Project KB (For Beginners)

sambal badjak
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Post by sambal badjak » Tue Aug 12, 2014 07:34

I am either a bit ahead of the troupe or a bit behind....
I have just been making some smoked sausages and cold smoked bacon. I will try to find some pictures of me mincing, cutting etc as the process is more or less the same (except obviously for the cure) and will limit my comments to fresh sausages for now.

I used to use a manual meat grinder with a sausage attachment and I now have a 5 lbs LEM stuffer with stainless steel stuffers. A huge difference and a worthwhile investment if you are looking at making sausages on a more regular base.
I also use a small electric mincer now which is not really necessary but nice anyway :mrgreen:

Pics to follow once I have gone through them...
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Post by sambal badjak » Tue Aug 12, 2014 10:22

This is the type of meat I use
Image
Image

Then cut finely, a bit coarser these days than on the picture as here I mixed all the meat and did a single grind with a hand grinder straight into the casing.
These days I separate fat and meat, grind, then mix and use a stuffer. A lot easier but the other system also works.
In the meantime I have found out that it is really essential to keep everything cold cold cold!
I thought I got away with not being thoroughly cold till I did it proper one time and the sausages definitely come out better. Not greasy at all.
Image

I left out the picture of my hand grinder set-up as I am not using it anymore. I will post a pic of my current set up once I got the pics uploaded

The end result: not all equally sized, but not too bad for a beginner!
Image
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Post by cogboy » Tue Aug 12, 2014 10:46

Sambal, those are fine looking sausages, nice job !
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Post by SalP » Tue Aug 12, 2014 12:50

Very nice Sambal. After years of making sausage, not alot during the year. I finally bought a LEM vertical stuffer. What a difference. I still use my kitchen aid for grinding, but i dont get worn out pushing the mixture through the kithen aid anymore when stuffing.
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Post by graybeard » Tue Aug 12, 2014 12:58

I have a couple of questions. First off I had a LEM 5# stuffer that somehow my son ended up with so I am in the market to get another one. I was very pleased with that one but they also have a 10# stuffer that I am interested in also. I have seen it posted here that a larger stuffer does not work very well with snack sticks or kabanosy. LEMs website says the 10# will work in making snack sticks, has anybody had any experience with that one or am I better off getting another 5# one? With the ham project it looks like it is ok to use a pork shoulder, is that correct or am I better off looking for a fresh ham?
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Post by Janlab » Tue Aug 12, 2014 12:59

Nice work SB! Those look delicious.
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Post by Chuckwagon » Tue Aug 12, 2014 14:27

Sambal wrote:
I am either a bit ahead of the troupe or a bit behind....
Yup kid... slow down to learn. We're not even casing meat yet. And bacon is quite a way off over the horizon. There's some real know-how in that stuff. We'll get there... have patience.

Project KB will go on for months and we'll examine one point at a time and investigate the little intricacies of each step. Sambal my friend, you must learn to WALK before you learn how to RUN.
I have just been making some smoked sausages and cold smoked bacon. I will try to find some pictures of me mincing, cutting etc as the process is more or less the same (except obviously for the cure) and will limit my comments to fresh sausages for now.
We enjoy your pictures. The ones of your pork mince indicate two things. The first is protein developoment and the second is too high of temperature. At this point we are not really mixing the chopped sausage in order to demonstrate sausage without the development of myocin proteins. We are hand-chopping a little to understand and experience the basics of "texture". The problems of binding without developed proteins are historic. When the grinder was developed, people started to understand how proteins serve as a binder.

Sambal, using your LEM grinder with separate stuffer is the smartest move you can make. People who try to stuff casings directly from the grinder, usually become frustrated and quit. We'll get to that pretty soon. Right now, slow down and read as much as you can from Stan's book in the first few chapters.
Also, click on this link http://www.meatsandsausages.com/sausage-making and notice the topics with arrows. Click on those topics to learn more.
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 rgauthier20420 » Tue Aug 12, 2014 14:43

CW you said "We're not even casing meat yet", but aren't we doing the breakfast sausage right now?

