should I start

[brownclown]

Hi,
Brand new to the sausage making world and am debating taking the plunge but have a few issues that hopefully some of you may be able to help. Currently im conflicted on the price I want to spend on a grinder. im either looking at a Cabelas carnivore .75 (399$) or 1hp(499$). or an stx turboforce 2 from amazon (200$). Im leaning toward the Cabelas as they better quality and have a lifetime warranty but remain undecided if that's worth the extra money. I will use the grinder for both raw dog food feeding and sausage making but not sure on if worth it on the sausage side. I am an avid whitetail hunter and usually take about 3 or 4 deer a year. I have been having my meat processed by a butcher who has a few sausage options that i have liked. I have had Italian, summer, pepperoni, bologna and loved them and what started my journey here. I have seen they basically have an endless amount of kits available with virtually endless possibilities. The problem im finding with these is their ingredients . My diet is paleo "ish" and im pretty strict with some aspects, but it basically means I eat Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts and seeds, meat, Fish, Oils from fruits and nuts. I dont eat Grains, Legumes, beans, lentils, Dairy products, Refined sugar, Potatoes, soy, or highly processed foods. All of these kits seem to be loaded with sugar, MSG or other products i would like to avoid. In my initial reading, Im seeing DIY sausage needs Rusk, breadcrumbs, rice, oatmeals, soy proteins or other fillers which i dont eat. Is there enough DIY sausage recipes that don't require these fillers and or sugar that i would be able to make to justify needing a better grinder? Is there many sausages out that will fit my diet? thanks

[NCPaul]

Welcome to the forum. Recipes that have fillers in them can be made without them. The taste and texture will change be it will still be a sausage. The only case in which I would not consider this is when dextrose is used with a starter culture. In this case, the dextrose is used as food for the culture and the dextrose is converted to lactic acid.

[DanMcG]

None of the ingredients you mentioned are necessary, and some of the best sausages are merely meat, salt and pepper.
As far as choosing a grinder goes, you really need to size it to the amount of meat you'll be grinding. the $200 one you mention won't hold up long grinding 50-100 lbs at a time, and the 1hp with a #22 plate would be overkill if you're only doing 5 lb batches.
You should also consider a stuffer. Stuffing sausage with a grinder is not the best.