Cabela's 33lb sausage meat mixer

Post by **redzed** » Sun Dec 31, 2017 19:31

I had a Cabela's 20lb manual meat mixer for a number of years. I rarely used it because when I do a small batch, I do it by hand, and when I did have 20lbs of sausage, it's pretty darned hard to crank for 20 minutes to get a proper mix. And doing it by hand is cold and not very pleasant. Cabela's 33lb mixer with grinder attachment and tiltable hopper is on sale, so I grabbed one. (I buy my own Christmas presents

) I solved the problem of hooking it up to my Lem grinder with a specially made coupler.
https://www.cabelas.ca/product/70357/ca ... ment-wtilt
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas- ... 837507.uts

So far I tested it on a 20lb batch of sausage and a 9lb batch of salami and was happy with the way it performed. One thing that concerns me is the noise from the gears, but let's hope that that is the way it's supposed to sound. Another thing that I don't like about it are the brackets that attach the hopper to the stand. These are attached by a two (on each side) wing bolts that are flimsy, and poorly machined. The brackets do their job but don't fit perfectly. These have to be removed each time to wash the hopper. Looks like Cabela's quality control guy in China is not doing his job.

Cdub · Post by **Cdub** » Mon Jan 01, 2018 00:31

I have the same one and it works great on reducing frostbite while mixing. Cleaning is a bitch but still better than cold hands. Mine matches up with my cabelas grinder and have not noticed gear noises.

DanMcG · Post by **DanMcG** » Mon Jan 01, 2018 12:15

redzed wrote:, it's pretty darned hard to crank for 20 minutes to get a proper mix.

Is it mixing with the machine that causes it to take so long, or do you also spend that much time hand mixing small batches?
I've never owned a mixer, only do small 10 lb or less batches but never spend more then 5 minutes mixing. (never timed it, I just go by stickiness )

Post by **Bob K** » Mon Jan 01, 2018 14:24

redzed wrote: One thing that concerns me is the noise from the gears, but let's hope that that is the way it's supposed to sound.

Are you able to check the gears for grease?

Dan-
It does take a little longer with the machine, a big advantage is that your hands stay warm and along with that the mince stays colder without your 98° hands warming it up! I usually crank the machine for around 10 minutes, alternating directions for a better mix.

Post by **redzed** » Tue Jan 02, 2018 22:09

Dan, I think that when it comes to 10lbs and more, the mixer does a more thorough job, and it is really important to have a long mix for hot smoked sausages. For dry cured we have to be careful not to overmix, especially if we are using our hands to avoid smearing. It's a real relief on the hands. The only liability here is the additional washing.

Bob, I will have to take it apart and see whether I can get into the gearbox. Right now its a sort of a clicking sound, so maybe it's normal. I might go to the local Cabela's and crank another unit to see whether it operates the same or smoother.

DanMcG · Post by **DanMcG** » Wed Jan 03, 2018 12:19

redzed wrote: The only liability here is the additional washing.

That's the part I hate the most, the seemingly endless clean up.
Thanks for your insight!

sawhorseray · Post by **sawhorseray** » Fri Jan 05, 2018 16:29

I got the same mixer last year and it works flawlessly with my Cabelas 1hp commercial grinder. The clean up is pain, but worth the hassle. I'd think the gear issue would have something to do with the attachment. RAY

K98 AL · Post by **K98 AL** » Fri Jan 05, 2018 19:14

redzed wrote:Dan, I think that when it comes to 10lbs and more, the mixer does a more thorough job, and it is really important to have a long mix for hot smoked sausages. For dry cured we have to be careful not to overmix, especially if we are using our hands to avoid smearing. It's a real relief on the hands. The only liability here is the additional washing.

Bob, I will have to take it apart and see whether I can get into the gearbox. Right now its a sort of a clicking sound, so maybe it's normal. I might go to the local Cabela's and crank another unit to see whether it operates the same or smoother.

How long do you typically mix for smoked sausages? By hand?

Kijek · Post by **Kijek** » Fri Jan 05, 2018 19:34

Hey all, this is my first real post in here.This caught my eye because I've been thinking about a next grinder and an up grade from my 22 lb hand mixer.
I'm gonna check this out and hopefully buy a complete unit, 1 mixer and 1 grinder, that fit together.

Kijek · Post by **Kijek** » Fri Jan 05, 2018 19:42

I searched Cabela's web site, can't seem to find that mixer.
Anyone have a link for me?

Post by **redzed** » Fri Jan 05, 2018 20:14

sawhorseray wrote:I got the same mixer last year and it works flawlessly with my Cabelas 1hp commercial grinder. The clean up is pain, but worth the hassle. I'd think the gear issue would have something to do with the attachment. RAY

It does the samething when I use the handcrank. I'll just keep using it, and not worry too much since it has a lifetime warranty against manufacturers' defects.

How long do you typically mix for smoked sausages? By hand?

Mixing by hand not an activity that you can define by time. It's ready when it's ready. There are numerous factors to take into consideration, such as the quality and cut of the meat,water content in the meat, how much water you add, the size of the grind, whether the meat was cured or not before grinding, and amount and type of spices used. So there is no set number of minutes. You mix until the meats, fat, water and spices are thoroughly intermixed and then you mix until the batter can form peaks and a large ball can stick to your hand without dropping. This can take 5 minutes, 10 minutes or half an hour.

Kijek wrote:I searched Cabela's web site, can't seem to find that mixer.
Anyone have a link for me?

Hello Kijek and welcome. The link is in the first post in this thread.

Cdub · Post by **Cdub** » Sat Jan 06, 2018 19:23

I am making 20 lbs smoked country today so I will listen when using mine.
Just bought my last couple pork legs after a couple of trips with none in stock.

Post by **redzed** » Sun Jan 07, 2018 02:54

Cdub wrote:I am making 20 lbs smoked country today so I will listen when using mine.
Just bought my last couple pork legs after a couple of trips with none in stock.

Geez I should have cove over and watched, maybe could have learned something!
I went to Nanaimo Thrifty's on Thursday and they were sold out in the afternoon. Went back on Friday right after they opened and picked up 6 legs.

Cdub · Post by **Cdub** » Sun Jan 07, 2018 04:16

I didn't really hear anything that concerned me in the mixer.
I was able to grab another 2 for me and 2 for a friend. We ended up with 6 legs legs total that should do for the year. 20 lbs of country in the smoker and 4lbs of pepperoni for pizza. I haven't made scratch pepperoni in years as the stuffers mix has always been successful. I will see how it works as previously I usually had issues with scratch pepperoni

Cabela's 33lb sausage meat mixer

Re: Cabela's 33lb sausage meat mixer