The Best Sausage Stuffers of 2024, Tested and Reviewed
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For the last decade or so, my cousin and I have processed all of the deer we harvested on our own. Growing up, we would take our deer to the local butcher and receive pre-packaged meat with no guarantee it was from our harvest. When we grew tired of wondering, and paying upwards of $100 a deer, we invested in a knife kit and a small grinder.
A few years back, we inherited an 1876 cast-iron sausage stuffer that weighs about as much as a truck and requires two full grown men to turn the handle and pump meat into the casings. Although it was taxing, we persevered with that setup at our annual sausage party for several years. Unfortunately, last year’s party saw the end of the cast-iron stuffer as the cast-iron top plate cracked and exploded during the days-long event.
While it was tough to say goodbye, it opened up the door to experience what 150-years of sausage stuffer technology has advanced to. Here are my picks for the best sausage stuffers after processing 125 pounds of meat at this year’s event.
- Best Overall: Cabela’s Pro Series Sausage Stuffer
- Best Small Hopper: Lem MightyBite 5-Pound Sausage Stuffer
- Best Large Hopper: Meat! 15-Pound Vertical Sausage Stuffer
- Best Budget Option: Cabela’s Deluxe Meat Grinder
- Weston 5-Pound Vertical Sausage Stuffer
- Weston 11-Pound Dual Speed Vertical Sausage Stuffer
How We Tested the Best Sausage Stuffers
As we headed into this year’s annual sausage stuffing party, we acquired five sausage stuffers from top outdoor brands in the meat processing industry. I also tacked on a small grinder to reminisce about the good old days and review a budget option.
The plan was simple, take 85 pounds of venison and 40 pounds of pork fat and produce the following options:
- 40 pounds of venison hot dogs
- 30 pounds of kielbasa
- 30 pounds of Italian sausage
- 25 pounds of venison bacon
The annual three-day event began on a cold Friday in February where we first measured out the 85 pounds of cubed venison while mixing in the pork fat.
Caleb Meighen
The next morning, after leaving the trays to soak in the seasonings, we reconvened with about a gallon of coffee and high-spirits to begin the next step: grinding the meat. We made quick work of all four trays using a Meat! .5-horsepower grinder and Lem Big Bite #32 1.5-horsepower grinder. Then, it was time to get to the real test, finding our new replacement sausage stuffer.
Read Next: Best Meat Grinders
Caleb Meighen
I had no idea what we were missing in years past. All of the best sausage stuffers on this list outperformed the 1876 cast-iron stuffer by a landslide. You won’t have to go antiquing for your new sausage stuffer, but we still had to decide which stuffers performed best. We looked at build quality, mounting platform, handle ergonomics, hopper size, gasket performance, and durability.
Best Sausage Stuffers: Reviews & Recommendations
Best Overall: Cabela’s Pro Series Sausage Stuffer
Key Features
- Price: $200
- Hopper Size: 12 pounds
- Weight: 14 pounds, 15 ounces
- Two-speed design
- Spring-loaded air release valve
- Comes with three stuffing tubes (clear plastic)
- Comes with two heavy-duty C-clamps
- Four holes in the base to screw onto a bench
Pros
- Easy to use and minimal effort required
- Two speeds for stuffing and faster retracting speed
- Integrated spring clips for fast cylinder installation and removal
- Fully enclosed gearbox
- Clear plastic stuffing tubes
Cons
- None
I’m typically not a fan of declaring a landslide victory when it comes to gear testing, but in this case, I’ll be making an exception. Upon the very first crank with the Cabela’s Pro Series, I knew we had our winner.
The hopper holds a hefty pile of meat at 12-pounds, and the vertical design makes it incredibly easy to rotate the handle clockwise without placing too much pressure across the surface area. I’m also a big fan of clear plastic stuffing tubes over the metal options as it’s easier to monitor the output, ensuring an evenly stuffed casing. The air release valve worked without a hitch and the gasket didn’t fail, no matter how quickly we tried turning the handle to force a failure.
Another great feature of the Cabela’s Pro Series is the two-speed design for stuffing and a faster retracting speed. Pair that with the integrated spring clips for faster hopper installation and removal and we were flying. When you’re working through over 100-pounds of meat, speed and efficiency is key.
It’s safe to say that we will be putting the Cabela’s Pro Series sausage stuffer through the wringer again at next year’s party, and I can’t wait.
