Stuffing problem
Stuffing problem
Hello everyone. The problem I'm having is, I've got a 5lb stuffer from Sausage Maker that I use to make my beef sticks. The tube is a standard length but it becomes a pain to continually run out of casing, waste time and start over again. Any ideas would help. I'm thinking of just let it run the length of the collagen casing but working alone is a problem. Thanks in advance.
I probably have the same problem since I don't have a proper stuffing horn for sticks. I actually fashioned one out of a plastic funnel. And probably like you, I can load only a short length of collagen casing and keep repeating. The ideal is to have a long, small diameter stuffing tube. Lem sells one that is 7" long. And that means that you can slide on an entire 6"tube of collagen casing onto the horn without having to unravel it.
Let me know whether this is the issue you raised, or perhaps I misunderstood.
Let me know whether this is the issue you raised, or perhaps I misunderstood.
nuynai,
I have the Stainless tube that redzed suggested and I find that it works very well for the small casings. After getting the 3/8 SS tube and trying it I went back and ordered the other two sizes in SS as well. The casings feed much better from the SS tubes whether they are synthetic or natural and I seldom have a problem with any of the casings. Depending on which casing you use and how they are arranged in the stick could be a problem. I have the 3/8 tube from Lem (Sausage Maker sells a 1/2" tube that I'm sure is the same, just inside versus outside dimension of the tube) and I use the 21mm collagen casings from Butcher Packer and they are very tight on the tube. These casings are in a compressed accordion kind of a configuration which decreases the inside diameter until they are pulled from the accordion configuration and then they are very loose on the tube(I load them on the tube in the compressed stick). The nice part of these casings is they come in about a 9" stick and I find that about half of a stick takes about 5 lbs. of mince so it works out nice-put a half stick of casing on and it handles the 5 lb. of mince about right. I'm not sure how other collagen casings are packaged as I have only tried a couple and the ones I'm using work great, but if my math is correct the 1/2" OD tube should handle any casing over 14mm id as long as it isn't compressed like the ones I use.
The SS tubes are kind of pricey but as far as I'm concerned they are well worth the cost.
Hope this helps-
Pat
I have the Stainless tube that redzed suggested and I find that it works very well for the small casings. After getting the 3/8 SS tube and trying it I went back and ordered the other two sizes in SS as well. The casings feed much better from the SS tubes whether they are synthetic or natural and I seldom have a problem with any of the casings. Depending on which casing you use and how they are arranged in the stick could be a problem. I have the 3/8 tube from Lem (Sausage Maker sells a 1/2" tube that I'm sure is the same, just inside versus outside dimension of the tube) and I use the 21mm collagen casings from Butcher Packer and they are very tight on the tube. These casings are in a compressed accordion kind of a configuration which decreases the inside diameter until they are pulled from the accordion configuration and then they are very loose on the tube(I load them on the tube in the compressed stick). The nice part of these casings is they come in about a 9" stick and I find that about half of a stick takes about 5 lbs. of mince so it works out nice-put a half stick of casing on and it handles the 5 lb. of mince about right. I'm not sure how other collagen casings are packaged as I have only tried a couple and the ones I'm using work great, but if my math is correct the 1/2" OD tube should handle any casing over 14mm id as long as it isn't compressed like the ones I use.
The SS tubes are kind of pricey but as far as I'm concerned they are well worth the cost.
Hope this helps-
Pat
I've always tried to set a good example for others-but many times I've had to settle for just being a horrible warning!
Thanks, NF. I'm searching food safe adhesives. Figure I'll get several same stuffing tubes, cut them and seal them together, forming one long piece that will handle a lot more casings. I only use the small tubes for beef/ venison sticks but the time saved making them would be worth the cost, as they go so fast. 5 lbs. went in less than a week.
You may be better off just ordering the SS tube. They are around 7-8"long. Even at that length with the small diameter it requires a lot more force to push the mince through especially if it is real cold.
My current stuffer came with the SS tubes and I find them much easier to use than the plastic ones on my old stuffer.
With the SS tubes the OD of the tube is significantly reduced, making casings much easier to slide on.
My current stuffer came with the SS tubes and I find them much easier to use than the plastic ones on my old stuffer.
With the SS tubes the OD of the tube is significantly reduced, making casings much easier to slide on.