# Best Charcuterie Resources for Beginners?



## Quicksilver

I've been a soapmaker for about 15 years now; this is my first year making wine; I've experimented with cheese making, but it's not really my thing. Now I want to try my hand at charcuterie. What is/are the best resource(s) for a beginner in this craft? 

I know from my long years as a soaper that the wrong books can be filled with not only misinformation, but dangerous misinformation. Therefore, any direction y'all could give would be most welcome.

Also, I live in Central Texas, so heat will be a big factor in curing any meats. There's no such thing as a cold room here, at least not until about the end of October.


----------



## Boatboy24

Get Ruhlman's book. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393240053/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


----------



## montanaWineGuy

I read most of Ruhlman's book. Valuable reading for the beginner. It is a good library checkout. Afterwards, recipes can be pulled off various sites.

If you don't have or can't create a cold room, then you're going to be out of luck. I have a room, off the garage, that works well, but only April till late May. I've some Salami finishing up, and that's it till April 2018.


----------



## Mismost

Quicksilver said:


> Also, I live in Central Texas, so heat will be a big factor in curing any meats. There's no such thing as a cold room here, at least not until about the end of October.




you'll need temp control for processing and curing. I bought a chest type freezer, an InkBird controller, and a small cube heater....add humidity control and it'll be perfect in Central Texas. 

I used it to thaw out pork and venison for 40# batch of sausage. Ground, seasoned, mixed, and then chilled out at 35 degrees overnight. Stuffed, vac-bagged, and froze it. It is real nice to control both hot and cold. 

We are planning a big sausage year and drying about 50# sausage. Yes, you can dry it by hanging...but, I hate drying in the barn or shed and the wife gets all " the whole houses smells like hickory smoke, get it out of here"!! The "Temp Box" will be perfect...correct temp and critter proof.

I love this thing....you can even brew beer and make wine in them!


----------



## Redbird1

Best Buy has a 5.0 ft^3 freezer on sale for $100. 4.7/5 stars out of 1,022 reviews.


----------



## montanaWineGuy

There are lots of things to buy in starting Charcuterie at home. 1st is a quality Meat Grinder. Expect at minimum $200. 2nd is a stand alone sausage stuffer. Grinders can act as stuffer, but in my experience is a PITA. Go ahead and try it, but on the second batch you'll be looking to purchasing a good stuffer. Mine was a little over $100 and holds 5lbs. Larger would be nice but this gets it done.

I ground up 15lbs of pork shoulder and loins yesterday. I'm getting ready to stuff all in to hog casings and make Sweet Italian Sausages. I found that if I 1/2 grind the meat coarse and 1/2 fine, it makes for an interesting (better) sausage.


----------



## Mismost

Redbird1 said:


> Best Buy has a 5.0 ft^3 freezer on sale for $100. 4.7/5 stars out of 1,022 reviews.



Great price!

I strongly recommend getting one twice that size....really. The only thing better than temp control fermenting one batch of beer is fermenting two at the same time! I just can't quite get that second bucket to fit.

Ask about scratch and dented freezers too....deeply discounted.


----------



## Quicksilver

montanaWineGuy said:


> There are lots of things to buy in starting Charcuterie at home. 1st is a quality Meat Grinder. Expect at minimum $200. 2nd is a stand alone sausage stuffer. Grinders can act as stuffer, but in my experience is a PITA. Go ahead and try it, but on the second batch you'll be looking to purchasing a good stuffer. Mine was a little over $100 and holds 5lbs. Larger would be nice but this gets it done.
> 
> I ground up 15lbs of pork shoulder and loins yesterday. I'm getting ready to stuff all in to hog casings and make Sweet Italian Sausages. I found that if I 1/2 grind the meat coarse and 1/2 fine, it makes for an interesting (better) sausage.



Gander Mountain here in my town is going out of business. I'm going to head over there tomorrow and see if I can snag the grinder and stuffer at a steep discount. I think everything is 40% off right now.

Thanks so much all! I will get Ruhlman's book and also look into the chest freezer etc.