Now I'm not trying to be a fancy shmancy sausage maker and go and change everything in a recipe, but can I make the breakfast sausage into a chicken sausage instead? Reason being, is a typically make 5 lbs batches and 5 lbs of pork breakfast sausage might not be as welcome in the house. Of course pork is more delicious, but I like to try and slip in some healthier stuff and I've had great products made with 100% skinless chicken thighs. The fat content is pretty perfect.
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Post by Shuswap » Tue Aug 12, 2014 14:45

Chuckwagon wrote:Shuswap, I feel (and the Duk does too), that you and the Trucktramp will be a couple of those folks who succeed with this craft because you are interested in depth. (Mike the "Grasshopper" has already passed the last course!) He's an "ace".

Your questions are welcome and they are vital to understanding the process. Please remember how many "facets" this hobby has. Allow me to present it to you in sections that we can put together in a final product. Have some patience my friend and we`ll get all the information posted and available to you. A few months from now, you`ll be making better sausage than you can buy in any supermarket. You`ll be making a sausage that rivals Jimmy Dean or Hickory Hill. Stick with the project pal. We`ll get there!
Thanks CW and Duk too :shock: Geez trying to be patient with UMAi and course progress at the same time is quite a challenge but I'm hanging in there.
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Post by Chuckwagon » Tue Aug 12, 2014 14:53

Speakin` The Lingo
Cows And Pigs

Cattle

The bovine is one of the most inefficient animals on our planet, considering the expense of the amount of grain it requires to simply produce a pound of beef. So, why do we continue to support such an uneconomical menu item? The answer is simple... flavor! In the history of our American wild-west, I suppose rustled or stolen beef always tasted better than the domestic stuff! In the United States alone, we eat a tremendous amount of beef annually. In fact, if we lined up all the cattle Americans consume in merely one year, the line would encircle the earth 125 times! So, if you intend to take up the life of a cattle-rustlin` outlaw , "swingin` a wide loop"; if you just can't help becoming the west`s next rustler, you'd better learn how to "speak the lingo" and develop a little knowledge regarding cattle and the basics of beef.

A cow is a female of the genus "Bos" from the Bovine family Bovidae, and there is a dynamic herd of about one and one third billion worldwide! A young cow, more than one year of age, is called a heifer until she gives birth to a calf in about nine months becoming a"fresh" cow with a ten-month milk supply, later becoming a "dry" cow. A bull is the reproductive male and a steer is a neutered male.

During the late 1700's, cross-breeders in England developed "polled" (born without horns) cows, and in the American west, the traditional Texas Longhorn was slowly replaced by English Hereford and Aberdeen Angus breeds. Ranchers found the Hereford to be a sturdy animal, able to survive extremely cold western winters. The once-popular Texas Longhorn not only grew more slowly than the English breeds, it was a leaner animal as well. Accordingly, by the 1920`s, the Longhorn had all but vanished from the range, as the marbled meat of the Angus became the preferred cut for the grill. However, at maturity, the Angus, like the Longhorn, was found to be slightly smaller than other breeds and ranchers began to crossbreed other cattle with it to produce larger offspring. Today, the meat of the Angus is very much in demand, but in the intermountain west, the Hereford, with its red body and white face, chest, flanks, and lower legs, is the cattleman's favorite, being able to survive extreme weather and having more tolerance than other breeds.

Why did rustlers prefer cattle? The animal is easier to manage than hogs and sheep, making it the rustler's choice. The bovine is simply a tediously dull animal, lacking ordinary quickness and keenness of mind, and used to provide meat. Your horse Thunderbolt, will respond to its name - your cow Bossy, will not. That's alright buckaroos... quite often I don't even respond to my own name!

The Three Basic Grades Of Beef

The Meat Inspection Division of the United States Department of Agriculture grades beef quality by estimating the age of the animal, the amount of fat marbling (determined by looking at the rib eye at the 12th rib), and by the texture, color, and appearance of the rib eye. U.S.D.A. "quality grading" is optional and according to the National Cattleman's Beef Association only about 2% of all the beef carcasses produced in this country, submitted for grading, are quality-graded as "Prime".

Prime beef cuts are generally the most tender, flavorful, and delicious steaks and roasts and contain less meat due to a higher fat content (marbling). This grade is the most expensive beef and usually only found in meat markets - as opposed to supermarkets. Unless you butcher your own, the best cuts of beef will come from meat markets supplying restaurants and are always Prime or Choice cuts of meat.

Choice beef is juicy and tender, producing excellent steaks and roasts. About 44% of the beef submitted for quality grading is "Choice" grade, (the next grade down from Prime), and is usually available to and selected by, shoppers in retail markets. There is nothing wrong with cuts of this grade and they will save careful shoppers money.

