Going to try making sausage

[2slow]

Thanks for the info everyone

[Mr. Dean]

I just fill the complete case. Once done, THEN I twist up the individual sausages. This makes the proccess MUCH MUCH easier.

[Ambush]

I always cube my meat into about half inch squares then add the spices. Don't be afraid to cut out the junk, it won't get better going through the grinder.

I run it through the grinder then put it in the fridge for 1 or 2 days for the spices to blend and meld. Then run it through the grinder again with the sausage horn on. I don't use "cure", or nitrates, in anything, only salt. I'd rather have a little less shelf life.

Ground bear meat makes excellent jerky. Get a "jerky gun" and a dehydrator. Check your dryer often near the end and take off any that are done early. They never dry evenly. Every few hours I reverse the location of the racks. Just take the whole stack off and set them down next to the dryer. Then take the top rack and put it on the dryer, then the next until they're all back on. Top rack is now on the bottom, for more even drying.

For me, nearly anything that can't be steaks becomes jerky sometime before the next hunting season.

Hundreds of recipes on the net.

[Mr. Dean]

I always cube my meat into about half inch squares then add the spices. Don't be afraid to cut out the junk, it won't get better going through the grinder.

x2
Good advice there. Mixing ground is fugly work.

[huntwriter]

Lot of good advice has been given here.
Number one rule in sausage making is work the meat cold, the colder the better. If you have a large amount of meat work it in batches to avoid warming up.

Cut the meat in small cubes spread it on a baking sheet in a single layer and put in the freezer until it slightly frozen. This will make it much easier to grind up and prevent it from getting mushy.

Unless you don’t mind sausages that are as dry as wood you need fat. Fat gives the sausage moisture and holds the flavor together. The average standard is 30% of the total meat mass but you can go as low as 15% or even 10%. Alternatively you can use beef kidney fat, it has less cholesterol that pork fat and it ads a complimentary flavor to wild game meat. Grind the fat separate from the meat and make sure it is almost frozen. As with the meat, cut into cubes and put in the freezer. If the fat is just chilled or even warm it will smear.

Before you get started with sausage making get everything ready and organized. Weigh up your seasoning, meat and fat, get the casing rinsed and soaked. So that when you start you can keep going with out delay.

Once the meat and fat are ground up put it back in the cooler or freezer to chill it down. Season the meat, not the fat, and then mix the meat roughly to get the seasoning well mixed in. Now add the fat and keep mixing everything together. Mix hard and knead the mixture like bread dough. If your fingers get cold and numb it’s an indication that the mixture is cold enough, if not then put the mixture back in the cooler. Keep mixing until everything binds together to one solid mass.

Form the mixture into a airtight ball, or several if you have a lot of it, put it into a plastic or stainless bowl cover with plastic wrap or a moist kitchen towel and put in the fridge for up to 12 hours to rest. Do not use aluminum as this will react to the salt in the sausage mixture.

Get the sausage casing ready and the stuffer set up. Rinse the casing in lukewarm water making sure all the individual strings are separated. Let one end hang over the edge of the bowl or dish. This makes it easier to pick them up.
Fill the stuffer with sausage mixture, making sure you pack it firm and airtight. Bow air into the casing, this will make it easier to get on the stuffing tube. Push the casing all the way onto to the tube. Start stuffing the sausages by letting about an inch of the mixture escape from the tube. This will ensure that the tube is full and no air will come into the sausage.

Stuff slow and evenly. The mistake many beginners make is that they stuff the sausage to firm. The sausage should be soft to the touch, as it will get a lot firmer when you start linking. Stuff all the sausages before you start linking them. Each batch of sausages should go straight back into the cooler so they will not warm up.

Once you’re done with stuffing all the sausages, clean everything up and put it away to make room for linking the sausages. Some of the mixture will be left over and can be formed into patties.

Link the sausages to the length you want them by twisting the first two times to the right and the next to the left. Keep going like that until all are linked.

One word about nitrite. If you only make bratwurst type sausages you do not need any nitrite. The sausages will keep well frozen for over a year or in the cooler for up to two days without nitrite. For smoked sausages you need nitrite. If you buy the ready seasoning mixture the right amount of nitrite will be mixed in to it. If you buy nitrite separate make absolutely sure you stick exactly to the recommendations given on the package. The same goes for the premixed seasoning. Nitrite is good but if overdosed it can turn into a nasty health risk.

Summary: Sausage making is for many beginners a daunting task but it is not as difficult as it seems.
Be organized. Work clean at all times, wash hands and tools frequently. Take your time and don’t rush. Stick to the recipes. Above all make sure the meat is always cold from the start to the finish.
As my brother, a gold medal winner sausage maker keeps saying, “A good sausage is the result of many processing steps that have to be carried out with great care and precision.”

Good luck.

If you have any questions or problems PM me.

[2slow]

thanks again everyone for the info and help

[2slow]

Well I am all done and did learn alot doing this for the first time.
I used my kitchenaid grinder and stuffer attachments for the whole process and i have to say if I do this again im going to invest in a full size grinder and a proper stuffer as the kitchenaid made it alot more work than it really needed to be.
I made 25 lbs of smokies and my only complaint is the pre mix i bought is a little salty for my taste but overall it was pretty easy to do.
The other part that was a little tricky was not stuffing the casings too full wich made it hard to twist em without breaking

[huntwriter]

Well I am all done and did learn alot doing this for the first time.
I used my kitchenaid grinder and stuffer attachments for the whole process and i have to say if I do this again im going to invest in a full size grinder and a proper stuffer as the kitchenaid made it alot more work than it really needed to be.

If you do a lot of sausages, more than 10 pounds, it is worth to get proper equipment. These attachment thingies are OK for once-in-a-blue-moon-two-pound-jobs. Stuffers in Langley has everything you need to make sausages go see them, they are some of the nicest folks you will ever meet.

I made 25 lbs of smokies and my only complaint is the pre mix i bought is a little salty for my taste but overall it was pretty easy to do.

Unfortunately that is true. Most pre-mixed seasonings are heavy on the salt. We can partly thank the lawsuit happy society for that. Seasoning companies assume that people do not use seasoning as recommended, which could cause lack of salt (preservative). Then when the sausages go bad these people sue the company for selling them a “faulty” product.

The other part that was a little tricky was not stuffing the casings too full wich made it hard to twist em without breaking

When you stuff the sausages keep them very soft. If press lightly with your finger you should be able to almost push your finger all the way to the tabletop without effort.

I am very happy for you that everything went well and that overall you like the finish product. There is no feeling as good as making your own food from scratch. Now that you know the basics perhaps you want to buy a book or two about sausage making. This will enable you to make many different kinds of sausages and other meat products if you’re inclined to do so.

[Mr. Dean]

You got through it and have seen the learning curve. Next time, it'll be a cinch!