Homemade Sausage Tips

 

BigWader said:

@MikeP624 - I went stand alone grinder.  ebay - $70 - delivered.  Also check out Mercantile Station.  Really good reviews on their grinder.  Not too spendy.

Yeah the griders are cheaper.  Without really looking to hard it seems like for btwn $100 and $150 i can get a pretty good meat grinder.  Not sure the wife will let me get a grinder and a mixer.  That is why i was looking at the KA Mixer with the attachment.

SamFerrise said:

The KitchenAid is notorious for leaving metal and plastic shavings in your ground meat.  Look at the meat carefully.  I have a Kitchen Aid and I have used the meat grinder.  In my opinion it basically sucks, but if it is all you have just keep your eye on the output for shavings.  I only used it once and then sold it at a garage sale.  We have a Hobart 1 hp grinder that we have been using for years.  Normally we make at least 100 lb batches but it is a pain to pull out for a 4-5 lb quickie batch.  I use a hand grinder we have had for decades for the small batches. 

Perhaps it is the indian and not the arrow ???
)

SamFerrise said:

The KitchenAid is notorious for leaving metal and plastic shavings in your ground meat.  Look at the meat carefully.  I have a Kitchen Aid and I have used the meat grinder.  In my opinion it basically sucks, but if it is all you have just keep your eye on the output for shavings.  I only used it once and then sold it at a garage sale.  We have a Hobart 1 hp grinder that we have been using for years.  Normally we make at least 100 lb batches but it is a pain to pull out for a 4-5 lb quickie batch.  I use a hand grinder we have had for decades for the small batches. 

People tighten the nut on the end too tight and that creates too much friction on the extrusion die and cutter.  Maybe it's a bad design because it's a huge nut and easy to torque, but as long as you don't overtighten the nut it's not a problem.  I've been using mine for years and it works fine. Nothing to write home to the parents about, but, considering I don't use it that often, I like that I can put the attachment away in the cabinet and I have one less appliance to deal with.

Having been very disappointed with the Kitchen Aid grinder attachment I wish you more luck than I had. After 1 year of frustration, I bought a LEM grinder that is super. I make sausage, grind sirloin for burgers and other meats for meatloaf. Buy your meat fresh, grind it the same day if possible, smoke it, freeze what you wont use in a couple of days and enjoy.

Start small and work you way up to larger batches. There are numerous sources for recipes, I bought Bruce Aidell's, "Complete Sausage Book". A good starting point I when I find I like I check the ingredients compare to other recipes and try my luck, again start small and I think you will find sausage making a lot of fun. I use less fat than most recipes call for but that is a matter of preference, buy small quantities of fresh spices and use them liberally.

MikeP624 said:

 

BigWader said:

@MikeP624 - I went stand alone grinder.  ebay - $70 - delivered.  Also check out Mercantile Station.  Really good reviews on their grinder.  Not too spendy.

Yeah the griders are cheaper.  Without really looking to hard it seems like for btwn $100 and $150 i can get a pretty good meat grinder.  Not sure the wife will let me get a grinder and a mixer.  That is why i was looking at the KA Mixer with the attachment.

That's why I have a cantina/cold cellar.  What the wife doesn't see everyday - she let's slide.  She didn't even flinch when I pulled out the grinder and 5lb stuffer after she came home from a business trip.  She really doesn't care when she tastes the difference that homemade recipes make versus store bought and I'm not asking for her help because I can do all my grinding and stuffing by myself - where if I used the kitchenaid attachment I would need another set of hands to feed mixed up tacky meat into the auger.

My small grinder did 9 lbs of par frozen pork butt in about 6 minutes on Saturday night and never bogged down once.  After that everything was quiet as a church mouse because the stuffer is stand alone.

SamFerrise said:

The KA grinder is nothing more than a toy IMO.  My brother and I usually make at least 50-60 lbs of sausage at a time.  If you are going to brake out the tools make it worth your time.  Next month we are getting together with some cousins and I can see a 150 lb batch on the menu.  If my other 3 Brothers were here that would go to 250 lbs with no problem.  The Hobart has ground several tons of pork over the last 45 years.

When you are looking to do that much grinding of course you should get into a spate grinder and stuffer.

Realistically the kitchen aid is a toy compared to a real baker anyway based on volume of preparation. the KA make a couple of loaves where a commercial mixer makes dozens. I think your comparing apples and oranges here.

BigWader make sure you post the outcome on the kielbasa. I want to try again as the last batch was kind of funky.