Sausage Stuffer for snack sticks

[Ryan]

I'll prob wait until after thanksgiving and see if any go on sale.

They usually do go on sale, keep an eye on Cabelas and Scheel's. They're the ones that have the sales around here. If your interested in a used one I'll keep you in mind, if I get one before then.

[BIGGLOPEZ]

Wife got me the 5 lb stuffer from LEM she ordered the SS model that had all 3 tubes in SS 3/8, 5/8 and 1" It works Awesome and was $149...

[RowdyRay]

If your not in a real big hurry, the sporting goods store's here usually have them on sale in December. I got my LEM for a $100.

There's this one
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001PL...110_SY165_QL70
If its still available in a couple weeks I would have a LEM for sale cheap.

I now have one of these too. Says right in the booklet, "Not to be used for snack sticks". Yes, they are beefy. Yes, it has metal gears. Yes, the plunger is metal. But, the cylinder is only slightly larger in diameter than my 5 pounder. And really tall. You're trying to push twice the amount of meat, twice the distance. It takes an incredible amount of pressure to get things moving and you have to back off sooner, compared to the 5 pounder.

They're made in china and nothing is tempered like it used to be. I have not tried snack sticks with this one, and won't. It was bought to speed up the venison processing. It does a great job with a lot less reloading. I'll stick to the 5 pounder with metal gears for the snack sticks.

Not trying to discourage anyone. Just don't want anyone wasting their money if their intent is snack sticks.

[Fishawn]

I gotta order a 3/8" tube also..... Gonna check Amazon tonight..... Looks like the LEM tubes have a wider throat opening where they connect to the stuffer? Might possibly help with ease of stuffing? Idunno, just thinking.... My stuffer has nylon gears, and so far so good, its aboot 5-6 years old..... Butt have not stuffed snack stix through a 3/8" tube, which I'm guessing might be kinda hard on the gears?

[RowdyRay]

I gotta order a 3/8" tube also..... Gonna check Amazon tonight..... Looks like the LEM tubes have a wider throat opening where they connect to the stuffer? Might possibly help with ease of stuffing? Idunno, just thinking.... My stuffer has nylon gears, and so far so good, its aboot 5-6 years old..... Butt have not stuffed snack stix through a 3/8" tube, which I'm guessing might be kinda hard on the gears?

Most of the 3/8" tubes are made by LEM. At least the ones that fit the 5 and 15 pounders. Other places sell them, but they are still labeled LEM. There are others out there, but they're meant to fit the grinders, or the old CI Enterprise stuffer. Make sure you get one that matches the diameter of your other tubes. The end that fits the stuffer.

Yeah, it's hard on the gears. If you keep that in mind, you'll be okay for a little while. But they can and will break or strip. That tube is the demise of most cheap stuffers. That's how I got my 5 pounder. Then rebuilt it with metal gears. The price has went up, but they work on numerous brands.

http://www.lemproducts.com/product/1..._Stuffer_Parts

[Fishawn]

Most of the 3/8" tubes are made by LEM. At least the ones that fit the 5 and 15 pounders. Other places sell them, but they are still labeled LEM. There are others out there, but they're meant to fit the grinders, or the old CI Enterprise stuffer. Make sure you get one that matches the diameter of your other tubes. The end that fits the stuffer.

Yeah, it's hard on the gears. If you keep that in mind, you'll be okay for a little while. But they can and will break or strip. That tube is the demise of most cheap stuffers. That's how I got my 5 pounder. Then rebuilt it with metal gears. The price has went up, but they work on numerous brands.

http://www.lemproducts.com/product/1..._Stuffer_Parts

Thanks Rx2

Just ordered the LEM 3/8" tube from Amazon and some Leggs snack stick mix.... See if the nylon gears stress any on stuffing, and will try to make sure the mix is watered down enough to get through that smaller tube..... If it seems like its too hard on the gears, i will probably stop stuffing the 19mm casings, switch to sheep casings (plugin me nose of course) finish the batch and get rid of the stuffer and order one with metal gears?.

Good thread with lots of insight

[RowdyRay]

Thanks Rx2

Just ordered the LEM 3/8" tube from Amazon and some Leggs snack stick mix.... See if the nylon gears stress any on stuffing, and will try to make sure the mix is watered down enough to get through that smaller tube..... If it seems like its too hard on the gears, i will probably stop stuffing the 19mm casings, switch to sheep casings (plugin me nose of course) finish the batch and get rid of the stuffer and order one with metal gears?.