Best Small Hopper: Lem MightyBite 5-Pound Sausage Stuffer
Key Features
- Price: $180
- Hopper Size: 5 pounds
- Weight: 12.8 pounds
- Single-gear design
- Hard plastic piston with a built-in release valve
- Comes with three stuffing tubes (clear plastic or stainless steel)
- Comes with two heavy-duty C-clamps
- Four holes in the base to screw onto a bench
Pros
- Easy to use and minimal effort required
- Fully enclosed gearbox
- Stuffing tubes are labeled with size and diameter
Cons
- Stainless steel tubes make it difficult to monitor output when starting a new casing
The Lem MightyBite 5-pound sausage stuffer performed phenomenally. For a small hopper and lightweight design, this stuffer was incredibly easy to use and filled a hefty pile of sausage casings. Although the hopper is small and requires refills more often, it was incredibly easy to remove and re-install the hopper as it simply slides in and out.
Caleb Meighen
The single speed design means it wasn’t the fastest for reloading, but the handle doesn’t require much force at all to produce a full clockwise rotation. Another big advantage of the Lem MightyBite is that the air release valve worked without a hitch and the gasket didn’t fail, no matter how quickly we tried turning the handle to force a failure.
As I mentioned before, I’m not a fan of non-clear plastic stuffing tubes, but the Lem MightyBite gives you the option for stainless steel or plastic stuffing tubes, so it’s your choice. If you’d prefer stainless steel, each tube is labeled with size and diameter for your convenience.
Best Large Hopper: Meat! 15-Pound Vertical Sausage Stuffer
Key Features
- Price: $300
- Hopper Size: 15 pounds
- Weight: 25 pounds
- Single-gear design
- Hard plastic piston with a built-in release valve
- Comes with three stuffing tubes (clear plastic)
- Four holes in the base to screw onto a bench
Pros
- Hopper is easy to remove and install
- Fully enclosed gearbox
- Clear plastic stuffing tubes
Cons
- Top seal malfunctioned once
- Main support bolts on the bottom needed tightened
- Rotating the handle requires a bit more effort due to the wider surface area of the hopper
The Meat! 15-pound vertical sausage stuffer is a beast. It doesn’t offer a fancy two-speed design, and it’s not built for speed, but it can hold an impressive amount of meat and filled sausage casings effectively. If you’re trying to pump out a high volume of sausages, this is the sausage stuffer for you.
Caleb Meighen
The hopper was easy to remove, fill, and re-install, and the Meat! stuffer gained my favor with the clear plastic stuffing tubes. You’ll have to monitor your output closely, as the wide surface area can trick you into rotating the handle too fast and blowing out your casing.
We did have to stop mid-casing once as we were getting a lot of play from the housing, but after a quick tightening of the main support bolts, we were back in action. However, due to the wide surface area, rotating the handle clockwise did require a substantial amount of effort when compared to the skinnier more vertical hoppers. I was able to cause a gasket failure, but only when I purposefully turned the handle as fast as possible. During regular use, the stuffer performed well and is very deserving of the best large hopper award.
Best Budget Option: Cabela’s Deluxe Meat Grinder
Key Features
- Price: $180
- Yield: 4 pounds of meat per minute
- Weight: 11 pounds
- 600W DC motor
- Easy-to-use toggle switch control
- Stainless steel knife
- Two stainless steel cutting plates (4.5 mm and 8 mm)
- Meat stomper
- Comes with three stuffing tubes (clear plastic)
Pros
- Allows you to grind and stuff sausages all with one machine
- A great option for small amounts of snack sticks or sausages
- Large meat tray
Cons
- Stuffing takes a long time
- Would not recommend for large amounts of sausage production
Caleb Meighen
While the Cabela’s Deluxe meat grinder may be fighting well outside of its weight class when comparing it to devices solely made for sausage stuffing, I’d be remiss not to include a solid budget option for folks just starting out on their meat processing journey. The Deluxe meat grinder is very similar to what my cousin and I started with before we came to own the ancient cast iron stuffer. While it might take a considerable amount of time for grinding and sausage stuffing, it will get the job done.
Weston 5-Pound Vertical Sausage Stuffer
Key Features
- Price: $130
- Hopper Size: 5 pounds
- Weight: 10.4 pounds
- Single-gear design
- Hard plastic piston with a built-in release valve
- Comes with three stuffing tubes (clear plastic)
- Comes with two heavy-duty C-clamps
- Four holes in the base to screw onto a bench
Pros
- Hopper is easy to remove and install
- Clear plastic stuffing tubes
Cons
- Hopper has a lot of play when seated
- Handle rotates counter-clockwise
- Open face gears
- Top seal malfunctioned twice
- Rotating the handle requires a bit more effort than other 5-pound stuffers in the test
The Weston 5-pound vertical sausage is a great option when it comes to smaller hoppers, and comes in at a lower price point than most other comparably sized stuffers on the market. It is lightweight, and the hopper is easy to remove and reinstall on the base. The Weston 5-pound stuffer also comes with clear plastic stuffing tubes.
