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Sausage advice

BB1857
BB1857 Posts: 131
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I am hoping to get some assistance from some more experienced eggers. I was rummaging thru my mom and das yard sale last weekedn and found a meat grinder. Immediately the wheels start turning in my head. Well i have it home and want to make some sausage. My problem is i have no way to get it in casings. So my question is how to do it? Thanks in advance.

Comments

  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    There are a lot of sites for sausage making and some great sausage makers here on the forum.

    Without casings you can always make patty sausage and possibly grind then freeze. When you get casings in you could thaw and stuff.

    However, sports/hunting stores have casings. Many grocery store meat departments have casings and will sell some.

    To to Thirdeye's site and take a look at the information he has up there. His Farm Sausage is really good. We make it all the time.

    [url][/url] to down to the section about sausage. While you are there take a look at some of his other information.

    http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/2006/02/recipes.html

    Here are some brats that came out very good.
    sausage_link.jpg

    Here is a Hi-Mountain summer sausage project - great stuff.
    sausage_summer.jpg

    GG
  • Little Chef
    Little Chef Posts: 4,725
    BB1857: I am assuming this is a hand crank grinder? If electric, many have a die and tube set so they can be used for stuffing as well as ginding. Blindly concluding this is a hand grinder, how about something like this? They work great.

    http://www.amazon.com/Sportsman-MHSS5-5-Pound-Sausage-Stuffer/dp/B000GTH45E/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1308951748&sr=8-4

    There are other models, obviously, but this is a start.
  • BB1857
    BB1857 Posts: 131
    LC it is actually an electric one but it looks pretty old. I will take a pic and see if anyone recognizes it. Thanks for the advice.
  • BB1857
    BB1857 Posts: 131
    Thanks GG. I am aspiring to get to the level of cooking that you are at. Thank you for your help.
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: I'm no great cook, I just take the lead of some of the other egg'rs here on the forum.

    I got a lot of help with sausage making from the folks here on the forum. Do a forum search on Sausage or sausage making or grinders.

    I can't remember who posted this site but it has some ore recipes.[url][/url]
    http://www.3men.com/sausage.htm

    GG
  • cookn biker
    cookn biker Posts: 13,407
    I have a brand new stuffer if you are interested in buying it, let me know and I can tell you more.
    It'll be the best sausage you eat. DOW and I did this Memorial weekend..

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea09HzoKrPU
    Molly
    Colorado Springs
    "Loney Queen"
    "Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it."
    Bill Bradley; American hall of fame basketball player, Rhodes scholar, former U.S. Senator from New Jersey
    LBGE, MBGE, SBGE , MiniBGE and a Mini Mini BGE
  • WessB
    WessB Posts: 6,937
    You can get some guidance from my website linked below..but you will need some form of stuffer or just make logs like breakfast sausage comes in....you'll love it either way..
  • Bear 007
    Bear 007 Posts: 382
    Hi Brian, The stuffer that Little Chef showed you looks really nice, I use my meat grinder with tubes but you really have to keep your meat cold, it cant be overworked either. This post looks really bad.
  • cookn biker
    cookn biker Posts: 13,407
    Molly
    Colorado Springs
    "Loney Queen"
    "Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it."
    Bill Bradley; American hall of fame basketball player, Rhodes scholar, former U.S. Senator from New Jersey
    LBGE, MBGE, SBGE , MiniBGE and a Mini Mini BGE
  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,429
    sausage_summer.jpg
    :blink: Grandpa, how many thermocouple channels do you grill with?!?! That almost looks like a recent Thiokol rocket motor test!
    _____________

    "I mean, I don't just kill guys, I'm notorious for doing in houseplants."  - Maggie, Northern Exposure


  • BB1857
    BB1857 Posts: 131
    Thanks everyone for all the advice. I think I will play with making the sausage first then once I am happy I will look into the casings.
  • ranger ray
    ranger ray Posts: 812
    i'm assuming you bought an old hand cranker..... well when i was i kid i remember my grandfather grinding sausage by hand with the old cranker,,,,,, how he stuffed the sausage?...... he used an old wine bottle with the bottom cut off and used a tool similar to a rolling pin... to push the meat into the casing which was on the end of the bottle.....he did not speak english and i did not speak german.... nevertheless i remember him doing this... for hours....when i was a kid.... my grand parents, grew their own garden.... he and my family....raised chicken, pigs and goats... and canned everything! you grew it( in your garden or smoked in the smoke house ( as a preservative) ..... you did not get an "access" card.... he did not know who's "ralph lauren".... or whomever.... lest i digress( too late eh?)..... back to the original topic.... how he cut the bottom off the wine bottle was to wrap a couple of strands of butcher's twine around the base of the bottle..... soak it with lighter fluid... and set it on fire.... when it got pretty hot..... give it a tap with a mallet and the glass will crack off nicely...........i thank God everyday for the sacrifices my grandparent and parent did to provide for me..... i'm a spoiled brat... i have a 30 pound electric sausage stuffer...... and just about everything know to mankind when it comes to meat processing and smoking..... if it was't for my grandparents..... i'd be buying sausage from the store!....... yeeow!.
  • ranger ray
    ranger ray Posts: 812
    try ,...."butcher and packer" for casings..... i you buy a small amount at the grocery store .....you'll go broke... they are nice folks.... great prices and outstanding service( made in america? i hope....lol)......
  • thirdeye
    thirdeye Posts: 7,428
    DSC00232a.jpg

    DSC00224a.jpg

    There are several ways to enjoy homemade sausage while you are still trying out recipes, or if you make a small batch, or while you're shopping around for a stuffer. Above is some lamb sausage, you can see they are small in diameter but as thick as the bacon slices I wrapped around them. Also, your basic sausage burger is hard to beat....

    DSC08781aa.jpg

    And just because you have bulk sausage, doesn't mean you cant form it into "skinnies" and serve it on a hot dog bun. This also works good for folks that don't care for natural casings.

    DSC05627JPGaa.jpg
    Happy Trails
    ~thirdeye~

    Barbecue is not rocket surgery
  • nuynai
    nuynai Posts: 101
    Check out sausagemaker.com. They have all kinds of grinders, smokers, attachments, casings, etc. They'll also tell you which kind to use for what use. Hope this helps.