Select beef is generally the most popular grade of beef containing the "average cuts" needing tenderizing occasionally. They are mostly used for grilling or in slow-cooking recipes. Usually marinated, these cuts are found in the supermarket and save the consumer even more money than by purchasing choice grade.

When beef is purchased in vacuum packages, it appears dark reddish-purple. When the package is opened, exposure to oxygen causes the meat to turn bright red, and after a few days, the surface will change to brown. Other grades of beef, sometimes found in supermarkets, are referred to as:

Standard
Natural,
Commercial
Utility
Non-Graded


These are usually tough cuts and require a little talent to "render tender", but that's not to say they can't be made into very tasty meals. There is no clearly cut definition of these categories and some care should be exercised when making selections. Many people don`t realize that the very best cuts of beef are not available in supermarkets, as they are sold only to restaurants and retailers. Fine restaurants often utilize a process called "aging", a term used to describe the holding of various meats at a temperature of 34 to 36 degrees F. (1 to 2 degrees C.) for a specified period of time while tough connective tissues break down through the action of enzymes, increasing tenderness. Often, mold will develop upon a carcass (a sure sign of aging), and will simply be washed away with vinegar or cut away before the tenderized meat lying beneath, is cut, cooked, and served. And what about cuts from older steers? Quite often they end up in discount stores.

Pigs And Hogs

One billion hogs live throughout the world and about half are in China, the world's leading producer having forty different breeds. Of these, the United States has only eight commonly raised breeds including the American Landrace, Berkshire, Chester White, Duroc, Hampshire, Poland China, Spotted, and Yorkshire - all developed in this country with the exceptions of the Berkshire and Yorkshire, imported from England during the 1800's.

Piglets weigh only about 2-1/2 pounds at birth but double their weight in a week. Fully-grown males (boars) weigh more than five hundred pounds, and sows (females) more than four hundred and fifty. A young female that has not yet had piglets, is called a "gilt", and a young, castrated male is known as a "barrow". Giving birth to piglets is called "farrowing". The time period from conception to birth is 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days, and most sows deliver 2 litters per year, each having seven to twelve piglets.

Today, hogs grow faster on less feed, produce more lean meat and less fat than those raised in the past, and actually consume about twenty percent of the corn grown in the United States. Hog producers, listening to consumers' preferences and concerns, have dramatically changed pork since the 1980s. America's fitness trend and a more health-concerned generation have simply demanded it. Of prime importance, improved breeding and feeding practices have all but eradicated trichinella spiralis in pork! As producers continued to upgrade the quality of pork, they have also consistently reduced the animal's fat content by nearly forty - five per cent. The most popular selection of pork, the tenderloin, is now a whopping 42% lower in fat. Pork chops today, are a colossal sixty percent leaner than those just thirty years ago. Today's lean pork means it plays a vital part in a healthy diet as it contains many nutrients including six essential vitamins, four important minerals, protein, and energy. Our old perception of pork is changing as consumers are beginning to realize it is a most desirable lean meat.

Although the elimination of trichinae in pork is one of the most significant improvements in the industry, not everyone is happy with the reduced fat content of the animal. Since pork fat is the secret of its flavor, traditional sausage makers are disgruntled with modern lean pork as there is simply less fat available. Most sausage makers these days must scramble to find "fat back" - the creamy, flavorful addition necessary in amounts of about 1/4 the total volume of any good sausage. Many experienced fermented-sausage crafters claim the days of authentic salami flavor are now gone, while any ol` timer will tell you how the savor and essence of the meat itself has been reduced. Pork is not "aged" as is beef, and it must be cut and wrapped within 24 hours of slaughter for best results.

