PROCESSING MEAT INTO SAUSAGE QUESTIONS

[LABS4ME]

When spinning your links... Spin the 1st one clockwise, second one counter clockwise, back to clockwise, then counter etc. You will never unravel the previous link as you are rotating the meat opposite the previous one.

You'd be surprised how soon you get used to doing this and do not even have to think about it...

Good Luck!

Ken

[bloc004]

I used the LEM pre mixed brat seasoning a couple of weeks ago and they turned out great, really good flavor! I didn't add anything to it and everyone that ate them really liked them.

Your goose might have not had the right flavor because it was goose !!

Like stated above, find one that you like adjust if you think it is necessary. I love garlic, and always try to add it where I can, and find that it does compliment many seasoning mixes well.

[fowldreams]

First time making my own sausage so, what is better too grind in beef or pork? Pros and cons of each?

[reinhard1]

i have been using both lately except for breakfast sausage which i use venison and pork. however i will try to add some beef trim to that as well in my next batch. as far as beef is concerned i would try to use meat from the chuck which has excelent flavor.

it all boils down to flavor. looking at my grandfathers note's from when he ran a meat shop in Germany, almost all his sausage had beef trim in it. it was pork and beef in his sausage. if you have no venison, a combination of beef and pork is great. my last batch of kielbasa had venison, pork butt, and 80 percent ground chuck. so far that was my best batch of sausage i made and a big hit at deer camp and family and neighbors.

as far as what percent of each is used, well i vary a little at times but not much. i should realy get in the habit of writting ingrediants down more often, because i shoot from the hip often. i realy dont see and cons to either pork or beef, just preference and percentages used. some may want more fat content or less. it all depends on what you are going to make and perhapst health concerns. good luck.

[loosegoose]

I have used LEM sausage making kits and they are fine but to me the best seasonings hands down is Hi Mountain. And yes they do have all kinds of kits to choose from. For summer sausage I normally use a 50/50 of venison and 85% lean ground beef. For link sausage, ie. polish or brats, I use 50/50 venison/pork. This will depend on how lean or fatty your ground pork is.

[bak2MN]

Not a sausage question but how long does anyone run smoke on there smoker for ribs?

[KEN W]

Start out your smoker at about 125 degrees with no smoke when making any kind of sausage.This will dry out the casings.Smoke will not penetrate wet casings.I usually leave them at that temp for an hour.Then start appling smoke.

Raise temp to 175.....no higher.

Check the internal temp with a thermometer.The actuall temp in the smoker may be higher than the smoker says.Get a digital thermometer and push it through a small potatoe.Make sure it doesn't touch the metal racks.

When the sausage reaches 150.....remove it and place it under cold water to bring the temp down.this will keep it from shriveling.

Dry off and leave it at room temp to bloom,or turn a nice red color.I usually hang mine over a broom handle suspended between 2 chairs.

[reinhard1]

Ken has always given great advice in the past and this information on smoking sausage should be followed by you as you move into that area. i know you were looking for information on smoking ribs. i'm trying to keep this thread just on the topic of sausage so people can ask questions and see answeres all on one thread. here is a great thread for you for your rib question and other smoking questions as well. go to the first page on the cooking and recipe forum and near the top is an awesome thread filled with a library of information right up your ally put on there by Shack. it is called " HSO's Smoked, Smoking @ Smokers Library Of Links". there you will find information on ribs and more. thanks again Ken for than information on smoked sausage. good luck.

[KEN W]

I have 10 lbs of Polish and 10 lb. of German sausage finished.10 lbs of Pizza sticks in there now.No smoke.So I can set the temp higher at 200.I want them to dry out.All at a 50-50 mix of pork and venison.

Tomorrow early morning I will put 8 two and a half pound sticks of Salami in.I'll let them hang in the garage tonite.They take almost all day at 175 degrees.These are a 50-50 mix of beef and venison.I like Salami and Summer Sausage to be firm not soft.Beef is firmer than pork.

[thirdeye]

Start out your smoker at about 125 degrees with no smoke when making any kind of sausage.This will dry out the casings.Smoke will not penetrate wet casings.I usually leave them at that temp for an hour.Then start appling smoke.

Raise temp to 175.....no higher.

Check the internal temp with a thermometer.The actuall temp in the smoker may be higher than the smoker says.Get a digital thermometer and push it through a small potatoe.Make sure it doesn't touch the metal racks.

When the sausage reaches 150.....remove it and place it under cold water to bring the temp down.this will keep it from shriveling.

Dry off and leave it at room temp to bloom,or turn a nice red color.I usually hang mine over a broom handle suspended between 2 chairs.

Good reminder on proper drying Ken. To make sure I don't trap un-necessary humidity in there, I generally crack the door during drying. Trying to dry at higher temps will make the links sweat and get tough. And folks, if you can't get your smoker to run at 100° to 125°, or if you are using a charcoal smoker... you can air dry sausages by rigging up some sort of a rack and using a small fan. Even two saw horses with dowels or pvc pipe between them will work.

"No higher than 175°" is also VERY important because if the fats in the links warms too fast, they can leak out, making a dry link.

And if you do elect to use the sawhorses for air-drying, leave them set-up and you can shower your sausages with a garden hose.

[reinhard1]

in a 25 pound of thuringer i used 20 pounds of venison and 5 pounds of pork fat and it turned out great. firm as you said. i am slowly incorporating more beef in my mixes as well depending on what i make. i agree with you on the beef. next time i make breakfast sausage i will add a smaller portion of beef on the first batch and go from there. good luck.

[Dark Cloud]

When spinning your links... Spin the 1st one clockwise, second one counter clockwise, back to clockwise, then counter etc. You will never unravel the previous link as you are rotating the meat opposite the previous one.

