Homemade Sausage Making

Crusty44 was kind enough to advise of the wonders of CSABAI and I thought I'd give it a go using some super lean Sambar Deer venison and Pork.

I grabbed a pork runner (casing) from the local butcher, front 1/3rd of a pig from the abbattoir and a few things like Garlic, caraway seeds, chillie flakes and thought that any spare meat mix could go into the thin collagen casings I had at home.

Ended up with 14kg. meat and couple kg. of seasonings/water. (Put some pork roasts in the freezer also)

Filled them and into the coolroom overnight and started the cookup/smoking next morning.

They appeared quite wet so put the collagen skins of the first batch into the small gas (LPG) smoker. This smoker is very hard to keep cool enough and runs up to 100C very quickly which is to high. I set the door ajar and after 1/2 hr applied the smoke for approx one hr. from some eucalypt wood I always use. Then into the elec oven in the house to finish them off to 68C.

Found out its not a good idea to bloom collagen in cold water bath too They go very soggy very quick.

Worked on the process and three more batches later thought the thick pork ones, which had been in the coolroom 1 1/2 days and dried off nicely, were the best.

Here's some pics of the production....

Pre cooking....



Pre cooking thick pork skins...



Cut sausage after cooking...



A batch in the smoker/cooker....



Cooked thick pork skin sausage.......

Hi Pete,
What did they taste like? Up to your expectations? I would smoke them a bit longer and finish up with a darker mahogany colour.
How much water did you use for 14 kg of meat.
They look good though.
Cheers Mate,
Jan.

G'day Jan,

Working it out, say 1litre with the bamix'd simmered garlic and 1 to 1.5litres to make the slurry which for 14kg was a fairly large amount.

Unfortunately didn't have enough fresh garlic, used 3 whole bulbs and a bottle of crushed garlic about 150gms.

The chillie doesn't come thru' much at all Jan when cold, and the texture on the early collagen ones is not up to my expectations. I cooked some thin Csabai in a pan at lunch and it was very nice. I'm going to leave them all in the fridge for at least a week and see how they dry out/harden up.

I would say excess fat may be a quality problem with them, might have been say 30%.

Up the shed 25 mins ago and cut one of the last thick (pig casing) batch that had been in the cool room 1 1/2 days before cook/smoke. A much better sausage and texture is much improved.

Summary.........Enjoy these, they are still very tasty.
Follow the recipe / method better next time.
In particular meat / fat / water ratios.

Here's a cut sample of one of the thick pig casings -

Come on folks, critique the product and what I've done, you will not offend with constructive criticism.........we are all here to learn and have a bit of fun.

But please, don't mention pineapples..

Pete, there's not much to critique. If the texture is smooth and moist, without a hint of being grainy, then you've succeeded. To tell you the truth, most beginners use too much heat for too long and "break" the fat. Then the sausage becomes dry because the fat has melted away. That's when the recipe gets the blame and lots of folks give up. The next thing that new folks learn the hard way, is to use very few spices and herbs. Usually salt, pepper, and a "signature" spice will deliver plenty of flavor.
Pete, it looks like you pass with flying colors! Keep up the good work. What's next on the agenda?

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Hey Pete - i'll comment! Tt looks good. If it tastes good too, you nailed it! You know those little pin holes? I got some of those in a recent effort, and was advised by someone on this forum that they would probably go away in a few days. Well, the did.

Nice work. Considering what a huge batch you made, I'll bet you're pretty pleased and relieved!

CW - you're right about the graininess that plagues beginners. Happened to me by a) too much heat too fast, b) dumping in warm wine and too much of it.

Cheers,
Jeff

Thanks Crusty44, Chuckwagoon & Cabonaia for the help, to me it looks great and is very tasty but I'm not rapt with the texture at this stage.

I intend to let it dry in the fridge for a week or so as I prefer a firmer type of sausage.

Any ideas as to what would be a sensible/safe period in the fridge please, it has No1 Cure at 2gm/kg of meat.

Next on the agenda will very likely be another tilt at this one. I'm keen to make it closer to the recipe Crusty sent me instead of adlibbing a few times as in this batch.

Mind you, it will take a while to get thru' this lot.

Hi Pete,
As the sausage ages just a little in the refrigerator, it will get even better... up to a point. That's the reason folks like to vacuum pack it after a day or two. Oxygen will begin to take it's toll after awhile. Personally, I really like it after a couple of days in the fridge.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

I too have been having problems with my Bradley in having to bring all the sausage to 152° at the same time. Even though I move the sticks around it is always problematic. The last couple of times I solved the problem by finishing it by simmering. That way I get a nice consistent product and no fat out in the ends and a nice texture. Pete you might want to experiment using the method next time. But your sausage looks good, and I'm sure it will not go to waste. The only other thing I would make sure here is that you mix the meat really well before stuffing.
Cheers! Chris

Thanks gents, I'm thinking of an attachable smoke generator and using the elec oven in the house more until I sort out a longer term set up.

Simmering..in water ?

I'd say it looks fantastic!!looks to have good definition by the photo & good colour. I'm drooling right now!!!

Pete, that's what I have on my smoker is an attachable smoke generator, my smoker has a gas burner but ill also use a hot plate for some applications, it allows me to get such a low temperature I can cold smoke salmon, even cheese

If you can get even a one foot difference in elevation between your fire/smoke source and the smoker. Then the versatility of the system is great. This is what I use and this is what i built for a friend. Box about 15x18 x24 high just sits on the platform.

Taking this on board, thanks guys, much appreciated