Unlike beef, having three primary cuts along it's back, the hog has but one - the loin. The fore-end of the loin is called the "shoulder cut" or "shoulder chops", while the center cut has "rib chops". The south end of the loin on a northbound pig contains the tenderloin and the "sirloin chops". Shoulder cuts have a lot of fat and connective tissue and are good for roasting or braising but not especially pan-frying. Center cuts have two types of connective muscle while loin chops have one.
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 Chuckwagon » Tue Aug 12, 2014 15:05

RGauthier wrote:
CW you said "We're not even casing meat yet", but aren't we doing the breakfast sausage right now?
Yes we're making BASIC sausage without a binder and without casings - to further understand what these things do. We are making what they refer to as "loose meat". This is a very popular type of sausage (loose) served over biscuits with gravy. Have patience... we'll develop the proteins soon, mix the sausage into a gooey mess and shove it into a tube!
Now I'm not trying to be a fancy shmancy sausage maker and go and change everything in a recipe, but can I make the breakfast sausage into a chicken sausage instead? Reason being, is a typically make 5 lbs batches and 5 lbs of pork breakfast sausage might not be as welcome in the house. Of course pork is more delicious, but I like to try and slip in some healthier stuff and I've had great products made with 100% skinless chicken thighs. The fat content is pretty perfect.
As far as the chicken sausage goes, there is a LOT to know about chicken regarding proteins, fat, etc. and it's not an easy sausage make correctly. Sure, we'll make chicken sausage. We'll get there... but not tomorrow! :roll: You're going to have to wait just a bit for that information. Good to see your enthusiasm! :wink:
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 rgauthier20420 » Tue Aug 12, 2014 15:22

Ok. So if I'm getting this right, the breakfast sausage recipe that's on page 3 is a loose sausage meant to be formed into patties and such?
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Post by Chuckwagon » Tue Aug 12, 2014 15:26

RECIPE CORNER
Okay Cowboys and Wrangler Girls, it's time for BREAKFAST. Let's make some... "Sausage Gravy Over Sourdough Biscuits"!
Let's cook up some of your "loose meat" breakfast sausage. Better yet, let's combine it with some real sourdough to make a recipe you'll always come back to! :wink: Let the sage flavor shine through as we make a western gravy to pour over fresh biscuits. In the west (USA), our most celebrated breakfast is the most simple. We love our sausage-gravy poured over sourdough biscuits freshly made in a Dutch oven over a campfire! It doesn't get better than that! Here's the recipe and a little information to explain this stuff.

Wild Hittites, Wild Spores, Wild Beer, And... Real Sourdough!
Real Sourdough For Your Bread, Biscuits, And Pancakes

The ancient Hittites dipped unleavened flatbread into water to soften it enough to be eaten. Undoubtedly, one night after supper, some Hittite cowboy forgot to throw out the water and wild desert yeast spores (living plants of sac fungi) combined with the floury-water, feeding upon a nutritional compound of carbohydrates and glucose. In the presence of oxygen, enzymes called zymas converted the compound into carbon dioxide - the perfect bread-leavening gas for making sourdough bread. Without oxygen, the compound is converted into alcohol through the process we know as fermentation. A few days later, a Hittite horse wrangler just had to try drinking the stuff, and probably fell into his campfire. Thus, beer was born. While making sourdough bread, you will notice the pungent aroma of fermented beer. You will also recognize the wonderfully distinct and rich flavor of sourdough bread made with wild desert yeast spores. First recorded by the Egyptians, cultivated yeast as a leavening agent was probably originally developed by the Hebrews during their 430 year captivity. Involuntarily abandoned in their hasty departure from Egypt, an unpredictable substitute was provided by introducing wild desert yeast spores to a medium of spoiled buttermilk with sugar. Unrefined, this "sour" dough starter proved to be a comparatively calculable leavening, providing a reliable substitute. Hence, we have sourdough - with its natural form of leavening and distinctive fermented flavor. Producing carbon dioxide gas in a semi-predictable pattern, it has little in common with baking powder, in which the chemical reaction of an acid (cream of tartar) and an alkali (sodium bicarbonate) may deteriorate with prolonged storage.

Gluten is a compound of gliadin and glutenin proteins found in flour, giving dough it's elasticity, and the two proteins are usually found in roughly the same proportion. Containing the properties of a thickened fluid, gluten forms whenever water is mixed with flour and is able to confine and suspend carbon dioxide gas produced by activated yeast, allowing bread to rise. Gluten develops by kneading and working the dough. If it is overworked and not allowed to rest, the final product will be tough and chewy. A flaky pie crust is made of dough kneaded only a minimum number of times as compared to more substantial bread dough involving much more kneading. As you shop, compare the various gluten contents of several manufacturers` flour, and soon you will find yourself routinely selecting a preferred brand with specific gluten content for use in making sourdough. Regular supermarket bread flour has about 12 percent protein content. The flour most preferred at our ranch for use in country-style bread, contains closer to 14 percent gluten. How do you raise the gluten content? Simply add a little more water to the dough. A third cup added to a two-loaf recipe will do the trick. On the other hand, you may reduce the gluten content to 11 percent by adding a third cup less water. Whenever making sourdough bread, remember to use plain white or whole grain flour, as self-rising flour contains other leavening agents or chemicals. Although it is a good product, it is not ideal for sourdough bread making.