Caleb Meighen
There are, however, some areas for improvement. I noticed that the hopper had a lot of play when seated in the base, and unlike the other stuffers in the test, features open face gears. The open face gears shouldn’t cause an issue, but it is possible that over time and usage, your meat could become more easily tainted from chipping gears.
The biggest room for improvement is the gasket which failed twice, prior to us pushing the stuffer to attempt a failure. This isn’t the biggest problem you can encounter, but it can be frustrating as it requires you to reseat the gasket and reset the hopper and casing.
Caleb Meighen
Overall, I think the Weston 5-pound sausage stuffer is a safe option for folks looking to produce small amounts of sausages at a time. It’s very fairly priced and did its job of filling our kielbasa casings.
Weston 11-Pound Dual Speed Vertical Sausage Stuffer
Key Features
- Price: $220
- Hopper Size: 11 pounds
- Weight: 24.9 pounds
- Two speed, all-metal gear box design
- Stainless steel piston with a built-in release valve
- Comes with four stuffing tubes (stainless steel)
Pros
- Hopper remains in the housing but tilts out for easy loading
- Fully enclosed gearbox
- Dual speed functionality allows you to quickly raise the piston for filling the hopper
- Has a gasket seal in the tube connection, unlike other stuffers in the test
- Comes with an extra main piston gasket seal
- Four bolts in the base, unlike other stuffers in the test with two
Cons
- Stainless steel tubes make it difficult to monitor output when starting a new casing
- Handle rotates counter-clockwise
- Top seal malfunctioned once
- There isn’t a good way to mount the stuffer to a bench
The Weston 11-pound dual speed vertical sausage stuffer is a great option for those looking for a mid-sized hopper. The two-speed gear box design was exciting to use, and the integrated hopper system made re-filling as easy as it gets.
Similar to some of the other stuffers, the Weston 11-pound dual speed comes with stainless steel tubes, but unlike the others, offers an extra main gasket seal. While the extra seal is a nice addition, like the Weston 5-pound stuffer, the gasket failed once, prior to us pushing the stuffer to attempt a failure.
The biggest hurdle with the Weston 11-pound sausage stuffer is that there isn’t a good way to keep it stationary. It does not have holes in the base for mounting, and it didn’t come with C-clamps to hold it to a bench, so we struggled to keep the stuffer from tipping and tilting while rotating the handle.
Overall, the Weston 11-pound dual speed stuffer functioned well enough to produce some Italian sausage and kielbasa. While it has some room for improvement, it’s still a solid option at a fair price and the dual speed functionality is a blast to use.
Things to Consider Before Buying the Best Sausage Stuffer
Derek Horner
Over the years of processing our own deer, my cousin and I graduated from merely cutting the meat off of the bone and turning it into steaks or ground meat and began experimenting with brines and smokers to create pastrami and hams. Naturally, venison sausages weren’t far behind. It didn’t take long for us to realize that our small grinder wasn’t up to the task of stuffing enough sausage casings to make the effort worthwhile.
One of the best sausage stuffers makes a world of difference. When choosing the right stuffer for your meat processing operation, consider how much meat you plan to process, whether you want the durability of stainless steel tubes or the convenience of clear plastic, and how you want to mount your device.
Final Thoughts on the Best Sausage Stuffers
Any of the best sausage stuffers we tested will work for you, but it comes down to finding the one that fits your needs. For me, that’s a large hopper, a reliable and durable gasket, and an easy to turn handle and gear platform.
The Cabela’s Pro Series was a standout, but realistically, unless you’re producing over 100-pounds of sausages in a single weekend like we are, a stuffer of that size might be overkill. The smaller LEM MightyBite 5-Pound Sausage Stuffer is enough to produce wild game sausages for the whole family.
No matter what your skill level, don’t be intimidated to take control of your wild game processing. This one weekend produced enough hot dogs, Italian sausage, kielbasa, and venison bacon to last me until next fall, and I know it’s from my deer. I highly recommend you give the best sausage stuffers a shot for results that won’t disappoint.
- Best Overall: Cabela’s Pro Series Sausage Stuffer
- Best Small Hopper: Lem MightyBite 5-Pound Sausage Stuffer
- Best Large Hopper: Meat! 15-Pound Vertical Sausage Stuffer
- Best Budget Option: Cabela’s Deluxe Meat Grinder
- Weston 5-Pound Vertical Sausage Stuffer
- Weston 11-Pound Dual Speed Vertical Sausage Stuffer
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Source: https://www.outdoorlife.com/gear/best-sausage-stuffers/
