Here’s the basic list of equipment I have for making home-made meat products. Links are to the products I use personally:
Fresh sausage, hot dogs, smoked sausage, salami, fermented sausages all start with the same basic equipment:
- Sharp chef’s knife – 8″ blade or boning knife
- Knife sharpener
- Large polyethylene cutting board, minimum 18″x24″ but even that is a little small
- Meat lugs – at least two – plastic or stainless steel
- Kitchen scale – something that will measure both ounces and grams and can weigh out at least 10 pounds
- Spice grinder (or coffee grinder)
- Meat grinder with various die sizes
- Sausage stuffer
- Sheet pan
- Reusable ice blocks or an ice machine in your refrigerator
- Washable apron
- Vinyl gloves
- Kitchen rags
- Room in your freezer and refrigerator or a spare refrigerator/freezer combo
The only additional piece of equipment you need to make hot dogs is a food processor. In it you emulsify the hot dog meat before stuffing it into casings.
