People who love sausage prefer quality homemade links to those bought in a store. The process may seem long and difficult to a newcomer, but if you’re reading the best sausage stuffer reviews consumer reports, you’re probably ready to get your hands into the meat and make some sausage of your own.
Reviews Of 5 Best Sausage Stuffers
1. LEM Products 5lb Stainless Steel Vertical Sausage Stuffer
With a base, cylinder, and metal gears that are all made of high-quality stainless steel, this vertical sausage stuffer is sturdy enough to last through years of sausage making. It comes with two clamps that can be used to secure your machine to a table or counter during use, to keep it where you want it through hours of cranking.
For fast and easy filling, the cylinder can be completely removed from the base. This also makes it easy to clean out your machine when all the casings are filled and there is no meat left to stuff. There is an air-release valve on top of the plastic piston to keep the air from filling your casings. No meat will be squeezing out the top of the machine either, since the O-ring and piston fit tight against the sides of the cylinder.
With 3 plastic stuffing tubes to choose from, sized 1/2, ¾, and 1 inch, you will always be able to make the type of sausage you prefer.
Pros & Cons:
- Has a low price, below $150.00
- Turns smoothly for fast filling of the casings
- Easily operated by just one person
- All the gears and most of the parts are made of durable stainless steel
- Only a small amount of meat is left in the feed tube
- Though the plastic tubes are sturdy, stainless steel would be preferable.
- The clamps require holes to be drilled into the work surface, so can’t be used on a kitchen counter or table.
2. STX International STX-3000-TF Turboforce Electric Meat Grinder
The STX Turboforce 3000 is a great machine for all types of use, including grinding meat, stuffing sausage, and making delicious Kubbes. Many of its parts of made of polished cast aluminum, including the auger, grinding head, meat pan, and locking cap. The auger, combined with the large 2 1/8 inch opening, allows you to grind a lot of meat in little time. This machine comes with 3 hardened steel grinding plates, for course, medium, and fine grinds.
Three cutting blades are also included, made of high quality stainless steel, so no matter how much meat you put through, you’ll never have to waste time sharpening the blades. When you’re ready to make sausage, simply swap out the grinding plates with one of the three included sausage tubes and their adapter. You can also choose between three speeds on this machine, with the high speed meant for grinding your meat, the low speed for stuffing sausage, and the reverse to back it up if needed.
Pros & Cons:
- Can be used for grinding meat and stuffing sausage
- Easy to take apart when swapping grinding plates and sausage tubes, or for cleaning
- Meat doesn’t need to be frozen to grind properly
- Fairly priced at about $170.00
- The aluminum parts are not dishwasher safe
- Not meant to be used for grinding bones
- The gears in the machine are made of plastic and may not hold up well over time
- You must cut the meat small, into 1-2 inch chunks
3. Sausage Stuffer Stainless Steel Vertical Sausage Maker
This vertical sausage stuffer from Hakka has a huge capacity, holding 25 lbs of meat at a time for fast and easy sausage making. The canister tips back, clearing the opening for efficient filling.
There are 4 different sausage stuffer nozzles to choose from, including 2/3, 5/8, 1 ¼, and a 1 ½ inch nozzles, so you can make your sausage as thick or thin as you like.
Stainless steel is used for almost every component of this machine, including the canister, cylinder, stuffing tubes, and the base plate. The handle arm is made of aluminum, with plastic over the turning handle and on the feet. A metal piston with an air release valve lets any air in the canister escape, keeping it from filling your sausage casings.
Best of all, every part of this sausage stuffer that comes into contact with food products meets SGS food hygiene standards, so serving contaminated sausage will never be an issue.
Pros & Cons:
- Solid, durable stainless steel construction that will last for years
- Fast speed for raising or lowering the piston, and slow speed for stuffing the sausages
- Easy to set up and to use
- Parts are simple to dismantle for fast cleanup
- No air bubbles in casings, since it is released through air valve
- No reverse lock on the handle, so pressure when you let go could make it spin the opposite way
- A bit expensive at $265.00
4. VIVO 7lb/3L STUFR-V003 Vertical Sausage Stuffer
This VIVO sausage stuffer uses as stainless steel cylinder that tilts back for easy and convenient filling when you’re ready to start making your sausage. The frame and base are also made of quality, durable metal. An air release valve is located on the aluminum plunger, allowing the air trapped in the cylinder to escape through the top instead of forcing it into your sausage casings.
There is also a rubber gasket around the outside of the piston to keep the meat from squeezing out around the top while you crank it down. Four different plastic nozzles are included with this machine, sized 10mm, 20mm, 30mm, and 40mm. All the gears needed to turn the handle and lower the piston are made of strong metal that will last for years. There is only one speed for this machine, so you can turn the handle at a speed you can manage, making it a great option for beginners in sausage making.
