I'm new to processing my own game meat and I'm looking to invest in some modest equipment to make sausage and burger. Looking for recommendations. What brand / model grinder and Sausage stuffers do y'all recommend?

A buddy has had good success trapping hogs lately and i may have the opportunity to grab a couple this weekend to fill the freezer and with everything going on currently if figure its a great time to learn how to make sausage. Any tips or tricks would be much appreciated.

I run one from Northern Tool. I butcher one deer per year and I've done a couple of elk as well. It's lasted me 10 years and still going. If you're going to stuff burger bags get a foot switch. LEM makes a better grinder but it costs more.

For breaking down the carcass I bought a fish cleaning table. It's the only folding table I could find that's the the right height for working while standing. I've used a standard height folding table with a bar stool as well but I prefer to stand.

Have had good luck with LEM.


I have a 5 pound stuffer and a 12 grinder.



I would NOT want to go any smaller on either.



Especially the stuffer.

A bud if mine is running a Cabelas branded grinder. About $600-700.

Grinds anywhere from 5-10 hogs a year and processes 6-10 deer a year.

Tried one of the cheap grinders one time, it couldn't cut the mustard so he bought this one. Been using it for about 10 years.

I have a Cabellas, I think a bit older, 3/4hp #22.

It has a nice big throat, the coarse thread on the throat area of the auger.
She will swallow anything you stuff in the throat, and never gag.
As fast as you get another piece and drop it in. You only have to pause for her to swallow if you are really pushing it.


Grinding pork butts, I cut inch + slabs full width. Fold them and drop them in.
Only use the pusher for second grind or stuffing.

You can buy a foot pedal switch at Harbor Fraught for under $15.
Mine is a step on- step off. You don't have to hold it, just tap it on,
tap it to stop.
Nice for grinding. Great for stuffing.
Absolutely necessary
if you want to fill those ground meat bags on the second grind.

What little bit i grind, i use a no name grinder from eBay.

Not sure of the rating. 1/2 hp? Can’t really load it up. I only do a deer or pig a year so it’s good for that.

If i did any more I’d step up to LEM or the like.

My lem #5 grinder get 2-3 200 lb patches of sausage ran thru it a year without any problems. Add a little water to your sausage and it grinds as fast as I can feed it. I bought a 5 lb stuffer then upgraded to a 10 lb one.

I use a #12 grinder and 2 Vivo 7 lb stuffers. I much prefer using the stuffers instead of doing my stuffing with the grinder. I also use a Kitchen Aide mixer with a grinder attachment and as long as you get a 750 watt or larger motor it works good. I have ground deer and some beef for 30 years with it. The biggest problem with the Kitchen Aide is the second pass when I want a fine grind, like for breakfast sausage patties. A #12 grinder is enough bigger that it makes that job some easier. The Vivo 7 pound stuffer is a good unit and makes stuffing links a lot easier.

I've got a 3/4HP Cabelas #22 grinder, like somebody above said, it grinds as fast as my kids want to load it.

I used to stuff burger into bags with the grinder, and did a round of kielbasa's once with the grinder. Was misery trying to get it to feed.

Bought a 7# stuffer to try. After one use I was wishing I had bought the 11# or 15#. It works so much easier stuffing with an actual stuffer instead of the grinder.

I too, favor having a sausage stuffer for snack sticks, etc... When using the grinder to stuff, it basically emulsifies the meat, cheese, etc., and it comes out looking very uniform. The sausage stuffer doesnt. I picked one up on amazon (Hakka model) for less then $150, and really like it.

Things to look for:

Larger the neck dia.,the larger the size of the meat pieces it can handle and the less time you have to spend cutting the meat by hand.

Cast Aluminum probably is not the best material for a grinder head due to wear of the soft metal can end up in your meat.Stainless steel or steel grinder heads are better.

I'd also look at the weight of the machine itself.If it's heavy,it's probably built heavy duty,made to run for a longer period without getting too hot and probably will be much quieter too.Small commercial grade machines are the best for long term use.

You kinda get what you pay for with grinders.Higher quality is just going to cost you more,but in the long run it will probably last a lifetime.

Parts.What kind of parts are available and also the quality of them.Also as the size of the grinder goes up,so does the price of the parts.

Grinder size.I have a #12 that I use.I spend as much more time cleaning after grinding than I usually do grinding.I usually run a couple hundred pounds through it every year.I think the #12 is about where small commercial grade grinders start and they are made to handle most grinding jobs.And parts are reasonably priced too.If I had to grind a whole lot more meat,I'm saying hundreds of pounds at one time,a #22 or #32 would certainly be a very good investment.

A foot switch is also nice.

Are older model, used grinders easy to pick up? Are they bargains?

I bought this one on Ebay 18yrs ago for $99.00.I bought a power unit like this one for $65.00 and a Hobart grinder head for $45.00 off Ebay too,so I actually have a complete back up.You just have to watch and you never know what you might find.Shipping these days are so much higher than when I bought mine.I also picked up a 8qt and 6qt antique stuffer $45.00 and $125 for an old Enterprise press that I don't think has ever been used.Good quality used knives made by Forschner,F Dick and Dexter are also good buys too.Getting good commerical grade stuff is well worth it if you can find it.This is a picture of my $45.00 stuffer.I came from a Italian Deli in New Jersey that closed down in the early 1960's and was torn down to build a school in it's place.I got it from a family member who was selling the estate stuff on Ebay.

Picked up this old press on Ebay about 15yrs ago for $125.00.It's what they call a complete press.It has both large and small plates,strainer basket and stuffing tube.One of the nicest one I've ever seen.Excellent shape for a hundred year old press.

For a lot of years I would grind four deer for me and sometime a couple more for friends using the Kitchen aide mixer grinder attachment. Mixing 1/3 pork to 2/3 venison I probably ground about 30 lbs total per deer for big deer and 20 or so for small ones. I would probably grind 30 lbs or so of beef in a year. Doing a second grind when I need finely ground met like for breakfast patties got to be a little more trouble because it is much harder to run already ground meat into the grinder. A #12 grinder has a big enough throat that it is less of a chore.

The Vivo stuffer will take 7 lbs of meat at a fill and it is a very nice unit. Much easier than stuffing out of a grinder. The Vivo can be had new for ~$90. A number 12 grinder will run $150 for a cheap one that will do a good job to $500 for a good one.

A tip... When you finish grinding and are mixing the spices for sausage, most recipes call for adding water. Do not add water when you are making brats, polish or country sausage! Add decent beer instead and be generous on the amount. Very generous. Also when you make maple breakfast sausage us real maple syrup.

It's easy to make better sausage than you can buy for a lot less money.

LEM usually has a good sale every year if you wait for that you will save big on your grinder. I think mine is a 1.5 hp big throat. Grinds like crazy.
I cant keep it feed if running it myself. I messed up my stuffer. I bought a five lb but now I wish I had went much bigger. My mixes usually are 20-25 lb so I wish I had went 25-30 on the stuffer. Kind of a pain to keep reloading it. I will say the stuffer and grinder I got from LEM are good quality and easy to clean up after use.

Cabelas 1 1/2 hp and never look back. Comes with plates and sausage stuffer plates. Did 14 deer and a bear last year. Never even moans when using. Faster than I can feed it...........