4 Kinds of Sausage

[Rich G]

Since it seemed a bit gluttonous to watch 3 NFL games yesterday and not accomplish anything, I decided that I would get started on a fresh batch of sausages. I've kind of gotten into the habit of making smaller batches of sausage, as I find that I get bored of a particular type before I finish 5 lbs ("standard" home batch.) Reminds me of when I was homebrewing, and getting through the last 1-2 gallons of a 5 gallon batch was sometimes a challenge! (First world problems, right??)

I decided on Sweet Italian, Hot Italian, Extrawurst (Austrian bratwurst style), and Kabanosy (sort of a Polish snack stick). These are all pork sausages, so I got a 2-pack of butts from Costco, fed them in strips to my grinder twice through my 7mm plate. I also ground up some belly fat trimmings through a 3mm plate to boost the fat content a little (the butts were on the lean side). While the ground meat chilled back down, I watched football and measured out my spices for each of the different types.



When I was bored of the Wash/TB game (4th qtr), I went ahead and measured/mixed each batch of meat with its spices/water until they were a very sticky consistency. Then each batch went into a labeled ZipLock bag for an overnight rest.



This morning, while the coffee was being made, I got out some hog and sheep casings, flushed them, then set them to soak for a bit. After 45 minutes, I started stuffing (using my 100 year old Enterprise stuffer). I tried a new trick which worked out great. I left the mix in the zip lock back, but cut off the corner. With the top of the bag open, I put the open corner down into the exit spout of the stuffer and compressed everything tightly. When I cranked the stuffer, it worked just like it normally does, only when I was done, only the spout had any sausage remnants in it (much easier clean up!!) The stuffing went really smoothly, with no blowouts.

The Kabanosy and Extrawurst will get smoked after they air dry for a few hours. The Italians will dry in the fridge overnight, then I'll package them up or eat 'em. Ended up with 10 links of each of the Italians (5"), 7 links of Extrawurst (6.5"), and 10 rings of Kabanosy (20"). Fun stuff (punny!), and looking forward to some good eating.



Rich

 

[Brad Olson]

Great work, Rich! Will you eat the Kabanosy and Extrawurst plain with no further cooking, or can you grill them as well?

But I think it's absolutely tragic that you apparently don't know anyone who'll help you dispose of a gallon of beer.

 

[Steve Madden]

Very impressive Rich!

 

[Rich G]

Great work, Rich! Will you eat the Kabanosy and Extrawurst plain with no further cooking, or can you grill them as well?

But I think it's absolutely tragic that you apparently don't know anyone who'll help you dispose of a gallon of beer.

The Kabanosy and Extrawurst are both traditionally smoked sausages, so I'll get that done after they've dried a bit. I think with these, I'll give them 2-3 hours of smoke, then poach them to finish in 170F water. Then they get cooled in an ice batch and are ready to eat cold, use in a dish, or grilled like you would with any sort of pre-cooked sausage. The Italians will stay the way they are to be grilled, pan fried, added to a recipe (I think we'll do a simple fettuccine with Italian sausages in marinara for dinner.

Plenty of beer drinking friends, but even so, it seems that last gallon can be work (especially if you didn't nail the batch perfectly). Besides, variety is the spice of life, so smaller batches means more things to try!

R

 

[JimK]

Very impressive, Rich!

 

[Cliff Bartlett]

Wow, that's like reading a good book. Another outstanding post Rich. Were the sheep casings used for the Kabanosy? When I make my snack sticks I use the small collegen casings. Good idea downsizing the batch size. I was digging through my freezer and discovered a couple bags of my sausages that were stuck in the back and the dates were rather embarrassing. Also, by going with the smaller batch size, you get to experience the whole process more often.

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

Those look incredible! Can I come and stay with you for a week and learn some of your tricks?

 

[JeffG]

Rich

Thats outa my league, bet each flavor tastes off the hook....

 

[CaseT]

Sounds like a great batch of sausage! Love doing several small batches to try new things!

 

[Rich G]

Wow, that's like reading a good book. Another outstanding post Rich. Were the sheep casings used for the Kabanosy? When I make my snack sticks I use the small collegen casings. Good idea downsizing the batch size. I was digging through my freezer and discovered a couple bags of my sausages that were stuck in the back and the dates were rather embarrassing. Also, by going with the smaller batch size, you get to experience the whole process more often.