----------



## montanaWineGuy

Quicksilver said:


> Gander Mountain here in my town is going out of business. I'm going to head over there tomorrow and see if I can snag the grinder and stuffer at a steep discount. I think everything is 40% off right now.
> 
> Thanks so much all! I will get Ruhlman's book and also look into the chest freezer etc.



You are about to enter a world where there is no return. Grocery store sausages become barely edible, Salami can only be eaten economically when homemade, and Slim Jims are redefined and become damn near free.

And it's fun, makes for great gifts and very much appreciated thank you's.


----------



## Mismost

MONTANAWINEGUY...I have yet to make Slim Jims....well, I have ground and seasoned and then had the meat market in town stuff them for me. I stuff off my grinder and it does a great job on anything brat size or bigger.....flat doesn't work for the small stuff.

I have an old Enterprise press, but not a stuffing horn small enough. Do you use the collagen casings? My only experience with collagen was a disaster that left me scrambling around trying find casings on a late Sunday night! But to do Slim Jims you about gotta use them don't you?


----------



## Quicksilver

Thanks again, all. 

Montanawineguy, yeah, I foresee some obsessive days on the horizon for me. It's funny the things that grab your interest, while others fly right by your radar screen. I love making soap, while candles interest me not at all (the two often go hand in hand). I'm fascinated by charcuterie, but cheesemaking leaves me cold. I really enjoy making (and still learning about) winemaking, but making beer just feels "meh" to me.

I can't wait to get started!


----------



## montanaWineGuy

Mismost said:


> MONTANAWINEGUY...I have yet to make Slim Jims....well, I have ground and seasoned and then had the meat market in town stuff them for me. I stuff off my grinder and it does a great job on anything brat size or bigger.....flat doesn't work for the small stuff.
> 
> I have an old Enterprise press, but not a stuffing horn small enough. Do you use the collagen casings? My only experience with collagen was a disaster that left me scrambling around trying find casings on a late Sunday night! But to do Slim Jims you about gotta use them don't you?



I first did Slim Jims with Sheep casings. Expensive and difficult to work with (i.e. lots of ruptured casings). Now for Slim Jims I use the 19mm Collagen Casings. I swear, they are the best for SJs. Give it another try. 

You are probably right about stuffing with the grinder for the smaller casings. A dedicated stuffer makes all the difference.


----------



## montanaWineGuy

Quicksilver said:


> Thanks again, all.
> 
> Montanawineguy, yeah, I foresee some obsessive days on the horizon for me. It's funny the things that grab your interest, while others fly right by your radar screen. I love making soap, while candles interest me not at all (the two often go hand in hand). I'm fascinated by charcuterie, but cheesemaking leaves me cold. I really enjoy making (and still learning about) winemaking, but making beer just feels "meh" to me.
> 
> I can't wait to get started!



I looked into making cheese, but a good source of heavy milk is not available to me. To make wine, salami, and cheese would be the very best. As of now, I have to buy the cheese....


----------



## Redbird1

Homebrew Supply has Inkbirds on sale for $23. Limited quantity, or so they state.


----------



## ibglowin

Do you have a few makes and models for a possible grinder and stuffer? I grew up in TX with access to lots of German sausage and can't find anything here in NM that is edible in the stores. Its all crap. Looking at making my own once I lock down a good authentic German recipe from the TX Hill Country.



montanaWineGuy said:


> There are lots of things to buy in starting Charcuterie at home. 1st is a quality Meat Grinder. Expect at minimum $200. 2nd is a stand alone sausage stuffer. Grinders can act as stuffer, but in my experience is a PITA. Go ahead and try it, but on the second batch you'll be looking to purchasing a good stuffer. Mine was a little over $100 and holds 5lbs. Larger would be nice but this gets it done.
> 
> I ground up 15lbs of pork shoulder and loins yesterday. I'm getting ready to stuff all in to hog casings and make Sweet Italian Sausages. I found that if I 1/2 grind the meat coarse and 1/2 fine, it makes for an interesting (better) sausage.


----------



## Mismost

ibglowin said:


> Do you have a few makes and models for a possible grinder and stuffer? I grew up in TX with access to lots of German sausage and can't find anything here in NM that is edible in the stores. Its all crap. Looking at making my own once I lock down a good authentic German recipe from the TX Hill Country.



ibglowin.... An old German guy gave us a recipe years ago. 

