Sausage Making Advice. PRO'S NEEDED

[Mr. Dean]

Since having come home from my Bear hunt, I'm getting some contradictory advice on how to prepare my sausage meat.

The Bear is quartered and in my deep-freeze, it now needs to be thawed and processed further before it's skin-stuffing time.

I was in to the local sausage supply house for supplies and they advised me that in order to build my sausages, the entire lot will now need to be smoked before going back to the freezer. If I elect not to smoke, it will need to be 'finished' in some other manner (160 degree oven).

I guess that I was under the impression that refreezing was more of a quality issue than it was a health concern (?). The sausages that I’d like to make will all be dinner types that will need to be cooked before consumption (Italians and Garlic), except for a batch or two of pepperoni.

I know that there are a few members here (but can’t remember who) that have credentials in meat handling - I humbly seek for your input.

Thanks.

[Bow Walker]

Mr. Dean......
I don't see a problem with thawing your quarter(s), and boning them out, and then taking the meat in for processing into sausage, and then re-freezing the sausages. Just do it as quick as you can. I agree that it would be a quality concern - not a health issue. The quality would not suffer much at all IMHO.

Keep the boneless meat as cold as possible (don't re-freeze) before processing into sausages and then freeze the sausages right away. My bet is that you don't notice any difference at all.

PM Marc - the site owner - and talk to him. He's done many a bear. Good luck.

[Mr. Dean]

Thanks BowWalker,

Your info was what I was lead to believe and I understand about keeping the meat chilled (under 38 degrees) for the entire process. I'll work beside a fridge that's dedicated for this and limit my work time on a quarter then rotate with another.

Thought;
Once my casings are stuffed, shouldn't I let them sit in the fridge for a day or so to let them marinade with the spices or do they need to be frozen up ASAP?

[Bow Walker]

A thought I forgot to mention......thaw the quarters in the fridge. Very important.

Thought;
Once my casings are stuffed, should I let them sit in the fridge for a day or so to let them marinade with the spices or should they be frozen up ASAP?

Are you mixing your own sausage? If you are - mix the batch very, very well. Then freeze immediately when you wrap them in portions.

One thing I was taught for sausage making...........If you think you mixed it well - mix it again! This from a German teacher. It has served me well over the years.

[444marlin]

Mr Dean,
We have been making dinner sausages with bear meat for years. Our meat is deboned and then left in the freezer for the required amount of time.
(Trichinellosis)

We then thaw, grind and mix with 30-40% ground pork trim. Seasoning are added. (butcher can recommend the amount). We package the sausages and refreeze. Quality is excellent. Vacuum packing will add months to the shelf life.

[270WIN]

Mr Dean,
We have been making dinner sausages with bear meat for years. Our meat is deboned and then left in the freezer for the required amount of time.
(Trichinellosis)

We then thaw, grind and mix with 30-40% ground pork trim. Seasoning are added. (butcher can recommend the amount). We package the sausages and refreeze. Quality is excellent. Vacuum packing will add months to the shelf life.

I done the same thing with both moose and bear and both have tasted great

[huntwriter]

Every time you handle meat the risk of contamination multiplies. The risk of contamination becomes highest when the meat is ground up for further processing into sausages. These are the reason why we often advice non-professionals to keep the meat frozen at all times until ready to process. During processing time the meat should never reach an internal temperature higher than 45F (7.2C).

The finished product should be cooked or smoked before it is refrozen. Fresh sausages, such as brats should also be frozen immediately after processing. Fresh sausages should not be stored in the refrigerator longer than one to two days before consumption.

When freezing sausages make sure you do not pack them to tightly in the freezer as this will prevent air circulation and as a result the middle layers will not freeze.

Hope this answers your question.

[Mr. Dean]

A thought I forgot to mention......thaw the quarters in the fridge. Very important.


Are you mixing your own sausage? If you are - mix the batch very, very well. Then freeze immediately when you wrap them in portions.

One thing I was taught for sausage making...........If you think you mixed it well - mix it again! This from a German teacher. It has served me well over the years.

Understood... Understood... And yup, understood.

Once again, thanks!

[Mr. Dean]

The finished product should be cooked or smoked before it is refrozen.

Hope this answers your question.

Oh Oh... Train derailed.

Why is this Huntwriter?

[huntwriter]

Oh Oh... Train derailed.

Why is this Huntwriter?

Why is that? Food safety and product quality. Every time meat is defrosted and then frozen again the risk of contamination becomes higher.

Lol Bow Walker. My father, a Swiss gold medal sausage maker, used to say; “The sausage mixture is mixed properly when you’re getting tired and your fingers are about to fall off.” That was in a time before mixing machines, liquid smoke and food coloring. It was a time when sausages where made with 100% real meat by hand and with pride.

This brings me to the quality of cooking/smoking before freezing. As it had been said the sausage mixture has to be mixed very well in order to bind all the ingredients together. If the sausages intended for cooking/smoking are frozen first the emulsion often can, and will, separate. How does this happen? The water molecules in the meat mixture form ice crystals and cause the separation of the ingredients. Now if the sausages are defrosted and trough cooking or smoking reheated again, not only does the contamination risk go sky high but also the separation, speak quality loss, will increase.

Once the sausage is smoked or cooked, before it is frozen, it is not only preserved to a degree from contamination, but also the binding and marinating process is completed.

Personally I have never been a great sausage maker. All I know about sausages is what I learned from my father and brother, both award winning sausage makers, and in the Swiss Butcher School. My forte in the meat trade always has been meat cutting procedures (safety and quality control), livestock assessment and livestock welfare before and during slaughtering.