Cliff, I did, indeed, use the sheep casing for the Kabanosy. I'd never used them before and was a bit hesitant as I heard nightmares about handling them, lots of blowouts, etc. I did up the amount of water for the Kabanosy (I usually do 8% of meat/fat, this time I did 10%), which may have made the stuffing easier. I find those bags in the freezer, too! You're lucky, mine are usually not labelled!

Those look incredible! Can I come and stay with you for a week and learn some of your tricks?

Sure, I'd love to have someone to clean up everything for me, TL!! Truth be told, every trick I have learned probably came from somewhere on the Internet, but mostly, it's just experience that gives you a feel for how things should be (grind, mix, temperature, how fast to crank/stuff, etc.) One good session, and you'd be off to the races!

R

 

[RJ Humphrey]

Great looking sausage!

Did you use Prague #1 cure in your Kabanosy and Extrawurst?

I’ll have to try your ziplock bag trick in my LEM stuffer. Thanks for the tip. The old Enterprise stuffers are pretty cool looking. I’ve never seen one in person.

When you purchase hog and sheep casings, do you buy a hank or a home pack? I prefer hanks, a lot less shorts, holes and blow outs. IMO over all quality found in hanks are better than home packs.

What brand, HP and grinder plate size are you using?

It’s always good to discuss sausage making with others.

Cheers

 

[Rich G]

Great looking sausage!

Thanks!

Did you use Prague #1 cure in your Kabanosy and Extrawurst?

Yep, pretty much always use Cure #1 in any sausages that I will smoke (especially since I smoke at 150F or lower, then poach to finish.

I’ll have to try your ziplock bag trick in my LEM stuffer. Thanks for the tip. The old Enterprise stuffer are pretty cool looking. I’ve never seen one in person.

It really worked well, would be interested in how it works with your LEM! I love my Enterprise stuffer (I actually have two.....)



These were the leftovers......about 3/4 cup each, think.....

When you purchase hog and sheep casings, do you buy a hank or a home pack? I prefer hanks, a lot less shorts, holes and blow outs. IMO over all quality found in hanks are better than home packs.

I have done a lot of home packs, and, yes, lots of shorts, holes, and generally, I think you just get lower quality casings. This batch I used tubed hog casings from a hank I got from Syracuse Casing. By far the best casings I have used, and super easy to prepare, then load on the stuffing horn with the tube. The only drawback is there is typically more on a tube than I'll use in a sitting, so I had to re-salt and package what was left. Not hard, just an extra step that could lead to more waste. At $35 (shipped) for 100 yards of casing, it beats the home pack price by a mile.

What brand, HP and grinder plate size are you using?

Cabela's Carnivore 3/4 HP #12 with 4, 7 and 10mm plates. Love it! It eats a two-pack of butts in no time!

I'm becoming more and more of a sausage nut, which drives my wife a bit crazy, but makes my friends happy (as I give away a bunch......so I can make more.)

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

Hey Rich, I’m a good dishwasher, just ask my wife!

 

[RJ Humphrey]

Yep, pretty much always use Cure #1 in any sausages that I will smoke (especially since I smoke at 150F or lower, then poach to finish.

I figured you used cure #1, since you were smoking sausage. I use #1 for bacon, smoked sausage, Canadian bacon, snack sticks, summer sausage and buckboard bacon. I have a batch of Canadian bacon and buckboard bacon wet curing now.

I have done a lot of home packs, and, yes, lots of shorts, holes, and generally, I think you just get lower quality casings. This batch I used tubed hog casings from a hank I got from Syracuse Casing. By far the best casings I have used, and super easy to prepare, then load on the stuffing horn with the tube. The only drawback is there is typically more on a tube than I'll use in a sitting, so I had to re-salt and package what was left. Not hard, just an extra step that could lead to more waste. At $35 (shipped) for 100 yards of casing, it beats the home pack price by a mile.

The last few years I've been buying hog and sheep casing from a small local supermarket. The butcher keeps them in-stock for house made sausage.

Cabela's Carnivore 3/4 HP #12 with 4, 7 and 10mm plates. Love it! It eats a two-pack of butts in no time!

I started making sausage about six years ago using a $140 grinder from Gander Mountain. It was a PITA, cutting meat into small cubes and not over loading the machine. I sold it to a co-worker that wanted to get into sausage making.