50# meat and fat....pork venison up to you
1# salt
11 tablespoons black pepper
3 teaspoons garlic powder
3 teaspoons red pepper
2 ozs pink powder
4 ozs onion powder
1 cup of sugar

It doesn't sound like much compared to some of our more complicated recipes....but sometimes less is more. This is just good sausage. Fresh, frozen, or smoked.

BTW...I think one of the tricks to good sausage is FAT....minimum 30% FAT.
Anything less and you run the risk of dry mealy sausage....that just gets drier as you cook it. 

we tried backing down on the fat for health reasons. Nope, I'd rather eat real cardboard than dry mealy sausage. Sausage is very much a texture thing....hence the 1/2 grind coarse and 1/2 fine, just texture. The fat adds both flavor, juice, and actually helps cook the sausage internally.


----------



## ibglowin

Yea, sausage is not supposed to be healthy, and your not supposed to eat it every day or even every week although my Grandfather lived to be 94 and ate bacon or sausage and eggs almost every day of his life. Oh and he also smoked cigars.... 


Thanks for the recipe! Simple is quite often the best way to go. Is "pink powder" curing salt?


----------



## montanaWineGuy

ibglowin said:


> Do you have a few makes and models for a possible grinder and stuffer? I grew up in TX with access to lots of German sausage and can't find anything here in NM that is edible in the stores. Its all crap. Looking at making my own once I lock down a good authentic German recipe from the TX Hill Country.



Look for one with all metal gears. They can handle anything you might throw at it. I bought Cabelas 3/4 HP Carnivore. It's pricey, almost a commercial grade grinder, but will last a lifetime, and has a lifetime guarantee in case it doesn't.


----------



## ceeaton

montanaWineGuy said:


> . I bought Cabelas 3/4 HP Carnivore.



I like the name! And at 8-10 lbs of meat a minute, I can't imagine running it at full speed and keeping up with it (if you are stuffing the sausage as you grind it). (Double And) If it has a lifetime guarantee, that price is well worth it.


----------



## montanaWineGuy

ceeaton said:


> I like the name! And at 8-10 lbs of meat a minute, I can't imagine running it at full speed and keeping up with it (if you are stuffing the sausage as you grind it). (Double And) If it has a lifetime guarantee, that price is well worth it.



It is fun to try and keep up with the grinding speed. I had a manual one before, and what PITA. With the Carnivore twice grinding (coarse then fine) is a breeze. With the manual, forgedaboutit.


----------



## Mismost

ibglowin said:


> Yea, sausage is not supposed to be healthy, and your not supposed to eat it every day or even every week although my Grandfather lived to be 94 and ate bacon or sausage and eggs almost every day of his life. Oh and he also smoked cigars....
> 
> 
> Thanks for the recipe! Simple is quite often the best way to go. Is "pink powder" curing salt?



Pink Powder is the curing salts and it is indeed very salty tasting.

I like to mix all my spices in wine and then add to the meat....and I have to batches because my motorized mixer only does 15# at a time. So I mix all the spices stir very well, and batch out the wine spice mix per number of batches....kind of a PITA. BUT....the wine really does help make sure the spices get thoughly mixed with the meat. While you do not actually taste the wine in the finish product, we feel it does add a depth to the flavors.

We mix long enough that the neat gets a "doughy look", kind of gummy. Then we pack into balls about the size of our grinder throat and re-cool....very cold, before stuffing. We stuff off of our grinder with a stuffing plate , big horn, and natural casings.

Honestly, if you don't just LOVE cooking.....just go BUY the kind of sausage you like.....100-150# batches will work your butt off and ruin a good 3 day week end! We enjoy the pain.


----------



## ibglowin

ceeaton said:


> I like the name! And at 8-10 lbs of meat a minute.





LOL "That would be your partner in the chipper then"........


----------



## ibglowin

Not a "Carnivore" by any means but we had the Kitchenaide Mixer so why not use what you already have. I won't be making hundred pound batches but this looks sturdy enough to make 10-20lbs at a shot.


