SAUSAGE PHOTO GALLERY (Without Original Recipes)

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Chuckwagon
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Post by Chuckwagon » Sun Jan 08, 2012 01:22

Hi Big John,
Hog casings (upper intestines) are sold in 91-meter lengths cut into "hanks" 1 to 2 meters long and gathered into bundles called "shorts". Their average diameter is about 35 millimeters and may be used for cooked sausages, pepperoni, Italian sausage, Kielbasa, Kishka, larger franks, and a host of other stuffed sausages. Hog middles (middle intestines called "chitterlings") are curly in appearance and cut into one-meter lengths, sold in bundles of nine or ten. They are available in wide, medium, or narrow calibers, determined by the location of the item within the animal. Middles are ideal for Braunschweiger, liver sausages, dry salami, and Italian salami. Hog bungs (called "fat ends") are the intestine`s extreme southern end of a north-bound pig. Bungs are sold individually and are used primarily for liver sausage and Branschweiger, Genoa salami, Thuringer, and summer sausage. Diameters vary from 55 to 90 millimeters.
There is no real "trick" to handling the stuff, but there are a few things that may help. First, you need a large, washable, work surface or table. It`s best if it has a small tilt to drain water, and even better, a sink in it. Stainless steel is ideal but expensive. If you go to the plumbing and hardware shop, you can get all sorts of ideas for making your own nozzle for quick loading of casings. I have a slippery plastic "gooseneck" rising straight up from a sink in the table. The pipe is reduced to 3/4" and rises a foot and a half then makes a u-turn before being cut off, leaving plenty of workspace. A custom pointed nozzle (I made myself) fits on the end. When a "short" of hanks is removed from the cooler, I place it in a plastic bucket of water to help with the handling of the thing and to find ends. I pull the ends up over the edge of the bucket until I need them. Next, I trim the ragged ends squarely with a pair of scissors. This makes for easy loading onto the nozzle. I`ve found that if I keep a small open bowl of salt on the table, I can dip my forefinger and thumb in it to help with the handling of the casings when laying them out on the table. I place another plastic bucket into the table-sink and fill it with water. I place only one casing at a time into it while a small stream of water straightens it out in coils in the water. When the water reaches the end of the casing and flows out, I increase the flow and flush out the salt thoroughly. My stuffer swivels to the sink for easy loading but I still start by filling a water "bubble" inside each casing so it lubricates the nozzle as it slides on. The bubble of water stays in front of the stuffing horn as the casing slides onto the horn. Never use butter or any other "lubricant" as this will cause "smearing" and problems with texture later in the smoker. If you are not near a sink, you may have to use a dish of water to start your bubble. I just priced a 5 lb. vertical stuffer at the Sausagemaker. Their basic no-frills model is #50510. It sells for 125 bucks and has a stainless steel cylinder and chrome-plated frame. Yes, it has nylon gears but in my opinion, if a prudent person stops cranking when the piston hits the bottom of the cylinder, it will last indefinitely. I used one of these for years and still use it when making smaller batches. I`ve found it to be a top quality product. Tell "Mrs. K" to look at it as an investment. It will pay for itself in the long run and prevent you from using foul language around the kitchen!
One last thing JB, ... please don`t waste your money on one of those curved "horn-type" stuffers. It requires three men and a boy just to pull the lever down... and your language will go from bad to worse. :roll: Why, I`ve seen full-grown men throw a fit right in their own kitchen, just trying to pull that handle down. Soon, a blue cloud of language hangs over the house and the police are called in. The wife starts packing her bags and the poor sausage stuffin` cowboy is taken away in a straight-jacket muttering all sorts of indecent, incoherent syllables with inappropriate 4-letter words. :shock: So, my ol` pal... play it safe and just tell her that all the boys at WD are urging her to give you the go-ahead on a VERTICAL (geared) stuffer.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill! :D
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Post by ssorllih » Sun Jan 08, 2012 05:06

With my sausage stuffing funnel pushing a soft mince through an 1 1/2 inch tube in a three inch funnel takes about 50 to 75 pounds force. There is no way to push a mince through a small diameter tube without gears and threads.
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Cheddar Kielbasa's in the smoker

