Homemade Sausage Making

I have been stuffing my sausage with a vertical sausage stuffer which works great but I always have to ask my wife to crank it who does not like to help, so I end up having to do it alone which is difficult. I was looking into the water stuffers like the Dakota water stuffer. Also I heard about a stuffer called the Kirby sausage stuffer. Has anyone had any experience with either of these? Or does anyone have a suggestion for a stuffer that is easy for one person to operate?

Can't you motorize the stuffer you have . A foot operated switch would make it fine.

get a new wife

I use both a vertical stuffer as well as a water-stuffer.
The vertical is a 5lb-er, and its pretty easy to use by myself. It is obviously more convenient to have another person to 'crank' but it can be done solo, albeit a bit slower.
5-pound vertical Grizzly:


For bigger loads I use a water-stuffer designed by Kirby Campbell. I can do 15-17lbs of stuffing by myself, and the stuffer makes quick work of it.

Kevin

A 10-pound "Kirby cannon" water-stuffer. I've since upgraded to a larger cannon (about 15lbs) and have added a pump and foot pedal which really makes the job quite easy.
If you're interested in getting more info on Kirby's stuffers, I can PM you his contact info.

Big Guy,
You are a very norty man!!!!!
Ursula

Ursula,
Big Guy is correct, I am in the same boat, my wife hates raw meat, mincing. sausage casings, the smell etc etc and refuses to be even near the action.
My daughter in law always winds the stuffer handle, they live just around the corner and she likes everything I make and smoke.
I have her converted to good ingredient snags and old fashioned European smokey tastes
Cheers,
Jan

Hi all. I am the Kirby Cannon guy. Here is a link of the 15 pounder being run with the foot control. This is a real one man process. My friends borrowed it and I made a video with them using it. Neither of them had ever used it before. They do not have it set to run very fast but that is OK. It was their first time.

http://s943.photobucket.com/albums/ad27 ... EMOVIE.mp4

Here is a stuffer working a little faster. This is one of my 30 pound stuffers with out a foot control.

http://s943.photobucket.com/albums/ad27 ... FRANKS.mp4

12# stuffer with out foot control.



Here is one of my 5 gallon mixers.

http://s943.photobucket.com/albums/ad27 ... MIXEDR.mp4

If any one is interested they can PM me.

This seems to me very close to a commercial and not so much as a helpful how-to post. Most of us here are able to duplicate a design and method and most of us are cheerfully willing to share our knowledge and experience. I would be interested in learning how you return the piston to the start and how the entire system comes apart for cleaning.
Thanks for the demo.
Ross

I use the same unit to grind



as I do to stuff



I have the on/off foot-pedal which makes it a easy one man operation and I don't have to interrupt my wife, who works from home. I received some Cabelas gift cards for Xmas and was just today looking at the commercial-grade vertical stuffers. I think I'll just stick with what I already have, works perfect every time. RAY

I haven't tried my new chop-rite grinder. I think tat the fit between the auger and the housing has a large effect on the efficiency of the grinder as a stuffer. new batch within a week.

ssorllih wrote:This seems to me very close to a commercial and not so much as a helpful how-to post. Most of us here are able to duplicate a design and method and most of us are cheerfully willing to share our knowledge and experience. I would be interested in learning how you return the piston to the start and how the entire system comes apart for cleaning.
Thanks for the demo.
Ross

I am sorry for the apperance of this post. I was just showing you what I do. I use a small pump to suck the piston back and I have a meat loading tool that becomes a washing tool when it is time to cleaning the stuffer. just tilt it toward the sink and put the spray head on the meat loading tool and run the tool in and out like a cannon swab. It takes less then two minutes to clean up the stuffer. The meat mixer is just about the same. I takes just a few minutes to clean. Here is the way the piston sucks back.
If anyone wants plans to making the foot control I have a sheet that has links to all the supplies and wiring and plumbing plans. I will send you this information if you send me a note to

Kirby_campbell@yahoo.com

I have helped quite a few guys make them. The parts a rather inexpensive and it is a fun project.

http://s943.photobucket.com/albums/ad27 ... AUSAGE.mp4

If you watch some of the post of NORCAL KID He gives some very informative post.

It appears to be about a 6 inch diameter pipe judging by the hand on the cylinder. PVC pipe is never perfectly round inside, so what do you use for seals between piston and cylinder walls.
The screw thread stuffer that I made uses silicone rubber "O"rings on a hard maple piston in a 3 inch cylinder. That works well but of course it has a small capacity. When I can get a foot of 5 or 6 inch pipe I may make a larger version.
What is the size of the sausage stump that doesn't get extruded?.
Do you have a means of ensuring that water doesn't pass the piston to get into the mince?
Thank you for the additioal posts.

I make a a 6 and 4 inch stuffer. I use 2 inch thick hd poly for the piston and the adaptor plate which provides the threaded fitting for the stuffer tubes. You are correct that it is very difficult to find pipe that is smooth enough for the seal that you need. The piston clears the tubing inside by just a few thousands of an inch. The piston has two O rings and the groves for them have to be within a couple of thousands of an inch accuracy to seal properly. I test each stuffer to make sure that I have a good seal. When I find a good batch of pipe I make sure to buy enough to last me for a while. 4 inch pipe seems to be easier to find good pipe and 6 " is very difficult to find good pipe. The piston goes all the way to the adaptor plate at the end. It pushes so hard on the plate when the stuffer goes empty that I smashes the mustard seeds in my sausage flat. With 60 pounds of water pressure the piston in the 4 inch stuffer is pushing with 750# of force. The only meat left when you are done is what is in the stuffing tube.

I have not been able to understand the benefits of a water stuffer (other than the large vertical commercial ones.)

I wish I could try one to see what the rage is all about.

It looks like they take up a lot of room and they appear to be very slow compared to a good vertical crank stuffer. (Not a criticism, just an observation.)

Baconologist wrote:I have not been able to understand the benefits of a water stuffer (other than the large vertical commercial ones.)

I wish I could try one to see what the rage is all about.

It looks like they take up a lot of room and they appear to be very slow compared to a good vertical crank stuffer. (Not a criticism, just an observation.)

Well Bob
They do take some room but they are only slow if you turn the water speed valve down. Here are a couple of links and in both cases the speed control valves are turned down. I am used to using them and I still cannot keep up with them if they are wide open.

http://s943.photobucket.com/albums/ad27 ... FRANKS.mp4

http://s943.photobucket.com/albums/ad27 ... THMARK.mp4

The 4 inch stuffer piston provides 750# of force with 60 lbs. of water pressure. The 6 inch stuffer piston provides 1700 pounds of force with 60 pounds of pressure. They only take a couple of minutes to clean and can be run easily by one person. No cranking needed. But to each his own. If you are happy with your crank stuffer, great. I wish you could join us for a sausage day. You might have a good time. We have done more than 500 pounds in one day. You could always convert one of my hydro stuffers to a vertical stuffer but for me it is not necessary.