6 Best Lem Stuffer Funnels for Any Sausage Size

There’s a special kind of satisfaction that comes from turning your own ethically-raised meat into perfectly crafted sausage, a process that connects you directly to the food on your table. But that satisfaction can quickly turn to frustration when casings split and your stuffer clogs, all because of one small, overlooked tool. The secret to a smooth, successful sausage-making day isn’t just in the recipe; it’s in matching the right stuffing funnel to the job at hand.

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Why Funnel Size is Key for Sausage Making

Choosing the right stuffing funnel, also called a stuffing tube, is the most critical mechanical decision you’ll make in the sausage-making process. The diameter of the funnel’s outlet must be smaller than the diameter of your casing, but not so small that it allows the casing to bunch up or twist. An improperly sized funnel is the primary cause of burst casings, as too much pressure is exerted on the delicate membrane. It’s like trying to force a river through a garden hose—something has to give.

Furthermore, funnel size directly impacts the texture and density of your final product. A tube that’s too small for the casing can introduce air pockets, leading to poor texture and a shorter shelf life. Conversely, a tube that’s too large stretches the casing to its limit before it’s even filled, making it nearly impossible to link the sausages later without them bursting. This isn’t just about convenience; it’s about honoring the animal by producing the highest quality product possible and avoiding waste.

Think of it this way: each type of sausage has an ideal "feel." Snack sticks need to be tight and dense, while a fresh bratwurst should have a bit more give. The funnel is your main tool for controlling this. By selecting a tube that allows the casing to slide on easily but still provides gentle, consistent tension as it fills, you gain precise control over the final density. This control is what separates amateur results from professional-quality charcuterie.

Choosing Between Plastic and Stainless Steel

When selecting your funnels, the first choice you’ll face is material: plastic or stainless steel. Plastic tubes, often included with entry-level stuffers, are an economical way to get started. They are lightweight, inexpensive, and often come in sets, giving you a range of sizes to experiment with without a significant upfront investment. For the hobbyist making a few batches a year, a good quality plastic set can be more than adequate.

However, plastic has its drawbacks. Over time, it can absorb odors and fat, potentially becoming stained and difficult to sanitize perfectly. It’s also more prone to scratching, and those tiny scratches can harbor bacteria. Most significantly, plastic creates more friction than steel, meaning you have to work harder to push the meat through, and casings are more likely to tear as they are fed onto the tube.

Stainless steel is the undisputed champion for durability and food safety. It’s a non-porous material, so it won’t harbor bacteria or absorb flavors, making cleanup simple and sanitation absolute. The smooth, slick surface reduces friction, allowing meat to flow more easily and casings to slide on without catching or tearing. While the initial cost is higher, a set of stainless steel tubes is a lifetime investment for anyone serious about processing their own meat. It’s a classic "buy once, cry once" scenario that pays dividends in consistency and peace of mind.

LEM 1/2" Stainless Steel Tube for Snack Sticks

This is not an optional tool; it’s a mandatory one if you plan to make snack sticks, slim pepperonis, or any other very small-diameter sausage. The 1/2" tube is specifically designed to work with delicate 19-21mm collagen or sheep casings. Using any larger tube will either be physically impossible or will instantly tear these fragile casings, wasting time, money, and your patience.

The stainless steel construction is particularly important at this small size. The slick surface is essential for extruding tacky, cured meat mixtures without excessive pressure, which could jam your stuffer or create blowouts. This tube gives you the fine control needed to pack the meat tightly, eliminating the air pockets that can ruin a batch of snack sticks. It ensures a uniform, professional-looking product every time.

Bottom line: If you are making snack sticks, you need this specific tube. Don’t try to make do with a larger size. This is the right tool for a very specific job, and it performs that job perfectly, turning a potentially frustrating task into a smooth, efficient process.

LEM 5/8" Stainless Tube for Breakfast Links

The 5/8" tube is the master of the breakfast table. It’s the ideal size for classic breakfast links, small fresh sausages like chipolatas, and even some frankfurters. It’s designed to pair perfectly with 22-26mm casings, giving you that familiar, satisfying "snap" when you bite into a finished link. This size strikes a crucial balance—it’s large enough to allow a good flow of meat but small enough to avoid stretching and splitting the casing.

This is the funnel you’ll reach for when you want to process a batch of pork trim into something the whole family will enjoy on a Saturday morning. The stainless steel build ensures that your sausage mixture glides through smoothly, which is especially helpful when working with finer grinds typical of breakfast sausage. It allows for consistent filling, making it easy to twist off uniform links.

Bottom line: For anyone dedicated to making their own breakfast sausage or other small-link varieties, the 5/8" tube is a must-have. It provides a level of precision that the more common 3/4" tube can’t offer for this specific application, ensuring your links are perfectly and consistently sized.

LEM 3/4" Stainless Tube for Classic Brats

If you could only own one stuffing tube, this would be the one for most people. The 3/4" diameter is the undisputed workhorse of the sausage-making world, perfectly suited for the most popular sausage types like bratwurst, kielbasa, and standard Italian sausage. It’s designed to be used with standard 32-35mm hog casings, the most common and readily available natural casing.

This tube’s versatility is its greatest strength. It’s wide enough to handle coarser grinds without clogging, yet it provides the right amount of tension on a hog casing to create a firm, but not over-stuffed, sausage. This is the tube that will see the most use in a typical farm kitchen, turning pork shoulder into piles of perfect brats for the grill. The durable stainless steel construction means it will stand up to season after season of heavy use.

