Anyone making sausage?

[Kreth]

My wife and I got a KitchenAid Pro stand mixer with several attachments for a wedding gift. By far, we've got the most use out of the meat grinder and sausage stuffer attachments. So far, we've made breakfast sausage, hot Italian sausage, and "saucisses au champagne." I want to pick up a smoker next and try some smoked sausages, or maybe bratwurst.

[Mark C]

I've made Italian sausage, came out a tad dry, not enough fat. Care to share your recipes?

[Kreth]

Sure, I usually tweak these a bit to taste, but here's a few I started with:

Chicken Sausage (http://www.lesleycooks.com/sausage/chickensausage.htm)
Breakfast Sausage (http://schmidling.com/bsaus.htm)
Saucisses au Champagne (http://surfin_dude.tripod.com/creative/sausage/twistlinks.html)

Some stuff I learned in my research, or figured out the hard way:
Don't trim fat, especially on the chicken sausage. Hog casings are easier to work with, they don't burst as easily. Before stuffing into casings, fry up a small silver-dollar sized patty to check your spices.

[mosesbotbol]

My buddy is into making sausages. Make sure to buy fat back from the butcher. I forget what he uses for curing salts, but his cured meats are really good. Cold smoking is a lot easier in the winter.

There's one excellent book out there that really gets into making salami's, etc...

[Kreth]

My buddy is into making sausages. Make sure to buy fat back from the butcher.
It depends on the cut. I've had pretty good luck picking a pork shoulder with a nice slab of fat on it. If you use a leaner meat like chicken or venison you'd definitely want the added fat.

I forget what he uses for curing salts, but his cured meats are really good. Cold smoking is a lot easier in the winter.
Most cured recipes that I've seen use one of two formulations, Prague powder #1 or #2. I haven't tried dry curing yet as we're renting and I don't have anywhere to hang the sausages to cure. I've been thinking about picking up a portable smoker from Lowe's to try and do some smoked sausage.

[mosesbotbol]

It depends on the cut. I've had pretty good luck picking a pork shoulder with a nice slab of fat on it. If you use a leaner meat like chicken or venison you'd definitely want the added fat.


Fat back is much silkier than what you'll find on a pork shoulder. It's the quality of fat, not the fact that it is additional fat. I believe my friend trims down the shoulder a lot to utilize the fat back for fat. Other than keeping everything reall cold and not to pulverize the meat too much, it's fairly straightforward (and person job) making fresh sausage. I do like air drying in the fridge for a few days. They shrink up a little and get that dark color.

I am into dry aging beef in my fridge. I have a whole sirloin strip (minus the 10 steaks we've ate so far) on week two. I get about a month or so on strip in the fridge!

[Kreth]

Fat back is much silkier than what you'll find on a pork shoulder. It's the quality of fat, not the fact that it is additional fat. I believe my friend trims down the shoulder a lot to utilize the fat back for fat. Other than keeping everything reall cold and not to pulverize the meat too much, it's fairly straightforward (and person job) making fresh sausage.
I'll have to try using fat back for my next batch. I agree about keeping things cold. I usually try to get the meat partially frozen, then cut it up into strips for the grinder. It goes back in the freezer after each pass. Grinding is pretty easy by yourself, but I find stuffing goes much quicker if you have one person feeding the hopper, and one person coiling the stuffed casing.

I do like air drying in the fridge for a few days. They shrink up a little and get that dark color.

I am into dry aging beef in my fridge. I have a whole sirloin strip (minus the 10 steaks we've ate so far) on week two. I get about a month or so on strip in the fridge!
That sounds interesting. Do you do it similar to this (http://www.askthemeatman.com/is_it_possible_to_dry_age_beef_at_home.htm)?

[totallytentative]

Didn't some prominent guy early in the last century once say something about sausages best not being seen made? :D



sorry for hijack... please don't kill me.... yay sausages!
:lv

[Kreth]

Didn't some prominent guy early in the last century once say something about sausages best not being seen made? :D
I think that was specifically hot dogs. Sausages are usually ground pork, or other meat. Or were you thinking of haggis? :r

[mosesbotbol]

That sounds interesting. Do you do it similar to this (http://www.askthemeatman.com/is_it_possible_to_dry_age_beef_at_home.htm)?