----------



## Mismost

my brother makes excellent small batches of sausage on his kitchenaid mixer...he likes mixing fruits with his sausage...like pork with peach and apple...uses odd meats like goat, rabbit, fish. He does some stuff I would never do, but he always seems to pull it off.

He is big on steaming his sausage...often with herbs in the water...then crisps the outside with a propane torch.


----------



## montanaWineGuy

ibglowin said:


> Not a "Carnivore" by any means but we had the Kitchenaide Mixer so why not use what you already have. I won't be making hundred pound batches but this looks sturdy enough to make 10-20lbs at a shot.



Let us know how that works. I considered a Mixer attachment, but didn't think it would handle the volume of meats I do grind, over a year for many years.


----------



## ibglowin

Now I am thinking one of these would be very handy.......


----------



## Mismost

montanaWineGuy said:


> Let us know how that works. I considered a Mixer attachment, but didn't think it would handle the volume of meats I do grind, over a year for many years.



Ours is a #32 grinder adapted to a gear reduction drive motor. It will coarse grind 150# of meat in about 45 minutes...it is a beast!

Same motor drives a Cableas meat mixer we adapted....that is SO NICE! My hands used to ache for days after mixing 150# of ice cold meat....and it it gets mixed better too!

Same grinder and motor with a stuffing plate and horn installed will stuff the casings faster than we can thread them on the horn. Still, a batch that big takes about three days of pretty solid work to grind, chill, season, chill, stuff, tie off, smoke, and vacuum bag and freeze. That's not counting any sausage you dry.

Fact is...we swore off any batch over 50 pounds...which we can get done in one long day. Too much work for us these days!


----------



## montanaWineGuy

Mismost said:


> Fact is...we swore off any batch over 50 pounds...which we can get done in one long day. Too much work for us these days!



20lbs batch is more then enough work for me. In pieces it is a good day's work over at least 2 days.

Cotton gloves with food grade plastic gloves goes a long way in keeping your hand from freezing during the mixing.

ibglowin -- those stuffers are essential. A mixer/grinder to do the same job needs a foot switch like you might use with a sewing machine. The stuffer is likely less expensive and made just for the task. Does it better, faster and easier.


----------



## Mismost

montanaWineGuy said:


> 20lbs batch is more then enough work for me. In pieces it is a good day's work over at least 2 days. yeah...grind, season, and ball up Friday after work, Stuff, tie, smoke, bag, and freezer pack Saturday. Nap all day Sunday!
> 
> Cotton gloves with food grade plastic gloves goes a long way in keeping your hand from freezing during the mixing. I use those neopreme waterproof gloves...still froze my hands....but we try to keep the meat just all most frozen.
> 
> ibglowin -- those stuffers are essential. A mixer/grinder to do the same job needs a foot switch like you might use with a sewing machine. After mixing we "ball" our meat...make balls big enough to drop into the throat of the grinder. Wife drops the meat in, I run the casings...you need to keep a little tension on them as they fill....too much they pop, too little you get skinny sausages. Wife also controls the power switch. Stuffing ground meat in a hog's guts for hours will either make or break a marriage! The stuffer is likely less expensive and made just for the task. Does it better, faster and easier.



It is work, But, we enjoy and laugh about it all year long when we eat our handicrafts. Last year homemade sausage, home brewed beer, and home made pretzels (mehhh I wasn't impressed but don't tell the red head1).


----------



## ibglowin

OK all in I spose....... Go Big or Go home! This will arrive by Thursday!


----------



## montanaWineGuy

Something I had to learn over several sausage making sessions. Soaking natural casings. Do a long soak (hour +). They are very elastic when soaked well. It is very frustrating rupturing your casings, makes a mess, causes delays and attempting to compensate by under filling makes substandard sausages.

Get ready for some of the best sausages you've ever tasted.

I've 10lbs of pork on its 2 second day of thawing in the Fridge. I should be very busy most of tomorrow. 1/2 pork shoulder + 1/2 pork loin to make some Sweet Italian Sausages.


----------



## ibglowin

So question, (and thank you for the casing advice!) I have a nice sized offset smoker pit old original CharBroil made so long ago that it was actually made from a decent wall thickness metal. 










