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OT- First Sausage Making Adventure

kdink
kdink Posts: 336
in EggHead Forum
With help from you guys, ended up getting Weston 1hp grinder and Weston Stuffer.
Went to RD and got pack of 2 Pork Butts.
Grinding went smoothly, machine kept up, then after the mixing came the stuffing, hardest part of the whole adventure is getting the dang casing over the funnel without ripping it.   (any suggestions)

All in all very happy with the results.  Taste was spot on.  Recipe came from old Italian butcher who was kind enough to share before he closed down last week.  Going to miss watching him cut meat, was like watching a surgeon. 

Only thing I found was they were a little thicker than I expected.  Will need to watch closer next time when I fill.
If anyone has a trick to solve either of those issues please let me know.
2 Xl's, MM and Forno Bello
Pizza Oven in Bergen County, NJ
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Comments

  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 23,179
    Q1-Are you using natural casings?  If so, soak your casing for a while then flush it out with water and lube up the tube (assuming you are using the right size tube for the casing) with a little water it should slide right on. 

    Q2- what size casings did you use? Make sure you are using the right size casing for what you are making (32-35 is brat size, 35-38 for larger sausages, And so on).  Make sure you are using the right tube for the casing you have  

    other than that, a little practice and you’ll be off and running. 


    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 23,179
    Just looked at the pics. Looks like you used natural 32-35. They don’t look too thick to me but the pics may not be showing what you are seeing. For the first run they look pretty good to me. A few air pockets and and few unevenly filled spots but that pretty normal. You can normally fix that up when you twist them up

    all-in I think you have a big win on your hands here. Nice work. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,109
    Move down a funnel size.  Really helps if you get a (close) friend to handle your sausage while it's coming out so you can focus on cranking.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
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  • kdink
    kdink Posts: 336
    @The Cen-Tex Smoker,  yes you are correct they are natural 32-35 casing and I used the 30 tube that came with the stuffer.  They were soaking in water after a quick rinse, they were not dry when I opened the package.  All in all I was very happy with first run.  Glad I listened to you guys and got the larger stuffer.  Thanks for your help

    2 Xl's, MM and Forno Bello
    Pizza Oven in Bergen County, NJ
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 23,179
    edited October 2020
    kdink said:
    @The Cen-Tex Smoker,  yes you are correct they are natural 32-35 casing and I used the 30 tube that came with the stuffer.  They were soaking in water after a quick rinse, they were not dry when I opened the package.  All in all I was very happy with first run.  Glad I listened to you guys and got the larger stuffer.  Thanks for your help

    Just get the tube nice and wet with water and your casings should slide on pretty easily. It gets a little easier every time so...time to make more :) 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • 20stone
    20stone Posts: 1,961
    First, you have a great set up and did a great job.  Regarding thickness of the sausages, that is a function of (a) how big the casings are and (b) how tightly you stuff them.

    On the second point, I like them stuffed as tightly as I can easily without having blowouts when I twist them.  Otherwise, the casing feels like a loose sock to me.

    On the first point, natural casings are not uniform, and are sorted in ranges.  As @The Cen-Tex Smoker noted, it looks like you used 32-35 hog casings, which are (wait for it), supposed to be between 32mm and 35mm wide when stuffed, or "bratwurst sized". 

    I always get mind from Craft Butchers Pantry (where you can get alllll kinddds of cool stuff), and have had pretty good luck with quality/consistency.

    Have fun with this, and be sure to share your favorites.
    (now only 16 stone)

    Joule SV
    GE induction stove
    Gasser by the community pool (currently unavailable)
    Scale (which one of my friends refuses to use)
    Friends with BGEs and myriad other fired devices (currently unavail IRL)
    Occasional access to a KBQ and Webber Kettle
    Charcuterie and sourdough enthusiast
    Prosciuttos in an undisclosed location

    Austin, TX
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  • Griffin
    Griffin Posts: 8,200
    You can also spray the funnel with a little PAM to help lube it up instead of water. And crank down the handle so there is just a little bit of sausage poking its head out of the tube before trying to put the casings on. Givers it a little rounded edge so it won't tear.

    Rowlett, Texas

    Griffin's Grub or you can find me on Facebook

    The Supreme Potentate, Sovereign Commander and Sultan of Wings

     

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  • butt_juice
    butt_juice Posts: 129
    Get these casings, it will eliminate your issue of getting them to slide on your stuffing horn. https://www.waltonsinc.com/tubed-natural-hog-casings-30-32mm
    South Central Kansas
    Instagram: @midwest_voyager
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  • butt_juice
    butt_juice Posts: 129
    Also experiment with the stuffing horn size. Sometimes a smaller horn works better, the sausage will expand once in the casing, depending on how much pinch pressure you apply at the exit point of the horn. This is a super handy guide to print off and laminate. https://meatgistics.waltonsinc.com/topic/187/what-size-stuffing-tube-to-use-sausage-casing-size-chart
    South Central Kansas
    Instagram: @midwest_voyager
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  • butt_juice
    butt_juice Posts: 129
    kdink said:
    @The Cen-Tex Smoker,  yes you are correct they are natural 32-35 casing and I used the 30 tube that came with the stuffer.  They were soaking in water after a quick rinse, they were not dry when I opened the package.  All in all I was very happy with first run.  Glad I listened to you guys and got the larger stuffer.  Thanks for your help

    I think your stuffing horn is too big.
    South Central Kansas
    Instagram: @midwest_voyager
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  • lkapigian
    lkapigian Posts: 11,549
    Looks like a winner to me, and not to big....Maybe a little tight if you wanted to link....as said above , a little practice....stuff them looser, you can always tighten as you go, hard to go the other way without removing sausage from the casing. Horn Size,I go with whatever the casing fits on easiest . I use 38-42 casings and not every batch is the same ....I may use a larger tube or smaller tube 
    Visalia, Ca @lkapigian
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