Going to try making sausage

[2slow]

I have about 20lbs of bear meat i want out of my freezer and I will be giving sausage making a first try this weekend. I have the grinder, stuffer and casings along with a premix of spice and cure. Anyone have any hints on how to make the links or any other handy little tips for making the job go smoothly??

[newhunterette]

I have about 20lbs of bear meat i want out of my freezer and I will be giving sausage making a first try this weekend. I have the grinder, stuffer and casings along with a premix of spice and cure. Anyone have any hints on how to make the links or any other handy little tips for making the job go smoothly??

when you get the size of the sausage you want, pinch the casing and twist then make another sausage , pinch and twist , sausage- pinch - twist etc eventually it becomes easier the more you do. It is all hand coordination.

I know Mr Dean is a bear sausage expert so I am certain he has some very wonderful pointers.

[Derp]

i've had my sausage done by the butcher with added pork and it tasted delish. Anyone do their sausage without but with good results?

[2slow]

It just so happens that i have about 20lb of bear i need to grind and 5lbs or so of organic ground pork i got from some folks i know who raise pigs for the 4h etc. with their kids. So i was going to mix the pork in just to add a bit of moisture to the bear meat......hope it turns out

[Viking]

Remember to alternate the twists (one left, one right) or you will undo the last twist

[Steeleco]

I find 20% pork a little too much, but it's all about your preference.
Mix your meat WELL, and when your tired and hands sore, mix some more!

Mix the seasoning in the meat before you grind, if you want a really fine textured sausage grind it again.

Are you going to cure or make frying sausage? I tend to leave out the cure and cook the sausage's from frozen when I want them.

I like to make one long tube and twist to the desired length dictated by tares in the skins and such.

[2slow]

I am going to make frying sausage. So I don't need the cure for frying? And next dumb question what exactly does the cure do?

[Steeleco]

If your frying you may or may not have cure in the mix, it depends on the recipe? It should be in a bag all by itself. The cure is the Nitrates (salt) that helps to preserve the meat if your going to eat it cold like a salami or a pepperoni.

[Bpower]

The nitrates in the cure do a chemical conversion when the internal temperature of the sausage reaches a certain point as in when you smoke the meat. The nitrates turn into nitrites that help preserve the meat. If you are frying I would not suggest adding the cure.

Keep your meat mixture COLD when you are working with it or else it becomes difficult to handle and is hard to stuff the skin with it. I liked using a synthetic (not actually synthetic but different from hog casing) skin when I first made sausage since it is way easier to work with compared to the slippery little hog casings.

Don't try to do it by yourself either, at least a two person job.

Stuffers in Langley has a couple of simple books on making sausage that they will sell very cheap if not give them to you if you ask when you are buying supplys from them

[tomahawk]

I've been making my own sausage for close to 20 yrs and there are lots of good tips to follow from the other posts, personally I like at least 20 % pork or beef in the frying sausage. I have used up to 50 % and it is awesome. The web has lots of good recipes, the Stuffers site that was mentioned has process and tips that you can use to be successful.

I agree with Steelco and make one long casing and then twist. Do not use cure in frying sausage! Keep everything clean and use a fine grind plate and grind it 2 times!