Yes, very similar except that I just put in the towel for the first day and then place the exposed meat on a rack with a paper grocery bag underneath the rack to catch any liquid. I did not see a benefit with keeping towel on it everyday. Also, I just cut from one side and the cover the exposed area with seranwrap. You'll save a lot of meat doing this as that side stays fresh and does not need trimming. You can get 15+ steaks from one NY strip and at Coscto is around $60-75; that is friggin' cheap for so many strips!

If you do a rib eye, make sure it is bone-in and you take the membrane off of the bone (like pork ribs). Strips are the best bet as you don't lose as much when it comes to trimming. The sides get dried out like a scab and the fat gets red on top- all that has to be cut off so it looks like fresh meat. You large cuts as the article says. I also air dry yardbirds for a day or two the same way.

If you are a big steak lover, this is the only way to go; you'll be hooked.

[Kreth]

Thanks for the tips. I'll probably give this a try in another month or so when I start firing up the grill on a regular basis. Which cuts have you found give the best results for dry-aging?

[mosesbotbol]

Thanks for the tips. I'll probably give this a try in another month or so when I start firing up the grill on a regular basis. Which cuts have you found give the best results for dry-aging?

NY Strip is number one, followed by bone-in rib roast.

You can also try (not sure the name of cut) the one that is like a porterhouse, but the whole strip of them.

Considering the entry price on buying something, the strip is my overall favorite for ease of trimming and cost.

[CigarDood]

My wife and I got a KitchenAid Pro stand mixer with several attachments for a wedding gift. By far, we've got the most use out of the meat grinder and sausage stuffer attachments. So far, we've made breakfast sausage, hot Italian sausage, and "saucisses au champagne." I want to pick up a smoker next and try some smoked sausages, or maybe bratwurst.

I've been thinking about picking up a sausage maker. Worth it?

[Kreth]

I've been thinking about picking up a sausage maker. Worth it?
It depends on how much you plan to make. If you have a mixer that takes attachments, I'd go that route, as the the meat grinder is handy for other stuff like making fresh ground beef.
If you really like sausage and plan on making a lot of it, then I'd go with dedicated equipment, as it's generally a little more heavy-duty.
The taste of fresh sausage is great, as is the ability to adjust spices to your liking. For example, my wife doesn't care for fennel, so when we make Italian sausage, we substitute cumin and a touch of curry.
We probably make a batch of sausage about once every month or two. My wife keeps an eye out for sales on pork butt/shoulder, then we make up a big batch.

[mosesbotbol]

My friend uses the manual hand crank one. For sure 100% it is a two person job. One person is cranking, the other holding the casings and guiding the meat.

[Mark C]

You guys have me thinking about trying a cured meat now. I'd love to see a few sausages hanging from my ceiling. Where should I look for more information?

[Kreth]

Try here (http://letmegooglethatforyou.com/?q=sausage+making)... :r

Seriously, these sites have pretty good info on cured and non-cured sausage making:
http://www.sausagemania.com
http://www.sausagemaker.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=167
http://surfin_dude.tripod.com/creative/sausage/twistlinks.html
http://schmidling.com/saus.htm
http://home.pacbell.net/lpoli/

[mosesbotbol]

I'd love to see a few sausages hanging from my ceiling.

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh39/mosesbotbol/photo-23.jpg

Taken from a store in the Italian section of the Bronx, NY

[Mark C]

Now that's a nice sight.

Thanks for the links Jeff, well, except that first one. :tg Second time I've gotten an answer like that to a 'where do I find more info about _____' question. Google's great, but it can't tell me what sites are crap, and what's a gold mine. Last thing I want is to set up camp somewhere just to find out I'm just another fish in the sea... ;)

[Kreth]

Last thing I want is to set up camp somewhere just to find out I'm just another fish in the sea... ;)
Are you looking at getting into sausage making as a business?

[Mark C]

Are you looking at getting into sausage making as a business?

Nah, not at all. I just like to eat sausage, and I get much more enjoyment out of eating things I've made myself.

[Kreth]

Nah, not at all. I just like to eat sausage, and I get much more enjoyment out of eating things I've made myself.
Same here. The taste of fresh sausage is just so much better. I usually save a bit out when we're stuffing into casings to make up a patty or two when we're done.

[Demented]

I've had a KA commercial stand mixer for years, that's been used for grinding and making sausage, among other things. Making large batches, say 5 lbs +, becomes a day long project with cutting, chilling and grinding the meat, then chilling the ground meat and stuffing the casing.