Pros & Cons:
- It has a very low price, under $110.00
- It is made almost entirely of stainless steel or other durable metals
- It is easy to take apart for cleaning
- There is no way to secure the stuffer to the counter or table during use
- The plastic casings could have sharp burrs on them from manufacturing that will need to be sanded down to avoid ripping your casings
- The downspout is a bit large, holding a fair bit of meat that can’t be pushed into a casing
5. Hakka 11lb/5L Stainless Steel Horizontal Sausage Stuffer
This horizontal sausage stuffer is made of stainless steel, with all metal gears for durable, reliable performance. There are two speeds to choose from, a slower speed for those just learning the sausage making process, and a faster speed to finish the job in record time. The canister has the capacity to hold up to 11lbs of meat and flips up for easy filling. Four different sizes of sausage nozzles come with the machine, with sizes of 16mm, 22mm, 32mm, and 38mm.
These tubes are also made of stainless steel, so they will last as long as the rest of the machine. The handle attaches firmly to the machine, staying attached throughout the entire sausage-making process. An air valve on the top of the piston allows the air to escape instead of squeezing it into the casings along with the meat. Hakka’s horizontal sausage stuffer meets SGS food hygiene standards, so there will be no concerns about serving unsafe meat.
Pros & Cons:
- Cheaply priced at around $150.00
- The parts are easy to disassemble for proper cleaning
- Made of durable stainless steel, so should last for years
- 2 speeds give you better control over filling
- There is no reverse locking system on the handle, so it could spin back when you let go
- It leaves a large amount of meat in the stuffing tubes
- There is nothing to hold up the canister when filling it with meat
Why You Should Make Your Own Sausage
There are a few reasons people choose to make their own sausage. If you start reading the best sausage stuffer reviews, at least one of these reasons are probably on your mind as well.
- The Taste – When you buy sausage in a store, you are getting what someone else feels is good tasting sausage. You may prefer a different type of meat in your sausage, as well as a different blend of seasonings.If you make your own sausage at home, you can try out different varieties until you find the sausage that’s just right for you.
- Control Over-Processing – You can send your game away for someone else to clean and grind for sausage, but they may have a different method of doing so than you would.If you are making venison sausage, usually there is some other meat mixed in, but you can’t guarantee the ratio unless you do it yourself.This is the same for fat content. Someone else may load it down with fat to save on meat, which will make for much greasier sausage.
- Cost – Sausage is expensive when bought in the store. At home, on the other hand, once you’ve paid for your equipment, such as the grinder and sausage stuffer, you only have the cost of the meat itself and whatever spices you choose to use.If you’re a hunter or a farmer, this cost is even less, since the meat is free.
- Meat Quality – Making your own sausage also means you don’t have to worry about unworthy animal parts making it through the grinder and into your sausage stuffer. This means no ears, noses, or much worse getting fed to your family.
- Your Health – Since your sausage will contain only what you put into it, you can keep the salt and fat content low, making a leaner, healthier sausage.There also won’t be any preservatives or chemicals in your meat, since you’ll have complete control over what goes into it.
What You Need to Make Sausage at Home
When you decide to make your own sausage at home, the first thing you need to do is gather your equipment. You’ll need:
- A meat grinder – There are a few different varieties of grinders available, from stand-up models to hand-crank grinders. Some stand mixers even have grinder attachments.Whichever you choose, make sure it has a few different grinder plates, with one for coarse grinding and one for fine grinding.
- Scale – Since most sausage recipes are measured in weight, you’ll need a good scale to make sure you are adding the proper spices to the amount of meat you’re using.
- A sausage stuffer – These can be a bit expensive, but if you like to make a lot of sausage, they are well worth the money. Make sure it is made of high-quality metals, such as stainless steel. This includes the canister, the gears, and the handle.It’s also a good idea to find one with different sausage nozzle attachments, in case you want to make different types of sausage. An air valve on the piston is also necessary, to keep the air bubbles from being forced into the casings, since this can make loose sausage.
- Casings – Most people use hog casings for their sausage, but if you don’t eat pork, a better option may be synthetic collagen casings.You can also use caul fat or blanched savoy cabbage leaves as a replacement for the hog casings. Whichever you choose really depends on your own personal preference.
Once you’ve purchased your equipment and have found a recipe you would like to try, you’re ready to make your sausage. This professional chef shows you how to do this in an easy to follow, step-by-step guide. Keep in mind he is using a professional sized sausage stuffer machine, so if yours is much smaller, don’t fret. The process will still be the same.
Our Winner
Though it is the most expensive machine we’ve discussed here, the Hakka 25lb/12L Vertical Sausage Stuffer is the top machine on our best sausage stuffer reviews list. All of the machines have the necessary air valves and come with a variety of sausage nozzles, but the Hakka Vertical machine is made almost entirely of stainless steel, with other durable metals filling out the rest of the parts. It also has the highest capacity, so you can make a lot of sausage without constantly refilling the canister.
This vertical sausage stuffer also pushes almost all of the meat out through the nozzle, unlike some of the other machines listed, so there is very little waste when you’re finished. Hakka’s Vertical Sausage Stuffer is a high-quality machine that will last a lifetime.
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