Bottom line: This is the essential, non-negotiable funnel for any serious sausage maker. It covers the widest range of popular sausage types and is the perfect starting point for building your collection. If you’re making brats, you need this tube.

LEM 1" Stainless Steel Tube for Italian Sausage

When you graduate to heartier sausages with coarser grinds, you need a bigger funnel. The 1" stainless steel tube is the perfect tool for stuffing thick Italian sausage, chorizo, and other robust sausages that use 38-42mm hog or beef casings. The wider opening is critical for preventing "smear," where the fat and lean separate under too much pressure, which can happen when forcing a coarse grind through a smaller tube.

This funnel allows larger chunks of fat and meat to pass through easily, preserving the texture that defines these rustic sausage styles. It makes the stuffing process faster and requires less effort from your stuffer, reducing strain on the equipment. If you’ve ever struggled to stuff a coarse, sticky chorizo mix, you’ll immediately appreciate the smooth flow this larger tube provides.

Bottom line: If you’re serious about making authentic, coarse-ground Italian sausage, large bratwurst, or chorizo, the 1" tube is a necessity. It protects the texture of your meat mix and makes the stuffing process dramatically easier.

LEM 1 1/4" Stainless Tube for Summer Sausage

Tackling large-diameter cured sausages like summer sausage, salami, bologna, or liverwurst requires a specialized tool, and the 1 1/4" tube is it. These sausages use wide fibrous or beef casings (40mm and up), and attempting to fill them with a smaller funnel is a recipe for failure. It would be incredibly slow and would almost certainly introduce significant air pockets that compromise curing and safety.

The wide-mouthed 1 1/4" tube is designed for high-volume, low-pressure stuffing. It allows you to move a large amount of meat mix into the casing quickly and efficiently, which is key to achieving the tight, air-free pack required for properly cured or smoked sausages. This isn’t a funnel for everyday use, but for those big, rewarding projects, it’s absolutely indispensable.

Bottom line: This is a specialist’s tool. If you plan to make summer sausage, salami, or other large-format charcuterie, you must have this tube. It’s the only way to properly fill wide-diameter casings without compromising the safety and quality of your final product.

LEM Plastic Stuffing Tube Set: A Versatile Kit

For the person just starting their sausage-making journey or the farmer who only makes a few small batches a year, this plastic set from LEM is a smart, practical choice. The kit typically includes three or four of the most common sizes (often 1/2", 3/4", and 1"), giving you the versatility to experiment with everything from snack sticks to brats without a major financial commitment. This allows you to discover what types of sausage you enjoy making most before investing in specialized steel tubes.

While plastic doesn’t offer the longevity or low-friction glide of stainless steel, modern food-grade plastics are tough and easy to clean for occasional use. The key is diligent sanitation. The biggest advantage here is value and exploration. You can try your hand at snack sticks, breakfast links, and bratwurst all with one affordable purchase.

Bottom line: This plastic set is the perfect entry point for beginners or infrequent sausage makers. It provides the most bang for your buck and gives you the flexibility to learn the craft. Once you find you’re consistently making one size of sausage, you can upgrade to a stainless steel tube for that specific application.

Cleaning and Caring for Your Stuffing Funnels

Proper sanitation is non-negotiable in meat processing. After every use, your stuffing funnels must be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria. The best practice is to first wash them immediately with hot, soapy water. Use a dedicated bottle brush to scrub the inside of the tube, ensuring you remove every last particle of meat and fat residue.

For stainless steel tubes, the process is straightforward. After washing, they can be sanitized by boiling them for a few minutes or running them through a high-temperature dishwasher cycle. Their non-porous surface makes them incredibly easy to get truly clean. For plastic tubes, avoid abrasive scrubbers that can create scratches where bacteria can hide. After washing, soak them in a food-safe sanitizing solution according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Once clean and dry, store your funnels in a clean, dry place where they won’t get bent or scratched. A dedicated drawer or container is ideal. Taking a few extra minutes for proper cleaning and storage not only ensures food safety but also extends the life of your equipment, whether it’s a lifetime-quality steel tube or a practical plastic set.

Final Tips for Perfect Sausage Stuffing

Beyond having the right size funnel, a few small techniques can make a world of difference. First, always keep your equipment and meat cold. This includes the stuffer, the funnel, and the meat mixture itself. Cold fat doesn’t smear, which results in a better texture and a cleaner stuffing process. Some people even put their metal funnels in the freezer for 30 minutes before starting.

To help casings slide on and off the funnel smoothly, a little lubrication helps. You can dip the funnel in a bit of clean water or rub a tiny amount of neutral-flavored cooking oil on the outside of the tube. This small step can dramatically reduce friction and prevent casings from catching and tearing, especially when you’re loading a long section of natural casing.

Finally, manage your stuffing speed and pressure. Work with a partner if possible—one person to crank the stuffer and another to guide the emerging sausage. The goal is to fill the casing firmly but not to the point of bursting. You want to leave it just pliable enough that you can twist it into links later. It takes a little practice to get the feel for it, but mastering this tension is the final key to beautiful, uniform sausages.

Ultimately, the right stuffing funnel is a small investment that protects the much larger investment of time, effort, and resources you’ve put into raising your animals. By matching the tool to the task, you transform sausage making from a challenging chore into a rewarding and delicious part of your homesteading practice. Choose wisely, work cleanly, and enjoy the incredible results.