You'd be surprised how soon you get used to doing this and do not even have to think about it...

Good Luck!

Ken

Or just spin every other one...

Many ways to skin a rabbit.

[fowldreams]

Was at sams last night and saw that pork tenderloin was $.065/lb cheaper than pork butt. Im wondering if the tenderloin would work to grind in with the venison or if the butts fat content is the reason you would choose that. First time doing our own veni sausage this year.Keeping it simple with summer sausage and sticks. What is the best option for me?Thanks

[reinhard1]

i would go with the pork butt myself. i have no idea why pork tenderloin would be cheaper than butts. last week the butts at sam's were 1.68 lb. still a great price for butts or 1.48 lb for a case. i guess i would by the tenderloins for regular meals however and in great amounts, but not for sausage. your doing summer and sticks and realy dont need a lot of fat. but some is needed. last week the whole boneless pork loin was 2.48, up 50 cents from the week before. pork tenderloins are usualy a lot more expensive than whole boneless pork loins.

i just checked with the sam's down off university ave. pork tenderloins were 3.48 lb. still a great price compared to others. i ordered a case of pork butts while i was on the phone. they were 1.43 by the case [usualy 60 to 70 lbs. in a case]. they come two butts per bag. two per bag they were 1.78 lb as of today. last batch of summer sausage i made was 20 pounds of venison and 5 lbs of pork fat. i'm going to use 5 pounds of 75 percent ground beef next time and mix it with the venison. good luck.

[fowldreams]

Thanks reinhard1. Maybe I saw the wrong price then. Now you say that I don't need a lot of fat for summer sausage, what would the ratio be from veni to pork butt? Also, I bought casings and premeasured seasonings from the local butcher how much water,beer or whatever liquid is added to keep it moist and not dry? Thanks again

[reinhard1]

if i were to make summer sausage from venison and pork butt in a 25 pound batch i would do this:

15 pounds of venison

10 pounds of pork butt

your seasonings [normaly pre mixed seasoning come in 25 pound batch size or higher]

1 oz of quick cure [sometimes called prague powder, it's pink in color]

5 cups of dryed milk powder [acts as a binder and absorbs moisture]

6 cups of cold water [ mix the cure in this water]

grind the meats once with a course plate. mix all the rest ingrediants well into meat. then grind once more through a medium plate or fine plate. then leave the mix covered overnight [to blend in the flavors and cure]. next day stuff into non-edibal fibrous casings [i usualy use the 3 lb size] make sure you leave enough room in the end to tie it up with cotton string tight. then smoke it in 180 to 200 deg. until the internal temp is 163 deg. have a good meat thermometer placed right down the middle in the end of one of the sticks. the quick cure can be bought at meat suppliers [Hamms Butcher Supply in Ham Lake off 65 for example] they come in one ounce packets [good for 25 pounds and must be mixed with water as stated above].

this should work for you. good luck.

[rocstar]

Do you find any appreciable difference taste wise between using pork and using beef hamburger with summer sausage or sticks?

[reinhard1]

i have just started using more beef in my sausage. i only use meat from the chuck. it is well marbled and has great flavor. i think there is a difference in flavor. the last batch of kielbasa i made was awesome. it had venison,pork butt, and chuck in the mix. pork will always be a part of sausage making for me, depending on what i make. i'm experimenting more with beef. when i run out of venison this year i will be using beef and pork. good luck.

[KEN W]

I have used both pork and beef for my salami/summer sausage at 50-50 with venison.I could not tell the difference in taste.Salami has a garlic/smoke/peppercorn taste.Summer Sausage has that fermented tangy taste.

The big difference in using the two is texture.Pork is a soft meat and makes a much softer product.Beef is much firmer makeing a harder firmer end product.I prefer beef over pork.

[reinhard1]

i agree with your post for the most part. yes the texture is different, but maby it's just me but chuck tastes better than pork [to me] so i believe it enhances the flavor as well. we all have different tastes. incorporating the three or just beef and pork [when i run out of venison .] will be in my future plans. i'm with you with the beef also but pork will be a part of what i make depending what i'm making. good luck.

[LightningBG]

When buying pork, do people buy a pork butt and grind it themselves or is there ground available? Is pork butt in the case at most grocery stores or do you have to go to a meat store?

[reinhard1]

if you buy pork butts for sausage it is normaly ground at home. at cubs for example they have 80/20 pork trim for 2.48 a pound course ground. have no idea what type of pork is used for that. at county market they have picnic trim. this has more of a fat content. that is 2.00 a pound. they are available in 10 pound tubes. it is only available as far as i know on a seasonal basis. however you might be able to order a case during the year. i have not done that so i'm not sure if you can.

i have ordered pork butts in the case [around 70 pounds ave.] from sams just the other day for 1.43 per pound. that is the best price i have seen. cubs or other stores i have not ordered by the case due to their price is much higher. so i dont even bother with them. good luck.

[fowldreams]

I wanna make a trial 10lb batch of summer this weekend but don't want to use the venison on the first go round. So beef it is , do I still use a 50/50 ratio beef to pork? And what cut of beef would I be looking into? Thanks

[KEN W]

I would stick with all beef.But that's just me.I like a firm SS.Adding pork will make it softer.I would go with 80-20 lean to fat.You need the fat to be a binder and not be crumbly.

Make sure you don't set the temp higher than 175 deg. or so.don't want to render out all the fat onto the bottom of the smoker.

That means a long time to get the SS to 150 degrees.The last batch of Salami I made last Sunday took 2 hours of smoke and then another 5-6 hours with no smoke.That was for sticks of 2 1/4 inch diameter and weighing a little over 2 pounds each.

[fowldreams]

Thanks Ken. I m gonna give it a go on sunday. I appreciate the help guys.