How well would this work to smoke the sausage? Any time/temp recommendations?

Any/all info is much appreciated!


----------



## montanaWineGuy

About the only thing I smoke anymore is a Turkey. I can't really taste the difference with sausages, or at least not enough to go thru the extra effort. I believe I get my biggest bang in letting any seasonings blend well into the meat before stuffing. And if it is cold enough (<40degrees) hanging them for a day is also a big flavor enhancer, but you have to use some insta-cure #2 to be safe. YMMV...


----------



## montanaWineGuy

Before stuffing, I made a small sausage patty to go along with breakfast, and Wow! This started out as Sweet Italian, but I didn't have all the correct flavorings and the white wine was Apple Wine and some Ginger Ale. Fake it till you make it.

With 10lbs pork I got three long ropes worth. What little is still in the stuffer gets patted into 3 or 4 oz patties.

It's all Great.


----------



## ceeaton

You'all are making me really hungry.

Mike, thanks for the reminder. Guess I need to move some sh*t and get this old smoker fired up this weekend. Maybe a turkey or chicken or ribs to take it for a test drive (and make sure the tires don't fall of or something).

I think this is a New Braunfels 03202812 from around 2003(?) that my brother didn't have room for, so I said, yea, what the f***, I have room for it...It's got an extender below the chimney (so all the hot air doesn't leak out so easily) that helps keep the temperatures up. Here is a link to some other modifications you can do if you are interested: [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVzx4FuNut8[/ame]


----------



## ibglowin

Well first test batch is seasoned and ground. The taster patties past inspection by Mrs IB with a "yummy" reaction right out of the gates and she's a tough critic. 
Gonna let it sit in the fridge covered until tomorrow I think to let the seasoning meld a bit more. I pressed the easy button since I am a total nube at this and used some Fiesta Seasonings Venison Sausage blend (made it TX). I like it. I used 50/50 blend of Pork Butt/ Chuck Roast and Beef Spare Rib (boneless) meat. ~12lbs all together. Washed up the new Hakka Sausage Stuffer today as well. That thing is built solid. Can't wait to put it to the test. Not sure what size tube to use but will go with one of the middle sized ones that came with the unit.


----------



## ibglowin

The German is strong with this one........


----------



## montanaWineGuy

Looks good. Another tip; when you pack the sausage stuffer with the pork, try and minimize the air pockets. It will get rid of most of the air pockets in the finished sausages.

Making sausages is a lot of work, but the results are incredible. Far superior to store bought and at a decent savings. Congrates on taking the plunge into the new world of Charcuterie.

I predict Slim Jims and Salami is in your future.


----------



## Sage

Mismost said:


> MONTANAWINEGUY...I have yet to make Slim Jims....well, I have ground and seasoned and then had the meat market in town stuff them for me. I stuff off my grinder and it does a great job on anything brat size or bigger.....flat doesn't work for the small stuff.
> 
> I have an old Enterprise press, but not a stuffing horn small enough. Do you use the collagen casings? My only experience with collagen was a disaster that left me scrambling around trying find casings on a late Sunday night! But to do Slim Jims you about gotta use them don't you?



Get the BIG Jerky gun from Cabelas. Get the long SS small tube from Lem. The big gun holds a lot and does a nice job on Jims.

For what it worth dept:
I have the stacking oven racks from Cabelas plus extra racks. I do NOT use casings at all. I found that it works just fine without any.


----------



## Mismost

ibglowin said:


> The German is strong with this one........



Nice stuffing Mike...really good for a rookie!

If you tie a knot in the end hanging off the horn and stuff a bit looser. Then you can pinch off at 6-8-9 inches, however long you want your links. Now, holding the end and where you pinched it, twist it forward 4-5 times AWAY from you. make another pinch and twist it 4-5 times TOWARDS you.....repeat to the end of the casing. Much faster than string tying. But you need a bit looser stuff or you'll bust the casing....too loose and they get ugly!

I do like to sting tie if we're hanging to smoke. To get that good smoke flavor we go 24-36 hours. THEN you can tell it was smoked.


----------

