You've been asked Before - so I'll ask it again - Help!!

[ockie]

I run a small B & B in the Highlands and looking to make the visitors experience a little better. It's a long hike to and from our butchers! So I have been looking at the possiblity of making my own sausages. Nothing fancy, but good quality, for the breakfast table.

Now I hace read through a number of threads and have come to this conclusion. Everyone has his or her own idea of what is best. So a difinitave answer would be good. Manual mincer & stuffer or Electric mincer & stuffer, which is reccommended for the rank beginner?

We burn - oops sorry, cook around 40 - 50lb of pork, beef and venison sausages each year, so need equipment capable of that sort of production. Any bright ideas? All suggestions will be most welcome. thanks.

[aris]

50lb of sausage really isn't that much (1 lb a week?) - are you sure you don't mean 50lb a month?

It really depends on how much you want to spend. If you're willing to make the capital outlay, go for the best equipment for the job. Electric mincer, and a good quality manual stuffer.

Manual mincers do work - but they can get a bit tedious.

[ockie]

Thanks for the info, Aris. 50lb x 3 types of sausage = 150lb, it is an approximate amount I know. Not everyone has a cooked breakfast and not everyone has sausages. But the above figure is fairly accurate.

Back to the original question.

How would you rate one of these electric mincers/stuffer combinations or should I ignore the stuffer capability and get a manual stuffer?

[aris]

Ah, ok 150lb is a bit different

I've used one of the small mincer/stuffers before (though not the one sold on this site) and they do work - but they are slow. Once you've used a proper mincer and seperate stuffer you'll never go back. It all depends on how much you want to spend.

Saying that though - it also sounds like you will be doing small batches at a time, so perhaps the small mincer-stuffer will be OK for you.

Are you going to be making large batches and then freezing?

[ockie]

Thanks once again, Aris.

Rather thought small batches of 50lb or so would suffice, if things progress to higher levels, well we'll cross that bridge when we get there, if ever. After reading alot of the threads on this Forum - all very informative and very helpfull, I got the impression that this little toy seems to fit most bills, Electric Mincer FW 2684. If the budget allows, then a Reber manual stuffer would be a useful addition to the kitchen.

Yes, do the lot over a couple of days before the season really kicks off and freeze the sausages.

[Yorkie_Porkie]

Hi Ockie,

My experiences of starting from scratch have taught me a few things, with the main one being buy the best mincer you can afford at the start and get a seperate stuffer. I started with the FW 2684 and it served me well, however it has it's limitations, and given the amounts you are looking to produce, you will be amazed at just how long you end up stood there mincing !...My advice to you would be to get a decent mincer and then either a Reber stuffer or the one from Ascot Small holdings....

http://www.ascott.biz/item3221.htm

I use this one and it's pretty good, I regulary produce 40 - 50lbs with this no problem and its easy to use and clean, I know others who have used this and the Reber stuffers so either would be a good starting point...

Also I find it's a good idea to butcher and mince the day before production, then that allows you a whole day for making your sausages...

Hope you have a Happy Hogmanny ! (spellings probably off but hey ho !)

YP

[othmar]

It is exactly as Yorkie_Porkie said. As I understand you run a B & B place. I asume that you have a lot to do around and in the house. As a business person you know that everything has to bring you a finanical return with the highest possible margin to make ends meet. If you buy small and cheep gadgets you might stay for hours in the kitchen to make a samll batch of sausages which will end up costing you a lot of money when you consider your time (your wages) and you should.

I would go with a mincer which easely without moan and groan can hadle 10Kg. to 20Kg. I also would go with a manual stuffer that can hold at least 5Kg to 10Kg in one go. That way you will get a quality product, will save a lot of time plus frustration and finally should you increase your production one day then you are ready for it and do not have to go out and buy more and larger equipment. Been there, done that, purchased many small and cheep stuff only to find out that is was more problems and down the road need bigger. Now I buy in the middle of the road and this gives me leverage either way.

By the way you could make a real adevrtieisng gimmick out of that sausage home production of yours. "Made fresh in the House by the Chef with meat from the local farmers." or "Do you know whats in your sausage? We know whats in ours because we make fresh here in the House".