I got a LEM Products #10 stainless steel meat grinder for my birthday, at a leisurely pace it took barely more than a minute to grind 2 lbs of fresh lamb for burgers.

Plan on making 10 lbs of Italian sausage next week, hopefully it can stuff casing as fast as it can grind.

[drill]

i make my own sausages on a regular basis

the recipes i use have been handed down for years and i have never gotten any complaints

after the first time trying the brat recipe i can no longer eat any of the commercial brands

i have a big industrial grinder which is probably as old as myself at least

i can crank out 100 lbs of sausages by myself easily in an afternoon

i think the secret is basically finding the recipe you like best and making the sausage to suit yourself

im not real happy with the several breakfast sausage recipes i have experimented with yet but i figure its easy to buy that stuff and i dont eat it so much mostly just use it to make gravy

though i did watch emiril make some once and i want to try his recipe sometime

for brats you can find many old german recipes and they tend to be very good

k

[DAFU]

We make alot of Goetta here in Cincy. A yummy mixture of Pinhead oats, pork(or sausage) and ground beef seasoned to taste and then fried up nice and crispy!

[Kreth]

the recipes i use have been handed down for years and i have never gotten any complaints

We make alot of Goetta here in Cincy. A yummy mixture of Pinhead oats, pork(or sausage) and ground beef seasoned to taste and then fried up nice and crispy!
Either of you like to share a recipe or two? :tu

[Drat]

I made my first batch about a year ago. Cold smoked it. Keyboards have nothing on small hand grinders for carpal tunnel...

[kayaker]

Here's a thread (http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=4390)I posted a few months ago about the sausage I was making with a buddy of mine.

We motorized a hand grinder. It cuts through the meat pretty quickly. Now we just need to get a better stuffer.

Next fall we are going to try smoking some.

[Kreth]

Thought I'd bump this up again. A good friend of mine got some venison. So we cut a couple of steaks, mixed some up with ground beef for burgers, and mixed some with pork to make sausage. The only thing that sucks is I did the sausage spices by eye, and didn't write anything down. Of course, everyone loved the sample patty we fried up, so I'll have to figure out how to recreate it next time.

[smokeyandthebandit05]

I'll have to take some pics showin how we make sausage at work



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[kayaker]

Thought I'd bump this up again. A good friend of mine got some venison. So we cut a couple of steaks, mixed some up with ground beef for burgers, and mixed some with pork to make sausage. The only thing that sucks is I did the sausage spices by eye, and didn't write anything down. Of course, everyone loved the sample patty we fried up, so I'll have to figure out how to recreate it next time.

Keeping a note book for your recipes and fine tuning is key. I've tried a couple of recipes that had way too much salt in them for my taste. I'll know better next time.

[Kreth]

Keeping a note book for your recipes and fine tuning is key. I've tried a couple of recipes that had way too much salt in them for my taste. I'll know better next time.
Yeah, I actually put together an Excel spreadsheet where I could plug in the weight of the meat, and get measurements for the spices of my most commonly used recipes. I just haven't had the time to write up custom fraction formatting for the cells, so I get weird things like "1/6 Tbsp Cumin"

[kayaker]

Yeah, I actually put together an Excel spreadsheet where I could plug in the weight of the meat, and get measurements for the spices of my most commonly used recipes. I just haven't had the time to write up custom fraction formatting for the cells, so I get weird things like "1/6 Tbsp Cumin"

Yeah, I use Excel too. I use a logbook for the recipes, noting any tweaks or anything else we change, noting results, and keeping track of how much we have made.

Have you taken any pics of your operation?

Here's (http://www.wwf5.com/stuffers.com/wecs.php?store=stuffers&content=sausage_recipes.html) a link to a PDF doc with a bunch of recipes.

The Hunters Sausage is our go to recipe.

[Kreth]

Yeah, I use Excel too. I use a logbook for the recipes, noting any tweaks or anything else we change, noting results, and keeping track of how much we have made.
Have you got the formatting figured out? I'd love to see the formulas if so.

Have you taken any pics of your operation?
Well, our "operation" just consists of a KitchenAid 5 Pro with grinder and stuffer attachments. A big batch for us is 10 lbs. I may take some pics next time around just for fun.

Here's (http://www.wwf5.com/stuffers.com/wecs.php?store=stuffers&content=sausage_recipes.html) a link to a PDF doc with a bunch of recipes.