Good thread with lots of insight

Plugging the nose is necessary with sheep casings. Lol. Don't get rid of the stuffer. Just order the metal gears. They'll fit Northern, Grizzly, Gander Mountain and others. Easy to replace. If they're available. Sometimes get back ordered.

[merrell]

Don't like stuffing lil snak stick casings?

Check this post out if you don't like messing with small casings for snack stix...

http://www.smoked-meat.com/forum/sho...g+snack+sticks

[Fishawn]

Check this post out if you don't like messing with small casings for snack stix...

http://www.smoked-meat.com/forum/sho...g+snack+sticks

That was/is a Great thread Merrel!

Just me, I wanna hang ropes from the newly acquired Big Chief, but your method will certainly work equally as well.... Good heads up!!

[44 bbq]

I now have one of these too. Says right in the booklet, "Not to be used for snack sticks". Yes, they are beefy. Yes, it has metal gears. Yes, the plunger is metal. But, the cylinder is only slightly larger in diameter than my 5 pounder. And really tall. You're trying to push twice the amount of meat, twice the distance. It takes an incredible amount of pressure to get things moving and you have to back off sooner, compared to the 5 pounder.

They're made in china and nothing is tempered like it used to be. I have not tried snack sticks with this one, and won't. It was bought to speed up the venison processing. It does a great job with a lot less reloading. I'll stick to the 5 pounder with metal gears for the snack sticks.

Not trying to discourage anyone. Just don't want anyone wasting their money if their intent is snack sticks.

Well chit, guess this one is eliminated. From all the responses, I might just stick to buying snack sticks at $22/lb if it's that hard to make. Probably even more difficult for a newb.

[DaveOmak]

I have made a few "Tube Inserts" to stuff smaller casings....

Here's a view......

[curious aardvark]

Academy has a LEM with metal gears for $148. might swing by tomorrow and see if they have any in stock.
Didn't really want to pay that much but the cheaper ones all appear to have nylon or plastic gears.
is it really that difficult to make snack sticks with the smaller casing vs sausage?

No.

seriously I have no idea why these guys are always moaning about having to turn a handle with a little more effort

I make pretty stiff mixes with minimum added liquid, the cheese and marmite snackstix particularly have cubes of cheese in damn near the same diameter as the stuffing tube.

So Yeah you have to put a bit more pressure on the handle - but so what ?
Unless you're an outright 7 stone weakling, it's bloody good exercise and you can always get help if you're really not physically capable.
I really don't see what the big deal is.

Why does life need to be so easy that we all get fat and soft and lazy

But on the steel gears side. You will be buying a piece of machinery that will outlast you and probably end up as a family heirloom. So a few more bucks spent is really more of a long term investment than a short term cost.

[curious aardvark]

Well chit, guess this one is eliminated. From all the responses, I might just stick to buying snack sticks at $22/lb if it's that hard to make. Probably even more difficult for a newb.

It's piss easy. But you do need the smaller 5lb stuffer - with a larger stuffer the whole hydraulic ratio is going to be against you.

And so what if you have to reload every 5lb - 5lb of sausage stufffed into snackstix - makes a serious length of stix.

Again - Ignore all the pissing and moaning, I'll send you some true british grit and you can just go ahead and do it and then wonder what all the fuss was about :-)

[RowdyRay]

But on the steel gears side. You will be buying a piece of machinery that will outlast you and probably end up as a family heirloom. So a few more bucks spent is really more of a long term investment than a short term cost.

I really need to head to work. I wasn't pissing and moaning. This was my whole point. Invest in decent equipment or you WILL be pissing and moaning. They will gladly sell you the tube, but fail to tell you how hard it is on the stuffer. Not the person doing the stuffing. Snack sticks are easy to make and better than store bought any day.

[44 bbq]

It's piss easy. But you do need the smaller 5lb stuffer - with a larger stuffer the whole hydraulic ratio is going to be against you.

And so what if you have to reload every 5lb - 5lb of sausage stufffed into snackstix - makes a serious length of stix.

Again - Ignore all the pissing and moaning, I'll send you some true british grit and you can just go ahead and do it and then wonder what all the fuss was about :-)

Thank you brother for the info. I appreciate it. I will probably get the LEM 5 lb stuffer, stainless steel model with metal gears. I don't mind putting in the effort-just never did it before. I will always have help so it will probably never be a one man operation.