Gettin' "Started"

Countless articles have been written by greenhorns trying to shorten or simplify the process for making the original "San Francisco" recipe given to prospectors headed to Alaska. Don`t be fooled by simplified recipes or those using anything but buttermilk to produce a "starter". The indigenous wild yeast spores of San Francisco are legendary and most old timers will tell you, "the older the starter - the "better the batter". Sourdough starter may be purchased commercially but then...it's not from "scratch". You may make a fine starter yourself by simply mixing buttermilk and a few common ingredients. Who knows? A hundred years from now your own great-grandchildren may remember to acknowledge your own "start".

To store sourdough starter and retard its fermentation, refrigerate it. It's simple as that! Actually, the ideal inert temperature is 42 degrees F., a little higher than that of most refrigerators. The starter will activate upon gradual warming to room temperature and is then added to your favorite flour used in any recipe for biscuits, breads, or pancake batter. Unless a recipe specifies it, never allow dough to raise more than twice its size with any leavening agent as it reduces the chewy texture and alters the flavor. You may however, accelerate the production of gas bubbles by placing the bowl containing the dough over another bowl of warm water. Never raise dough on a stovetop over a warm oven as it may begin to cook. Be sure to cover the bowl with a damp towel to keep the dough moist while it is rising. Another accelerator for raising yeast dough is the addition of a little milk and sugar and a little experience will soon let you know just how much to add to a recipe. Making sourdough is not a difficult process and very much worth the effort whenever people ask how you "rustled up such tasty grub"! When the lid comes off the Dutch oven and fills the air with its distinctive aroma, they'll go crazy! Yup pards, sourdough is magic!

Ok WD wranglers, let`s get down to business. The process of making sourdough breads, biscuits, pancakes, and a variety of other "sourdough" baked goods, consists of two parts: (1) sourdough starter and (2) sourdough batter.

1. Sourdough starter is made by mixing:

1 cup of water
1 tblspn. sugar
1 cup flour
4 tblspns. buttermilk

Use buttermilk only as other milk just will not make the magic. Mix the ingredients together inside a glass or stainless steel bowl, cover it with a damp towel, and then store it four or five days in a warm area. As the starter ferments, you will smell that wonderfully familiar sourdough aroma and will know when it is ready.

2. Sourdough batter is made ten or twelve hours before baking by:

√ removing the starter from the refrigerator and allowing it to slowly warm up to room
temperature,
√ measuring out 1-1/2 cups of starter and placing it into a bowl,
√ adding 1-1/2 cups of flour and 1 cup of tepid water, and
mixing the batter well, and
√ replacing the starter used in the recipe, by stirring additional flour and water into the
remaining original starter, maintaining its volume, finally placing it back into the
refrigerator.

Old sourdoughs say each time you make bread, you must "take a little and add a little". They are, of course, referring to the starter. Use the sourdough batter mixture in recipes as called for, to make sourdough biscuits, breads, and other favorites. Return the remainder to the bowl. That's it! Now you know the secrets of making sourdough. Remember to use only tepid water at about 110 degrees F. as higher temperatures will kill the living bacteria in the yeast and the bread will not rise.

"Cowboy's Classic Sourdough Bread"
(Tried And True Classic Sourdough Bread)

2 cups proofed sourdough batter (see instructions)
1 pkg. dry yeast
1cup tepid water (110 degrees F.)
3-1/2 tspns. sugar
1 tspn. salt
6-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 can of "lager" beer

Dissolve the salt in 1/3 cup of the water and reserve it. Check the expiration date on the yeast and dissolve it in the remaining water and beer. Add the sugar and allow it to proof ten minutes. Next, add the salt solution, flour, and sourdough batter and make dough. Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a glass bowl and cover it with a dampened towel or plastic wrap, allowing it to double in volume in about 60 minutes. Punch the dough down, cover it in the bowl, and allow it to rise again in about 45 minutes. Having punched the dough down for the second time, shape round loaves using a bowl or basket lined with a lightly floured clean cotton cloth. Use a flour sifter to create a light, even sprinkling of flour over the entire surface of the dough. Always cover loaves with a dishtowel or plastic wrap to avoid the formation of a dried pellicle. Allow the loaves to rise again at least forty-five minutes.

