SAUSAGE PHOTO GALLERY (Without Original Recipes)

[atcNick]

I cut up the ham and butt I bought today and mixed in the salt and cure. 13 lbs and almost 4 oz.



I saved the thick layers of fat I got off the ham, right under the skin. Stuck it in the freezer. Any idea what that can be used for?

This was my first time cutting a fresh ham. Lots of lean meat!! In the picture i have what should be class 1 and 2 pork.

I'm planning on grinding and stuffing monday evening. Hang it in the fridge to dry, then smoke on tuesday with a mix of oak and hickory.

[TxBigRed]

I saved the thick layers of fat I got off the ham, right under the skin. Stuck it in the freezer. Any idea what that can be used for?

T.

Grind it when you grind your lean meat and add it back it. Your mix looks pretty lean.

Dave

[Chuckwagon]

Absatively!

[atcNick]

I think it looks leaner in this picture than it really Is. I have both class 1 & 2 meat mixed together here, I guess most of the fattier pieces just made it to the bottom. I will take look at it again though. If I do need to add more fat that may be a problem as I'm already one day into the curing process and the scraps of fat are I'm the deep freeze. I think I read that fat doesn't cure, but would it be safe to just add the fat to the rest of the cured meat without running it through the curing process?

[atcNick]

Im going to be grinding and stuffing today. Trying to figure out how much of the spices to add as per the recipe. Recipe is for 11lbs of meat, spices are in grams. Trying to see if there's a list of spice weight to volume conversion. So I can see how many tsp/tbsp of each to add. Any help? I have 13.29 lbs of meat.

[Trosky]

28.35 gm= 1oz that should get you going.

[TxBigRed]

Im going to be grinding and stuffing today. Trying to figure out how much of the spices to add as per the recipe. Recipe is for 11lbs of meat, spices are in grams. Trying to see if there's a list of spice weight to volume conversion. So I can see how many tsp/tbsp of each to add. Any help? I have 13.29 lbs of meat.

That's going to be a tough one. Each spice's weight is going to be different for a given volume depending the type of spice and grind size. Time to invest in a scale. I bought this one as it had good reviews and was pretty cheap to boot. You can switch between ounces, Lbs/ounces or grams.
http://www.amazon.com/My-Weight-Ultrash ... 240&sr=8-4

[atcNick]

THanks guys. Tex, I have that scale, its pretty touchy when dealing with small amounts.

I did find a pretty good conversion site, but it doesnt have caraway and nutmeg listed:

http://www.onlineconversion.com/weight_ ... ooking.htm

[Trosky]

Stans book "Polish Sausages" has a chart on page 233.

[Chuckwagon]

Grams In One Teaspoon:

Gr. Ingredient:
0.3- Dried Tarragon
0.6- Rubbed Oregano
0.6- Sage (ground)
1.3- Sage (Rubbed)
1.3- Mixed Herbs
1.3- Rosemary
1.3- Mint Rubbed
2--- Thyme Rubbed
2--- Bay (ground)
2--- Cassia (ground)
2--- Annato Colour
2--- Celery (ground)
2--- Fennel (ground)
2.6- Hickory Smoke Pwd
3.3- Wheat flour Plain
4--- Chilli Crushed
2--- Ginger (ground)
2--- Paprika (ground)
2--- Coriander (ground)
2--- Cumin (ground)
2--- Aniseed (ground)
2--- Caraway (ground)
2--- Cardomom (ground)
2.6- Cinnamon (ground)
2.6- Nutmeg (ground)
2.6- Cayenne (ground)
2.6- Garlic Powder
2.6- Pimento (ground)
2.6- Mace (ground)
2.6- Star Anise (ground)
2.6- Clove (ground)
2.6- Black Pepper
3.3- White Pepper
3.3- Caraway Seed
3.3- Turmeric (ground)
5.3- White Sugar
5.3- Phosphate
7.3- Garlic Salt
8--- Salt
5.3- Saltpeter

Best wishes, Chuckwagon

[atcNick]

Trosky, I couldn't find it. Chuck, thanks for the list!!

Stuffed the kabanosy tonight, hung in the fridge to dry. Will smoke them tomorrow after work. Here's a quick cellphone picture

[atcNick]

Well I smoked it this afternoon. Used hickory. The flavor and smoke intensity is great, but the casings turned out tough. So Im a little disapointed. Stuffing casings and making them look pretty isnt easy.



Im going to stick most of these in a mini fridge to dry for a few days, up to a week. I have the temp in the fridge around 55-60F and humidity at around 75%. Im going to dry a few at room temperature of about 72F. The ones at room temp I covered with cheese cloth to keep flys off. Here are the pictures I have:

[Chuckwagon]

Now those are some nice pics - especially the last one where Charcuterier Sui Generis Extraordinaire Nick is holding the goods with a smile on his face. That means it's all worth the effort eh?
Hey Nick, please tell us that you are using UNtreated wood dowels for your sticks. Your stuffing looks great - much easier with two people... takes the hard work out of it. Trying to juggle the volume going into the casing and cranking with one hand can be a little frustrating eh?
I don't have all the answers, but I've found that tough casings can be the result of too high a temperature for too short a period of time. Also, if they are not flushed then soaked in fresh water for quite a while before stuffing, they can be a little tough too. Then sometimes it is just the nature of the particular casing you are using. The texture may improve as they dry out a bit. I'm betting in about a week, you're going to be pretty satisfied with the stuff.
The mixture looks quite smooth for kabanosy, but the fat content looks about right. What plate size did you use? Did you fold in the spices rather than really beating up the primary bind? Quit worrying - another five days and you'll have some great sausages on your hands. Nice going Nick. Its beautiful stuff!
Best wishes, Chuckwagon

[BonAir]

atcNick - great job!

[Dave Zac]

FANTASTIC. You look like one happy man. As you should.

A round of applause for Mr. Nick please