Let’s start with the basics: Sausage stuffers are machines that hold sausage casings in place while slowly forcing the sausage meat into the casing. Question is: Do you need one?
If you plan on making sausage at home, you do.
The quick version: I like Weston Manual Vertical Sausage Stuffer at Amazon.
The problem is, these things can be costly, and you don’t want to get the wrong one. I’ve done the research and put together a list of products to help you decide which sausage stuffer will work best for you, without having to fork over too much cash.
LEM Stainless Steel Vertical Sausage Stuffer
This LEM device is beautiful. It has a stainless steel base with two clamps on it to ensure it is properly secured to your work surface. Additionally, all the gears are metal, so it will last quite a long time and has an easy cleanup.
Good capacity
It will hold up to 5 pounds of sausage. It has three different tubes for stuffing sausages with (½ inch, ¾ inch, and a 1-inch tube) giving you the ability to stuff differently sized sausages. This is great if you like Bratwursts or any other larger sized sausage links.
Easy to clean. Easy to use.
It also has a cylindrical design to make it easy to remove and clean the gears. As well as a plastic piston that has an air release valve, so you don’t have to fight with the machine to pack your sausage.
The LEM was made with heavy use in mind. It has joints that are welded together, and the gears are all metal, you will not have to worry about breaking this anytime soon.
Should you purchase this product?
This is a huge time saver. You could, if you wanted to, pack sausages using cookie presses, and get frustrated enough to call it quits. Instead, with the LEM sausage, you’ll save hours of your day.
If you are going to be making a lot of sausages, durability should be a major selling point for you. Definitely pick this one up.
The one downside is the nylon stuffing tubes. While they are very durable, it’s also tough to slide the sausage casings on to them. Of course, you can always get uan pgrade to a different material for the stuffing tubes.
Weston Manual Vertical Sausage Stuffer
This Weston stuffer can hold up to seven pounds of sausage, making you more efficient when pressing sausage into the casings. It also has a steel housing as well as a stainless steel canister.
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Good grip, no grief.
There are rubber feet on the sausage press give it a pretty solid grip on the surface that it is standing on. And the heavy duty gears make disassembly for cleaning frustration-free.
The worst part of doing anything pertaining to food is the cleanup. So the fact that the Weston Sausage Stuffer disassembles easily makes clean up the easiest part of making sausage.
Stainless steel funnels
Unlike the LEM, Weston gives you stainless steel for the casings to go on. Much easier than the nylon. You also get four different sized tubes from snack stick size to lunch meat.
Get a Weston for yourself at Amazon.
Should you buy this one?
This holds quite a bit of sausage at once, and that is a good thing for sure. However, it’s missing something I feel is important: clamps. The rubber legs do help to keep it stable. However, clamps always make for a sturdier surface than rubber feet. The base on this is rather large, so you may not find sliding around to be an issue. Maybe I’m just a spastic sausage stuffer!
Bottom line this is an excellent product from a company that is known for products for the do-it-yourself, self-sustaining, farm-to-table crowd.
Goplus stainless steel vertical sausage stuffer
This sausage press perfect for anybody that only needs to make a small amount of sausage at a time. If that’s what you need, great since this is the least expensive on our list.
The Goplus will hold up to 2.5 pounds of sausage and comes with four different sized sausage tubes. You will have no problem filling sausage links, hot dogs, or bratwursts with this device.
Should you buy this one?
This is good for the occasional sausage maker, who just makes a little at a time. It’s inexpensive, so even the dabbler can get into the home sausage game. But the low price has some drawbacks. The machine consistently fails to push all the sausage through. You will find during your clean up that there is still quite a bit of sausage left in the press.
Wrap – Up
When you make your own sausage, a good sausage stuffer is your best ally. All three of the one discussed today will do the job for you. But the one best suited for you will depend on how much you will be making.
If you only need a little sausage made every now and again, then the smallest one is best for you. If you need large quantities made at a time, then the largest one is best. And of course, if you’re somewhere in the middle, then the LEM five-pound capacity is best.
Personally, I find it easiest to make the most I can at once. Seasoning and grinding your meats, getting out all the equipment, I like to make the time that takes worth it. So my pick is the Weston. Quality durability and excellent capacity.
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Alexis DeAnda is a food fanatic, library card user, and cast iron hunter, in that order. She has been cooking for anyone that will taste it ever since her mom let her make doughnuts on Saturday mornings at the age of 7.