Bake the loaves inside a couple of Dutch camp ovens or place them onto a floured baking sheet in the upper half of a pre-heated kitchen oven. Place a small, shallow, pan of hot water into the bottom of the oven to help produce a crust with steam. You may also wish to sprinkle buttered loaves with sesame or poppy seeds. Bake the bread at 375 degrees F. for 35 minutes or until a golden brown crust forms.

A few sourdough tricks include the use of half water and half evaporated milk (not condensed milk which contains 40% more sweetener) in the recipe for a very smooth consistency of texture. If you wish to make bread more moist for sandwiches, add a teaspoon of olive oil to the ingredients. I also like to add an egg once in a while just to give it a special texture. It will be difficult, but you really should allow the bread to cool ten minutes before slicing it.

"Saddle Bum`s Sourdough Rye Ranch Bread"
(Hearty Sourdough Rye Sandwich Bread)

Rye, usually mixed with other types of flour, adds incredible depth and flavor to baked goods including rye bread, pumpernickel, rye crackers, and of course, sourdough rye breads and biscuits! Rye`s robust cereal grain, though not as sturdy as barley, produces flour with lower gluten content than wheat flour, yet contains a higher proportion of soluble fiber. Often used for hay, rye grass is more tolerant of acidic soil, cool weather, and dry conditions, than wheat. Rye grain is also the principal base of mash used in making rye whiskey, rye beer, and some vodka. In the old west, a shot of rye whiskey was called a "jack of diamonds". A "bar dog" (bar tender) hearing the words "rebel soldier" (rye whiskey) "wearing overalls" (double shot) would serve the customer two shot glasses and leave the bottle.

If you happen to enjoy the flavor of rye with sourdough as much as we do in the Rockies, make this hearty sourdough bread that you may dip n` dunk in less polite company. Try it with thick and delicious vegetable beef soup "fixins", or your ranch-style "meaty moooligan" stewin` "doin`s".

2 cups wheat bran
2 cups dark rye flour
3-1/2 cups white unbleached flour
2 cups proofed sourdough batter
6-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 pkg. dry yeast
1 can lager beer
1/2 cup molasses
2 tspns. kosher salt
2 tblspns olive oil
2 cups tepid water (110 degrees F.)
1 cup warm evaporated (not condensed) milk
butter to rub onto finished loaves
sesame or poppy seeds

Dissolve the salt into 1/3 cup of the water and reserve it. Dissolve the yeast inside a glass bowl with half the remaining water, add the milk, beer, and the molasses allowing the mixture to proof ten minutes. Mix the bran, flour, rye, olive oil, sourdough batter, and the salt solution together, forming sticky dough. Knead the dough several minutes, adding a little flour if necessary.

Cover the bowl with a dampened towel, allowing the dough to raise in about 60 minutes or until it doubles in size. Sprinkle the dough with flour then punch it down, allowing it to rise again in about 45 minutes. Punch the dough down again, cut it in half, and shape it into loaves, lightly diagonally slicing the tops three times each. Place the loaves upon floured baking sheets or inside Dutch camp ovens if you're on the trail, and allow them to rise again. Now, brush on some butter and sprinkle the loaves with toasted sesame or poppy seeds.

Place the loaves into the upper half of a pre-heated kitchen oven and add a small pan of hot water to help produce crispy crusts. Bake the bread 35 minutes or more, at 375 degrees F., until golden brown crusts form. If you wish to have slightly more moist bread for sandwiches, add another teaspoon of olive oil to the ingredients. Allow the bread to cool ten minutes before slicing it. Please try this recipe using a Dutch oven over the hot coals of your campfire following your next cattle-rustlin' job or whitewater canoe-trip.

"Shuttle Bucket Sourdough Biscuits n`Gravy"
(Soda-Raised Sourdough Biscuits With Gravy)

Biscuits:
2 cups sourdough batter
2-1/4 cups flour
1 tblspn. baking powder
1/2 tspn. baking soda
1/2 tspn. salt
1/4 cup butter (or shortening)
1/2-cup milk or buttermilk.

