste, also try some dried cranberry's in the mix, 500 gram to 5 kilo is a good percentage, if your a novice use hog casings, its easier to stuff, and use more liquid than the mix says not by too much just 1/2 cup to 5 kilo more. A wet mix will be have less split cases.

this looks OK similar to one i use
 
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On my mincer when making sausage we mince through the course plate mix in the minced back fat and spices re mince back through course plate , then remove course plate and blade and use the sausage plate with three holes in and sausage nozzle , my mincer is a Luvele Ultimate Electric Meat Grinder Sausage Maker 1800w Meat Mincer Kibbe got it off Ebay good bit of kit .
 
Like others have said use course mince plate for 1st mince and leave blade in for filling skins. I have found when you do the 1st mince on roe or red put in the freezer for a short while just until it starts to freeze but not frozen then mince, it come out much more course and as deer meat is so tender it can tend to go to a paste. Then 2nd pass through for sausage it is much more course and more meaty sausage. I also add my black pudding chopped up at this stage. I feel i need some sausage now ;)
 
Where are you all getting your casings (sausage skins) from ?

What are you paying for pork fat, is local butcher or online cheaper ?
 
Thanks for the advice - Did the first pass on the coarse plate, seasoned and mixed, left to stand for a bit in the fridge and then back through with the blade still in for the sausaging phase - results have been much better. Chilling the trim before mincing seemed to help a lot.

In answer to other questions I get all my skins and sundries from Weschenfelder - very efficient and seem like good products but I am relatively new to this so what the hell do I know.

Local butcher in Wincanton does me the pork fat and it seems fine - although I have reduced the amount slightly as the earlier batches came out a little greasy for the family's taste.
 
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