[Yorkie_Porkie]

othmar is right here, time is money and if your in business lost time equals lost revenue. Because I wanted my meat to be a certain coarseness, I ended up spending 3 to 4 hours just mincing until I bought a 1HP mincer and now it takes an hour (ish) to do appx 50lbs of meat through a 4.5 mm plate. I still have to butcher the meat etc which I am getting faster and faster at with the practice. I guess you could always get your meat either ready minced or ready to mince, what you have to do is weigh up your time and how much that "costs" to how much you are willing to pay for the meat ready done for you, but then that kinda misses the point on making your own sausages in the 1st place !...At tleast your in the right place here as there are loads of people with lots of experience to help you out. I started making sausages and bacons etc after I had done lots of research and read lots of posts here and other places, now I like to think that I know what I am talking about, however, I still have lots to learn and at least I know if I ask a question here there are those who can answer it !

The other point that othmar made regarding how you "sell" your sausages is a valid one too, you could be giving your products away for your guests breakfast, but how about selling them to the guests too, you have a perfect chance to let them sample your products at the table, and have a price list on the table too so they can take some away if not fresh then frozen.....might be worth looking at....Are you going to stop at sausages or do black pudding too ?...Then you have bacon and even haggis.....

[ockie]

Othmar & Yorkie_Porkie - - Happy New Year to you guys and thanks a bundle for the info. I will heed your words of wisdom and save a bit more cash and wait until there is enough to get a 'meatier' machine - sorry couldn't resist, and a manual stuffer. A Rebus stuffer seems to fit the bill and there are some heavy duty machines - electric I think, that come as a kit. No, is that swearing, stupid or practical? Kits will give me all that I need to start, but I think I have just answer my own question, the component parts are not that expensive, so I could, compile my own 'kit'.

The marketing aspect is one of the reasons for going down this road in the first place. We want to offer our Guest something he/she will not get anywhere else in the Highlands and probably in the UK. As far as selling the odd pound or two, might have to be a bit careful there but that needs a little more investigation. Could probably get away with it as we can with our own eggs. Not sell them to shops, that's illegal, but putting a notice up on the road and sell them from the door, is not. Strange world isn�t it?

[ockie]

In addition to all that has gone before. With a kit, comes a recipe booklet. Not kit not book.
What recipe can either of you reccommend for a breakfast Pork sausage?

[Davey]

Hi' Take great care if you make and sell or even give away your own sausage products - take advice from Sausamaking.org or some very other expert body - we do not like to put chemicals in our home made products because they are home made for home consumption - commercial products are different. How do you know that ,that nice couple from the Midlands will not leave 2lb of your best homemade in the boot of a car for 5/6 hours fail to refridgerate them in any way and then eat them 2 days later? Result ill if not worse - it happens. You cant stop the idiots but you can make your products last longer with less risk to your customers.

Davey

[ockie]

You cant stop the idiots but you can make your products last longer with less risk to your customers.

Valid point Davey,

Always have to cater for the lowest common denominator!

[Yorkie_Porkie]

Ockie,

The guys are correct here, if you do go along the lines of selling on, apart from the fact that you will have to pass whatever your laws need in Scotland in relation to hygiene etc, if you dont use preservitives your sausages then they need to be transported poperly by whomever buys them...

As using such chemicals kinda detracts from the whole point of what your doing and you need to be very VERY careful when using them, I suggest you keep it simple until you are well up on the rest of the process.

If you did want to sell on then Scobies based in Glasgow sell a kind of bubble wrap wich you freeze, this could be used to pack them but in the end why not wait and see if you are asked by your guests if you sell 1st, then you wont have to go into the expense and other issues at the start !....

YP

[ockie]

After my previous comments backed up by Davey and yourself, there is a world of difference between eggs and sausages when it come to selling. With all that has been said, I think it prudent to scrap that idea and continue with the original thought, that is producing our own sausages for the breakfast table. That way, we keep control of the environment in which the sausages are both made and stored.

Looking back through the posts made on this thread,

, we want to offer our Guest something he/she will not get anywhere else in the Highlands and probably in the UK.

, I meant it to imply good old fashioned sausages, not hepatitis B or botulism!!

[Paul Kribs]

ockie

Your breakfast guests will notice the difference when you give them a taste of your home made sausages, and I wouldn't be surprised if they ask you for some. That will be the time to explain the do's and don't's. All well and good, especially if you have some packed and frozen and let them have them when they leave. They normally take up to 6 hours to defrost for the thicker ones.

Regards, Paul Kribs