Post by JerBear » Sun Jan 08, 2012 20:17

My last run in my smoker didn't go so well. Today is the second run and I'm doing some applewood smoke and cheddar-kielbasa. Pics to come later today (or you can check @hgsausageworks on twitter for updates throughout the day).
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Post by JerBear » Mon Jan 09, 2012 01:32

Smoked with applewood for 4 hrs with medium smoke...now poaching in a roaster and then I'll ice them then bloom.... so far so good...
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Post by JerBear » Mon Jan 09, 2012 01:48

drying:

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mid-smoking:

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Chuckwagon
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Post by Chuckwagon » Mon Jan 09, 2012 03:20

Hey Jer,
Your sausage looks great and it looks like your smoker is doing a terrific job. Your hard work is paying off eh? Nice work Jer.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill! :D
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Post by JerBear » Mon Jan 09, 2012 04:53

Thanks Chuckwagon....here's a link to photos of the final product with recipe:

http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?p=6580#6580
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Post by Dave Zac » Mon Jan 09, 2012 20:18

I'm surprised you don;t have a much more pronounced color on the finished product. I've smoked for 4 hours and after cooling and blooming they are deep mahogany color.

Is that a cold smoke? Does that make a difference?

Dave
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Post by JerBear » Mon Jan 09, 2012 20:22

I was wondering the same thing. I was going to do a little reading before posting here but since you mentioned it, let's see what everyone else has to say. For more information they were 4 hrs on applewood...max sausage internal temp was high 70's. Brough to 150 degrees F in water bath, iced then bloomed with a fan for an additonal 90 min. I would love more color so any input would be appreciated.
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Pizza/Nacho Cheese Stix

Post by nepas » Tue Jan 10, 2012 17:39

Making some pizza/nacho cheese sticks for a guy here out of his venison.

So here is a 2 lb test batch to see how it turns out before i mix the other 15 lbs.

I was looking at a very small jar of nacho cheese powder compairing it to the regular cheese powder. Only missing item from the regular was jalapeno powder....Hey i can fix that ;D

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The mix is AC LEGGS OP Pizza stick mix.
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In the fridge, will stuff and smoke tomorrow.
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Here i'm grinding the rest of the venison.
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All mixed with my fat cut in and in the fridge so it can marry before i mix and stuff.
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Post by jbk101 » Tue Jan 10, 2012 18:33

Hey Chuckwagon,
Chuckwagon wrote:I have a slippery plastic "gooseneck" rising straight up from a sink in the table.
You must supply pictures of this my old mind is just baffled at this :grin:
Chuckwagon wrote:One last thing JB, ... please don`t waste your money on one of those curved "horn-type" stuffers. It requires three men and a boy just to pull the lever down... and your language will go from bad to worse.
I have seen a few at yard sales and have been tempted but I have my eye on a vertical stuffer like the one you mentioned from the Sausagemaker web site. Just need to open my wallet (Afraid to lose my Pet Moths :lol: )

John
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Post by ssorllih » Tue Jan 10, 2012 19:10

So far so good. Looks promicing. Why the zipper baggy over the grinder with no bottom in the bag?
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Post by ssorllih » Tue Jan 10, 2012 19:16

With my very limited experience I have gotten a little smoke color in four hours and very nice color and good smoke flavor in more than six hours.
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Post by nepas » Tue Jan 10, 2012 19:28

ssorllih wrote:So far so good. Looks promicing. Why the zipper baggy over the grinder with no bottom in the bag?
Keeps splatter off the counter and wall.
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Post by jbk101 » Tue Jan 10, 2012 19:44

Jerbear,
JerBear wrote:I was wondering the same thing. I was going to do a little reading before posting here but since you mentioned it, let's see what everyone else has to say. For more information they were 4 hrs on applewood...max sausage internal temp was high 70's. Brough to 150 degrees F in water bath, iced then bloomed with a fan for an additonal 90 min. I would love more color so any input would be appreciated.
How long did you smoke them for? I assume from the Internal Temperature in the high 70's that you were cold smoking as opposed to hot smoking? If so it would take some time to develop some color, also color would depend on the amount of smoke applied for the length of time you smoked them for. If you were cold smoking it could take 6+ hours depending on the strength to obtain some color! And from most of my newbie research 10 to 12 hours is normal for a cold smoking process and could even go a couple of days in length!
John
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