Why not a grinder for a stuffer?

[Eric F]

I recently bought a Weston/Prago #8 575 w electric grinder. I have noticed a large opinion that a grinder is a grinder and a stuffer is a stuffer. I agree that there are advantages and reasons for both. I stuffed 10# worth of sausages with my grinder and it worked great. I do notice a diffrence in some though, the requirement of the knife to be in place. With me grinder the knife is removed and a "open plate is placed in the machine, it stuffs well and it comes out corect. With my hand grinder the knife must be in place for the stuffer to work properly and it comes out in the wrond mannor.
So Has technology defeated the need for a seperate stuffer machine with modern design and use of onle the worm gear?

[SausageBoy]

I recently bought a Weston/Prago #8 575 w electric grinder. I have noticed a large opinion that a grinder is a grinder and a stuffer is a stuffer. I agree that there are advantages and reasons for both. I stuffed 10# worth of sausages with my grinder and it worked great. I do notice a diffrence in some though, the requirement of the knife to be in place. With me grinder the knife is removed and a "open plate is placed in the machine, it stuffs well and it comes out corect. With my hand grinder the knife must be in place for the stuffer to work properly and it comes out in the wrond mannor.
So Has technology defeated the need for a seperate stuffer machine with modern design and use of onle the worm gear?

A grinder as a stuffer can work okay for some things, but for certain stuff, such as emulsifications like hot dogs, etc. or stuffing snack sticks, it's an exercise in futility unless you have the patience of a saint.

Regardless, I'll take a stuffer any day over a grinder for stuffing, it just all-aroundd works better.

[JLPicard]

It isn't really a matter of whether it is a need, as a matter of fact it isn't needed at all to have two machines. I did loads of pounds of all kinds of sausage with only a grinder and several size horns for years. I did lots of fresh sausages, slim jims into sheep casings, and Venison Summer Sausage. It is only recently that I decided to purchase a separate stuffer.

Besides doing emulsified sausages, as SausageBoy mentions, what makes a separate stuffer nice is when you are running meat thru the grinder more than once, or lets say you are making a sausage that required your fat to be ground with a 1/8 plate and your meat to be double ground with a 3/16 plate. You would have to grind those down, mix them, then add the cures and spices to the mix before they went into the cooler to cure. Then take them out and pass them back thru the grinder into your casings. It's doable, a stuffer is NOT a need. However, it can be problematic and frustrating. The screw feed grinders just don't handle any type of finely chopped meat very well. It becomes hard to feed. Hell you can chop meat up fine with a knife and hand stuff it thru a funnel into your casings, it can work. It's just a matter of whether you care to go thru the hassle and added frustration to do it that way.

You can certainly make a TON of FRESH sausages with only a grinder easily. Just cube the meat, add the seasonings and liquid and then grind it into the casings. Once you have the need to do multiple grinds or emulsify, the frustration factor can raise its ugly head.

[SausageBoy]

My experiences are all based on using a manual grinder.

I have an Italian friend who's stuffed with a manual grinder for 50 years and always will stuff with a manual grinder.

Not me, or a power grinder for that matter!!!! LOL

Love my stuffer!!!