Best Charcuterie Resources for Beginners?

[Mismost]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.