The Hunters Sausage is our go to recipe.
Thanks for the link, I'll definitely check those recipes out.

[Smokin Gator]

I make quite a bit of sausage... Mostly I use a commercial seasoning by the name of Leggs. It is widely available.

Here is another site I have used recipes from for sausage and jerky.

http://www.3men.com/index.htm

[rizzle]

I make quite a bit of sausage... Mostly I use a commercial seasoning by the name of Leggs. It is widely available.

Here is another site I have used recipes from for sausage and jerky.

http://www.3men.com/index.htm
Leggs is the deal.

[Geppetto]

Either of you like to share a recipe or two? :tu

Not really sausage, unless you make "Ring Goetta" by casing it.
Try the following Cincinnati tradition - Goetta (say "getta") :dr

Kid Rich's Goetta

INGREDIENTS:

3 quarts water
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons dried savory
1 teaspoon garlic powder
5 cups steel cut or "pinhead" oats
2 lbs ground beef (80/20)
2 lbs ground pork sausage (half of it "hot")
2 large onions, diced

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat water, salt, pepper and spices in slow-cooker/crock-pot set to "high" for 30 minutes. Add oats, cover, and cook for 90 minutes.

2. Mix beef, pork, and onions in large bowl. Stir meat into cooking oats, reduce heat to low, and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. (Watch for lumps or clumps of meat.)

3. Pour mixture into five or six aluminum bread pans and allow to cool until firm.

4. Slice goetta loaves into 1/4" slabs and cook on oiled skillet set to 325 degrees for approximately 30 minutes until evenly brown. Serve with eggs, toast, and good coffee. Freeze remaining loaves.

[kayaker]

Have you got the formatting figured out? I'd love to see the formulas if so.

i didn't do anything fancy, but I will send you what I have later.

[Kreth]

Not really sausage, unless you make "Ring Goetta" by casing it.
Try the following Cincinnati tradition - Goetta (say "getta") :dr
That looks similar to scrapple, except scrapple is made with cornmeal instead of oats.

i didn't do anything fancy, but I will send you what I have later.
I'd appreciate that, thanks!

[Geppetto]

That looks similar to scrapple, except scrapple is made with cornmeal instead of oats.


Scrapple = Everything but the Oink! Man how I miss that! :sad

The best is made by: http://www.habbersettscrapple.com/

Here's an old recipe:

4 Pigs knuckles
1 Pound lean pork
1 lg Onion, stuck with 3 whole
Cloves
3 qt Water
1 1/2 t Salt
1 T Pepper
1 t Ground sage
3 c Cormeal
All-purpose flour, for
Dredging sliced scrapple
Butter, back fat or
Vegetable oil for frying

Place pigs knuckles in a large pot; add pork, onion, and water. Cook
slowly, covered, for 2 1/2 hours; drain, reserve broth.
Chill meat and remove fat; separate meat fron bones. Chop meat.
Place meat in a kettle with 2 qts of the reserved broth. Add salt, pepper
and sage; bring to a boil combine cormeal with remaining 1 qt of reserved
broth and stir into boiling mixture. Cook over medium heat until
thickened, stiirring constantly. Cover and cook over very low heat; stir
again after 20 minutes.
Pour into 2 (9-by-5-by-3-inch) loaf pans. Cool and chill overnight. Cut
into slices, coat with flour and brown in butter or bacon fat. Serve hot
with fruit for a hearty breakfast.

[Kreth]

Scrapple = Everything but the Oink! Man how I miss that! :sad
A while back when I was doing IT consulting, I had a few customers down in the Lancaster, PA area. Every morning, breakfast was either scrapple or brains and eggs.
I also used to try and hit the farmer's market while down there and pick up fresh bacon and smoked sausage.

[Geppetto]

A while back when I was doing IT consulting, I had a few customers down in the Lancaster, PA area. Every morning, breakfast was either scrapple or brains and eggs.
I also used to try and hit the farmer's market while down there and pick up fresh bacon and smoked sausage.


Stop! Please Stop! I can't take it! :dr:dr:dr

[kayaker]

I'd appreciate that, thanks!

I can't attach the file here, but if you send me your e-mail addy I'll fire it off to you.

[Punchlover]

i am more of a sausage eater than a sausage maker, but please don't take that the wrong way ROFL