What's new

Sausage Making

TexLaw

Fussy Evil Genius
20200307_164428.jpg


As I already have a good knowledge of how laws are made, I thought I might check out the other thing Bismarck mentioned. Here's my first go at it. I hope it's something along the lines of a kielbasa, but I hope it's just a good smoked sausage by the time I'm done with it. It'll probably hit the smoke tomorrow.

The whole process was pretty smooth. I actually had real fun with this, and I'll do it again soon.

Does anyone else make sausage? Any tips, tricks, recipes, or other wisdom for a noob?
 

kelbro

Alfred Spatchcock
Not since I was a little boy and helped my grandmother and aunt make it in our family butcher shop.

I have wanted to give it a try but they both passed and took the recipes with them!
 
I grew up making polish kielbasi, fresh type,
With my kids i would make fresh kielbasi and sweet and hot italian sausage. Make it in the fall and have it for thanksgiving, x mas and if lucky easter.
I used to bone fresh shoulders , make a broth with the bones, but with my kids i had a meat house that i would buy once ground pork, cuts out a lot of work.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

simon1

Self Ignored by Vista
Never made the home ones, but would like to try.

I used to do something similar at a packing house in Tulsa where we made the roast beef for the Arby's roast beef sammys.

We'd take about 50 pounds of bull trimmings and run it through the electric grinder three times, then throw it in a large mixing vat that had about four mixing blades in it, then use some old plastic gallon milk jug things that had the tops cut off on the front at the right height for measurement, then scoop and dump the flavorings and preservatives in the batch and mix it well.

After it got mixed well we'd put the gooey stuff in a big sausage stuffer like thing and pipe it into a casing a bit bigger than a loaf of bread, and throw them into the freezer.

When they shipped to the franchises they would keep them in their freezer, then thaw the loafs out and "roast" them in their ovens, then slice them thin for the sammys.

They can call it roast beef because hey, it is "beef" and it has been "roasted" in their oven.

I used to make it and I don't have a problem with it...I'll still get a sammy from time to time.

I would like to learn how to make the home ones though...grinding thickness, which casings, different spices, etc. I brought the old hand crank grinder from when I was a kid home from Mom's after she passed, so I will be able to grind some pork. But don't think it will take sausage casing stuffing things on the discharge chute though.

By the way...those look perfect to me, Doak.
 
Last edited:
Never made the home ones, but would like to try.

I used to do something similar at a packing house in Tulsa where we made the roast beef for the Arby's roast beef sammys.

We'd take about 50 pounds of bull trimmings and run it through the electric grinder three times, then throw it in a large mixing vat that had about four mixing blades in it, then use some old plastic gallon milk jug things that had the tops cut off on the front at the right height for measurement, then scoop and dump the flavorings and preservatives in the batch and mix it well.

After it got mixed well we'd put the gooey stuff in a big sausage stuffer like thing and pipe it into a casing a bit bigger than a loaf of bread, and throw them into the freezer.

When they shipped to the franchises they would keep them in their freezer, then thaw the loafs out and "roast" them in their ovens, then slice them thin for the sammys.

They can call it roast beef because hey, it is "beef" and it has been "roasted" in their oven.

I used to make it and I don't have a problem with it...I'll still get a sammy from time to time.

I would like to learn how to make the home ones though...grinding thickness, which casings, different spices, etc. I brought the old hand crank grinder from when I was a kid home from Mom's after she passed, so I will be able to grind some pork. But don't think it will take sausage casing stuffing things on the discharge chute though.

By the way...those look perfect to me, Doak.
Old hand grinders that take a sausage stuffer will have a thread at the end to screw on the attachment.
I could get caasing in the supermarket, then as time goes by , not anymore, things change. I got mine from the meat butcher, and packed what i didnt use in kosher salt and froze them.
 
I've made it a few times. Using a Kitchen Aid meat grinder and I bought a vertical stuffer

It's a lot of work but fun. The kids are asking to make it again, so probably soon. I just have to source some casings. Hopefully my local butcher will sell me some.

Yours look like they turned out great
 

TexLaw

Fussy Evil Genius
Using a Kitchen Aid meat grinder and I bought a vertical stuffer

I also have an attachment for my Kichenaid, but I went with the stainless Smokehouse Chef. It works pretty well as a stuffer, though I may look into a real stuffer if find myself doing this often or in larger quantities.

This was just a five pound batch, so it really wasn't all that much work. I just wanted to get my feet wet but still make enough to get more than just a few links. I bet I stay in the 5-10 pound range.

Something else that saved me some real work was splurging on pre-tubed casing. I have casing coming out of my ears, now, but I'm betting it's worth it if only to be a more pleasant person. :thumbup1:
 
Does anyone else make sausage? Any tips, tricks, recipes, or other wisdom for a noob?

Those look great! How did the smoke go?

Simple tips; use the best quality meat you can get, keep it and everything cold, test and enjoy your mix before you stuff, and have fun.

Some other thoughts from my experience;

- get the best quality equipment your budget allows but youth don't need the biggest. I have a size 22 LEM that will grind lots of big chunks of venison in no time, which makes a great mince quickly so the meat stays cold. The drawback to big is the cleaning effort and the waste meat doing small (<5#) batches. I picked up a LEM Big Bite #8 and use it almost exclusively. The smaller head is easier to clean and it works great with small batches.

- slice the meat with the grain into strips your grinder can handle easily. Again, to grind quickly and keep it cold.

- at the end of the grind, run some of the mince through the grinder again to get any unground meat through.

- cool the meat after the grind.

- mix thoroughly until sticky.

- "sleeved casings" like Syracuse casings make thing easy especially if you are doing small batches, 1-2 casings.

- lots of good books like any of Stanley Marianski's books, Michael Ruhlman's, and Ryteck Kutas.

- I learned a lot from the Homemade Sausage Forum.

- doing small batches of fresh sausage is easier, gives you more opportunities for new blends, and can be more fun than doing 20# batches a couple of times a year.

- any meat; pork, beef, chicken, turkey, etc all make great sausage.

- buy meats on sale and freeze until you have time to grind.

- have fun!

Tom
 
Last edited:

DoctorShavegood

"A Boy Named Sue"
You might need to supply those chilis tepin, but I'd happily work up a batch for you, man!
Wery Interrresting (from Laugh-In). I could dry them out with the oven and grind them up to powder and ship them to you. It could be an B&B epic failure....or the bomb. Ah....the risks we take.
 
The Butcher and Packer is a decent resource for supplies. You'll get WAYYY more casings that you'll need. Just pack them in kosher salt and then the freezer. You'll be fine.

Keeping your tools as cold as possible help in keeping things together. Michael Ruhlman's Charcuterie is a great resource or the the Garde Mange text book from Culinary Institute of America is also another great resource.

I've made tons of sausages. A lot of the recipes from above are some of my favorites. My family always asks for them.
 

TexLaw

Fussy Evil Genius
I cannot be stopped.

20200311_161410.jpg


It's an attempt at a "corned beef" sausage for next week. We'll see.

I'm trying to decide how I want to cook them. I may smoke some and poach some to see each turns out. That way, I can can have corned beef and pastrami!
 
Top Bottom