You don't need everything at once. Start with a grinder, a scale and a thermometer; add a stuffer, slicer and pocket scale as you take on sausage and jerky.
The checklist
| Tool | When to buy | What it's for | Our pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meat grinder | First | Burgers, chili meat, sausage, venison | LEM #8 BigBite |
| Kitchen scale | First | Fat ratio and seasoning | OXO 11 lb |
| Instant-read thermometer | First | 160°F and 165°F checks | Any reliable instant-read |
| Boning knife and cutting boards | First | Trimming sinew and fat | Your own |
| Sausage stuffer | When you make sausage | Links and snack sticks | Hakka 7 lb |
| Pocket scale (0.01 g) | Before using cure | Curing salt and spices | AWS-100 |
| Meat slicer | When you make jerky or bacon | Even strips and deli slices | Chef'sChoice 615A |
| Vacuum sealer | When you process in bulk | Freezer storage | Vacuum Sealer Report picks |
| Dehydrator | When you make jerky | Drying strips and sticks | Dehydrator Report picks |
| Cut-resistant gloves | With a slicer | Cleaning blades | Any rated glove |
A starter setup
A grinder, a kitchen scale and a thermometer cost roughly $450 to $500 with our picks. Add about $133 for a stuffer, $30 for a pocket scale and about $190 for a slicer as you need them.
Our sister sites
For the freezer, see Vacuum Sealer Report; for jerky and snack sticks, The Dehydrator Report.