Prepare the batter the night before baking. Mix the dry ingredients with the butter (or shortening) until it is "grainy". Stir in the milk, batter, and salt. Knead the dough for 30 seconds only, roll it out to 1/2" thickness, and cut out 3" circles (easily done with the floured rim of a drinking glass). Coat the bottom of a pre-heated black skillet with two tablespoons of butter and dip the dough circles into it, turning them over to bake at 400 degrees F., for 15 minutes or until they are golden brown.

Gravy:
8 ounces breakfast sausage
2 tblspns. shortening
3 tblspns. flour
1- 3/4 cups milk
1/2 tspn. celery salt
salt and pepper to taste
dash cayenne pepper

Cook the sausage in a medium black skillet over medium-low heat, stirring and breaking up the ground meat with a spatula. Remove the browned crumbled sausage temporarily while you melt the shortening in the drippings inside the skillet. Add the flour, cooking it as you stir to create a roux paste. Add the milk to the roux and heat the mixture until it thickens. Return the sausage to the mixture, season it, and serve it over hot split and buttered Shuttle Bucket Sourdough Biscuits.

Storing, Freezing, And Thawing Bread

The reason bread becomes stale is not moisture loss, rather it`s caused by process called retro gradation, in which starch molecules in bread crystallize. Retro gradation in bread occurs about six times more quickly at refrigerator temperatures (36-40 degrees) than at room temperature, thereby making the refrigerator the worst choice for storing bread. However, retro gradation slows down significantly when bread is stored below freezing temperatures. Store bread at room temperature up to three days in a container that minimizes moisture loss. After three days, wrap bread tightly in foil, place it inside a freezer bag, and freeze it.

Since cold temperatures accelerate retro gradation, it is only logical that the process would be reversed by heat. Right? Anyone who has ever softened stale bread in an oven or microwave has witnessed retro gradation reversal. Ovens don`t add moisture, yet whenever stale bread (with crystallized starch) is heated to temperatures beyond 140 degrees (the gelation temperature of wheat starch), the crystals break down as their molecules form gel, softening the bread. Thaw full or partial loaves still wrapped in foil, inside a 450-degree oven for 10 or 15 minutes, then crisp the bread by removing the foil and returning it to the oven for a minute or two.
Last edited by Chuckwagon on Thu Aug 14, 2014 12:00, edited 1 time in total.
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 Chuckwagon » Tue Aug 12, 2014 15:37

Graybeard asked:
I have a couple of questions. First off I had a LEM 5# stuffer that somehow my son ended up with so I am in the market to get another one. I was very pleased with that one but they also have a 10# stuffer that I am interested in also. I have seen it posted here that a larger stuffer does not work very well with snack sticks or kabanosy. LEMs website says the 10# will work in making snack sticks, has anybody had any experience with that one or am I better off getting another 5# one? With the ham project it looks like it is ok to use a pork shoulder, is that correct or am I better off looking for a fresh ham?
Graybeard, go for the #10 or 12 and you'll never regret it. Believe me, the larger grinder takes the work and frustration out of our hobby. You'll have less tendency to swear and fill the air with foul language of trying to stuff meat down the throat of a "toy" smaller grinder. Also, don't even try to stuff sausages using your grinder. Use a separate sausage "stuffer". You will be so much happier you may just go outside, draw both pistols, shoot in the air twelve times, and skip down the street whistling a tune while wearing only your shorts and your cowboy boots! (oh boy!) :roll: Stuffing a casing from a grinder is just futile! :shock:

RGauthier asked:
Ok. So if I'm getting this right, the breakfast sausage recipe that's on page 3 is a loose sausage meant to be formed into patties and such?
YUP! :wink:
Last edited by Chuckwagon on Tue Aug 12, 2014 15:40, edited 2 times in total.
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 el Ducko » Tue Aug 12, 2014 15:37

I know ya don't like people substituting ingredients, CW, but what about substituting real maple syrup for those 2 tablespoons of Mapleline (maple flavoring) in the Canadian Bacon recipe?

As I reached for the real stuff in the pantry and wondered how much to use, suddenly storm clouds started forming outside and the distant rumble of thunder suggested that I think twice.

(Then a little voice said "thppfftt.")
Duk
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Experience - the ability to instantly recognize a mistake when you make it again.
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