An other co-worker purchased a Cabela's Carnivore 3/4 HP grinder about four years ago to grind venison twice a year. I borrowed it a few times and was amazed at how it would eat thru 40 pounds of meat in less than 20 minute on the first grind. It was awesome no more cubed meat, just long strips.

About three years ago I went into Bass Pro and on the clearance shelf was a LEM 3/4 HP, Big Bite grinder, #12 with 4.5MM and 10MM plates for $200. New retail it's $479. I purchased the grinder along with a 6MM plate.

Cabela's Carnivore 3/4 HP and LEM 3/4 HP Big Bite are both excellent grinders for home use. You can't go wrong with either machine!! I'd rank them both the same. I spend more time clearing the grinder after I've used it, than grinding meat. lol

I'm becoming more and more of a sausage nut, which drives my wife a bit crazy, but makes my friends happy (as I give away a bunch......so I can make more.)

To get my wife involved, I have her find new sausage recipes for me to make and sample. I give away a large majority of the sausage I make too.


I grind my own burger meat from whole choice boneless chuck rolls (18-22lbs) and select packer briskets. Once you start making your own ground chuck burgers and sausages you'll never go back to the mass produced meats.

Cheers

 

[Mark Foreman]

I have been making sausage for 40 years. You did real good. I have a LEM #5 and their 5lb stuffer. Easy to use, easy to clean.
Pictures are of hot links, Italian, and Brats.

 

[RJ Humphrey]

I have been making sausage for 40 years. You did real good. I have a LEM #5 and their 5lb stuffer. Easy to use, easy to clean.
Pictures are of hot links, Italian, and Brats.

You have a nice setup for making sausage. I’m a newbie with only six years under my belt. Lol

Hot links look tasty! Do you smoke your hot links?

I have the LEM 5lb stuffer and threaten to upgrade when I make 20-30 pounds of venison summer sausage. I can’t justify the cost for a 10 or 20 pound stuffer. It would be nice to own.

The lem 5lb stuffer works great for snack sticks and sheep casings.

 

[Rich G]

I have been making sausage for 40 years. You did real good. I have a LEM #5 and their 5lb stuffer. Easy to use, easy to clean.
Pictures are of hot links, Italian, and Brats.

Thanks, Mark. I've been doing the sausage thing for a while (not 40 years!), going through the whole equipment journey (started with a hand crank grind/stuffer, then a Kitchen Aid, finally picked up a dedicated grinder and stuffer, and recently graduated to the Carnivore.) All of that gear is not required (people made sausages without them for centuries) but they sure do make it easier! I tend to tell new sausage makers to spend their money on a stuffer first if they need to step into the gear in a controlled manner.

I've got a small Enterprise stuffer (about 3-4 lbs capacity), a large one (7lbs) and I have an Omcan 2-speed model that is 15lbs. The Omcan is overkill for me (it was a cheap buy on CL), so I'm probably going to get rid of that one.

About three years ago I went into Bass Pro and on the clearance shelf was a LEM 3/4 HP, Big Bite grinder, #12 with 4.5MM and 10MM plates for $200. New retail it's $479. I purchased the grinder along with a 6MM plate.

That's a killer deal for a great grinder (which may even have the same motor as mine with the way factories in China work!)

To get my wife involved, I have her find new sausage recipes for me to make and sample. I give away a large majority of the sausage I make too.

My wife just doesn't really like sausage that much. She does use my Italian and Spanish Chorizo in some recipes she makes, so I always keep those on hand in bulk form.

I grind my own burger meat from whole choice boneless chuck rolls (18-22lbs) and select packer briskets. Once you start making your own ground chuck burgers and sausages you'll never go back to the mass produced meats.

No doubt! I haven't purchased ground meat in years!

The Kabanosy and Extrawurst turned out really well.....

 

[EricV.]

For a course grind, this is my weapon of choice, "Wagon Wheel" meat grinding plate. Wagon's Ho!

 

[Monty House]

I'm pretty sure that sausages are the perfect food. Including....especially....THESE!

 

[Chris in Louisiana]

Lots of impressive knowledge and experience in this thread.

Wish I had a neighbor who was good at making sausages. I would need a bigger house to store and set up all the gear and product.