www.sausagemaking.org

Hi Everyone
I'm a total newbie from South Africa and am so keen to plunge into this hobby.
I am, as a South African, especially keen to start making my own boerewors (plus breakfast sausages and even try making frankfurters) etc
I was about to rush out and buy a Kenwood MG450 mincer/ stuffer when I luckily stumbled upon this site.
After reading the forums here, it seems that's it's way better to buy a separate grinder and manual stuffer?
I intend making around 10kg of sausage at a time.

My questions are:
What size mincer (grinder) will do the trick, i.e how powerful should the motor be to get a proper mince going?
Whereas I assume the more powerful the motor the better, I don't want to fork out commercial prices, if a simple home grinder from an appliance store will do the trick.
Would a 5 liter stuffer suffice, and are the vertical ones better?
It seems that stainless steel is the best way to go?
What should I be aware of when buying a stuffer?

A real bonus would be if any South Africans on here could point me in the right direction as to the best places to shop for the equipment

Thanks again for a really great site.

Shaun

How much wors are you intending to actually make? And how often?
Personally I'd say get a manual grinder - 10kg really isn't that much to grind in any case - Bolt a size 22 to a plank and cramp it to a bench. Boerwors is a fairly coarse grind in any case so you'll probably only be putting it through the mincer once. Feel free to PM me if you're anywhere close to me.

Welcome to the forums!

I've got a combined [electric] mincer / stuffer, and it's done me proud. No complaints with it at all for my first hobby kit, and it only cost me around £65. Could be a good way to go until you know it's something you want to continue, and invest in.

I'll be getting a stand-alone stuffer at some point, but I'm in no rush.

Here are a couple of links to get you started on finding equipment in South Africa; you'll have to report back on which companies worked out for you so other South Africans will have an easier time. Welcome to the forum.

http://www.thebutcherweb.co.za/listing.php?cat=34

http://www.thebutcherweb.co.za/listing.php?cat=38

A dedicated stuffer (I prefer vertical) will be necessary for the size batches you are planning. The grinder you choose will also depend on how often you plan to make sausage.

Thanks for the replies guys. I appreciate it.
I reckon I'll be make sausage about twice a month at least.
Thanks for the links Paul.
Do you think I should stick with the Kenwood then?
Or just go with a manual mincer and separate stuffer?

Hi Shaun. Welcome.

For what it's worth, I'd go for a separate vertical stuffer every time.

Whilst 20kg a month may not be a massive amount, it's enough to be a nuisance!

I have issues that mean that I need to use a powered mincer/grinder so can't really help there. But, Kenwood are as good a make as any. I have an old Kenwood Chef that has a mincer attachment, which I use for smaller test amounts. There's many second hand ones on the auction websites, so one of those may be an option - that way, you get a machine that will also make bread etc. Just a thought.

Please post back with what you do. I'm sure that it will help others in future.

Phil

Thanks for the advice guys.
I'll think I'll start with a hand mincer and a decent stuffer then.

Paul I'm off to Crown National in Edenvale today, to have a look. I'll let you know what I find, but I think they tend to be more on the commercial products side of things.

Anyone heard of an appliance company called Geepas?
They are quite big in Dubai I think.
Someone here locally is selling their 2800W grinders (new) for R795. (About £38 or $59). That seems incredibly cheap.
Was just wondering if anyone has had experience with this product or company. Could be a good buy.

Thanks Wheels.
And thanks for all the advice you dispense on here, it's amazing.
I have struggled to find much in the way of customer reviews for the Kenwood MG450 that I was looking to get, and the ones I did find were not very enamoured with the product.
Maybe they weren't using it properly, I don't know, but it's made me a bit wary of investing in it.
I get your point with the Kenwood Chef and attachments though, it's an amazing machine, but even second hand, they're a bit pricey here.

Paul I found a supplier in Newlands JHB where I get a hand held grinder size 32 for R850 and a stainless steel vertical filler for R2200. They're called Konidaris Catering.

Great news. Sausage soon.

Those prices seem very reasonable compared to UK prices.

Enjoy you're sausage-making.

Phil