Sausage Making Round 1

Grandpas Grub

 
Well my first sausage making experience is over. I have a completely new appreciation when I see the posts of people making sausage.

As you can see in the summer sausage Thrdeye’s Plugs really came in handy. I tested the logs with the thermapen and the juices began to run – the Plug’s saved the day.

I do need to thank WessB, Thrideye, Ranhger Ray, Gator Bait, NOva Bill (hope I didn’t leave anyone out) for the help with my questions as well as some of the off line help. Thank You!!

I made a bunch of mistakes but in the end it all was pretty darn good.




What I didn’t take pictures of was the meat balls I made.

The Kitchen Aid grinder was OK to grind especially for the relative low cost of the grinder. However, if you try to use the KA stuffing attachment you may as well take a hammer and pound hard on your thumb. Either will give about the same amount of enjoyment. Possibly if I had more water in the mix the stuffer would have worked better, I doubt I will ever find out.

IMO one really needs a good stuffer unless just making patties and such.

On the link sausage I made 1 and 2 pound patches which are small loads for a stuffer. The summer sausage was a 6# batch and the stuffing side went well.

I used High Mountain Sausage Kit and a High Mountain Summer Sausage Kit both about $15 each. Both kits called for a beef & pork mix. I used chuck and boston butt.

The seasoning would make Italian, Polish, German and Bratwurst. The seasoning are the same just different quantities and different amount of cure in each type. My intent is egg or pan cooking so no cure was needed or used. I did double grind all the meat which made for a real nice texture in the different mixes.

I read to cook a pattie to see if you are liking the spice mix. That doesn’t at all work for the summer sausage and for me didn’t work well on the links. My first take on the sausages were not too good. However a tip from the guys above was to let the mix sit in the fridge overnight. I am glad I followed their advice.

Today after cooking the different mixes the flavor went from just ok to pretty dang good. The High Mountain Summer Sausage when smoked with apple wood on the egg is much better than Hickory Farms beef Summer Sausage. That by far was some of the best summer sausage I have ever tasted. Thanks to thirdeye and ranger ray I am going to try some other sausage recipes.

GG

Hoss

Love the post and the pics!I been wantin to try some stuff like that,I think you may have pushed me off the fence!

Richard Fl

Nice looking product. BUT be careful, it can become an addiction. This project started as 50#'s bone in pork butt and a few years later was 500 pounds boneless pork butt and several helpers. the smoking unit was the shipping case af a NASA rocket engine, think Atlas but forgot.

Grandpas Grub

 
Nova NOva post pushed me over, glad to push someone else over. Get your hardware before buying the meat...

It is worth the effort.

GG

Hoss

Got the KA grinder,looks like bulk til I can find a steal on a vertical stuffer! :(

Grandpas Grub

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

:laugh:

Holy Crap!!! I can't even imagine. I guess with a good grinder and stuffer this would be doable.

I gave some to my oldest son and his wife, who doesn't like sausage, called and said I need, no must have another log. That made grandpa feel pretty darn good.

The back three summer sausage logs were tossed in the garbage. Looking at the picture one can see the plump casings in the front of the grid and the difference in the back of the grid.

How long did it take you to grind and stuff that many links?

Kent

WessB

Glad to see ya hung in there..back when I used the KA grinder I got my best results doing a double grind...with the Cabelas grinder I can not double grind..it makes a product like meat pudding..and this is from personal experience...keep at it and if you do decide in the future to invest in some heavier duty equipment...we'll all still be here to offer advice...Enjoy..

NoVA Bill

Yippee!!

Grandpas Grub

 
The KA grinder will work OK, take a look at thrideye's site and you can see his KA grinding results.

You could make patties in the mean time. The best deal I could fine on a new vertical stuffer on line was about $80. The one I got and only one I could find locally was $150 (almost the same as the $80 ones).

GG

NoVA Bill

OMG Richard, that's hanging some sausage! Where did it all go?

Grandpas Grub

 
I want to try some different recipes and can well see the advantages of a better grinder. I did end up double grinding.

The KA would at times get partially blocked when there were large pieces of fat. Beef Fat was harder to deal with than pork fat.

I was ready to toss the whole project. I am grateful for the previous posts from all of you and decided to complete what I had.

What capacity stuffer do you use. I remember looking at the Grizly link.

Again thanks, Kent

Grandpas Grub

 
Me too.

Kent

WessB

5# ..which is plenty for our use..

Hoss

Thanks!

Hoss

What happened to the back ones that they had to be trashed??? :(

Gator Bait

 
Congratulations Kent, that's a lot of work and it all looks great. Glad to hear that your seasonings improved with time.

Gator

 

Grandpas Grub

 
I used the KA stuffer attachment to stuff those large diameter logs.

It took 3 or 4 HOURS to stuff 6#. The meat temperature was up to 65° and I was concerned about contamination. It was a matter of rather being safe than sorry.

I already had purchased the meat for another batch and so I bought a vertical stuffer. The next 6# stuffing, I am guessing, took 5 to 10 minutes.

The next issue with that first batch was it rested in the fridge for more than 24 hours.

Rather than tossing the first batch I had room and decided to smoke it. I did cut and taste the first batch. It was dryer tougher and really didn't taste that good - not from spoilage, just the taste. From what I tasted the fridge rest needs not to be more than 24 hours before smoking.

The taste of the second batch (logs in the front) are was really great - got some cheese, sausage, crackers here right now.

GG

Grandpas Grub

 
Time made all the difference.

Thanks, Kent

2Fategghead

I see you did very well Kent. Looks great. Tim

Grandpas Grub

 
Thanks, you need to give it a try.

Kent

Hoss

Got IT!I was scared the back of the egg was too hot and split the casings or something like that!Now I completely understand!

Richard Fl

It was around Easter every year. The women and teenagers were responsible for the casings and food for the crew.












About 8-10 men, 4 vertical stuffers and the meat was done in 50 pound batches. Placed in a portable cement mixer , 50 pounds at a time, that had been porcelined and custom special mixing forks added. after each batch was mixed it was placed in a cooler in the back yard and the next day the stuffing happened. We had kielbasa, Italian, Mexican chorizo and a few strays.











This was a 3 day process and a great event. My friends passed a few months later, but one great sausage event.

Grandpas Grub

 
'cememt mixer' and I was worried about contamination...

Thanks for sharing the pictures and history.

Kent

Richard Fl

Yeh, but he had it coated in bathtub porcelain and it was a great mixer for food. took a garden hose to clean the monster, would not fit in the sink.

Looked kinda like the one in the middle.

http://www2.northerntool.com/construction/cement-mixers.htm

cookn biker

Kent, You've done what I want to do. Nice job and thanks for the post!!
Put yer feet up!! I always say it's a great day when you learn something new..you did.

Grandpas Grub

I would think something large would have to be used. I was more thinking of heat issues with the meat.

Kent

Grandpas Grub

 
Thanks Molly.

The kids are demanding more, so I guess I am going to make another couple of batches of summer sausage. I managed to hide 4" of one log, the rest is gone. :laugh:

Don't put off giving it a try. I am looking forward to trying some of the other recipes available.

You have a pretty big heart loaning out that egg. I think I would have tears running down my cheeks.

Kent

Dave in So Cal

It looks really great. I aspire to be able to do projects like that someday on my egg.

I am glad you had a lot of expertise from the forum. Hopefully, the rest of us who don't have clue as to how can encourage you and admire your handiwork.

Keep it up.

AZRP

Kent, the KA will work OK for stuffing but it definitely takes two people to do it. I use a 5 lb vertical stuffer and like it. -RP