Help getting started
- Thread starter Tony Lampher
- Start date
Tony Lampher
TVWBB Fan
where do you get the sawdust from? I assume you can't use just any sawdust? I would think it needs to be a hardwood just like regular smoke wood.
John Ford
TVWBB Pro
http://www.psseasoning.com/ind....view/category_id/20
Smoking grade sawdist from here ( I'm not a computer guru)get about 3 smokes / lb.
I actually bought mine to cold smoke sausage but I'm using more than I thought.
Smoking grade sawdist from here ( I'm not a computer guru)get about 3 smokes / lb.
I actually bought mine to cold smoke sausage but I'm using more than I thought.
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Can't say I am a fan of the info on the linked site upthread. Using a cure is not a must - it depends on the sausage one is making, the size of the sausage links, the smoker temp, etc.; there is no need to keep the smoker temps at 100 or below to dry sausage; there is no need to use sawdust (I have been smoking sausage for many years and have never used sawdust); there is no need to keep the smoker temp at 160-165. The key is the temp of the links. One can easily mini-Minion the start, add appropriate wood, load in the sausage, then allow the temps to slowly rise. What one does or doesn't do in terms of smoker temps is dependent on the type of sausage, the link size, etc.
Tony Lampher
TVWBB Fan
I ordered the book. I think I should do some reading. I have read way to many methods and opinions online and it's so overwhelming. Almost scaring me away from even attempting this! I still appreciate everyones help on here though.
John Ford
TVWBB Pro
Botulism (Latin, botulus, "sausage") also known as botulinus intoxication is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by botulinum toxin, which is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum under anaerobic conditions.
Please be careful making sausage! Cold sanitary conditions, & if above 40F for an extended time please use a cure, especially if smoking a sausage ment to be uncooked.
Please be careful making sausage! Cold sanitary conditions, & if above 40F for an extended time please use a cure, especially if smoking a sausage ment to be uncooked.
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
No issue with the botulism description but the admonition is simplistic. Too many people don't do things they might like to do because of fears - or lack of knowledge. Blanket statements when it comes to pathogens - and there are many - don't help. (See here for more.)
Cold sanitary conditions are a must when making sausage - and any number of other things too.
Sausage meant to be uncooked needs more than pink salt. It needs cure no. 2 as well; it's quite likely that it will also need acidification via fermentation, prolonged drying at correct humidity, etc.
Adding a cure to every sausage one makes is unnecessary. Breakfast sausage, e.g., is virtually never cured. Neither is a typical 'Italian'. Numerous others aren't either. Again, it depends on the type of sausage (i.e., whether it is supposed to be cured one or not), whether cold-smoking is required (it often is not), its size - and a host of other factors.
My advice: Steer clear of websites that offer only pat advice. This is a clear indicator of a lack of knowledge. There are numerous resources out there - books, websites, et al. - with accurate information. Follow recipes from reputable sources and follow them precisely.
Cold sanitary conditions are a must when making sausage - and any number of other things too.
Sausage meant to be uncooked needs more than pink salt. It needs cure no. 2 as well; it's quite likely that it will also need acidification via fermentation, prolonged drying at correct humidity, etc.
Adding a cure to every sausage one makes is unnecessary. Breakfast sausage, e.g., is virtually never cured. Neither is a typical 'Italian'. Numerous others aren't either. Again, it depends on the type of sausage (i.e., whether it is supposed to be cured one or not), whether cold-smoking is required (it often is not), its size - and a host of other factors.
My advice: Steer clear of websites that offer only pat advice. This is a clear indicator of a lack of knowledge. There are numerous resources out there - books, websites, et al. - with accurate information. Follow recipes from reputable sources and follow them precisely.
Tony Lampher
TVWBB Fan
You guys are still scaring me! I need to read that book as soon as it gets here to decided if I really want to tackle this or not.
j biesinger
TVWBB Platinum Member
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">to decided if I really want to tackle this or not. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
you do.
You know how to operate safely already since its doubtful your bbq has killed anyone. Just be reasonable when making sausage, and you'll be fine.
The key here is jumping in. Use you knowledge of basic safety and good judgment and get to work. Start with loose sausage (breakfast, chorizo, fatties, etc), try stuffing links next, smoking next, and maybe later, dry cured stuff. Learn only what's pertinent to what you want to do, and build your equipment as you go.
I got to put one more plug in for the 5 lb stuffer
. It looks like a link upthread recommends the kitchen aid stuffer (among other dubious claims) but I can't say enough, how much easier and better the crank stuffer is.
you do.
You know how to operate safely already since its doubtful your bbq has killed anyone. Just be reasonable when making sausage, and you'll be fine.
The key here is jumping in. Use you knowledge of basic safety and good judgment and get to work. Start with loose sausage (breakfast, chorizo, fatties, etc), try stuffing links next, smoking next, and maybe later, dry cured stuff. Learn only what's pertinent to what you want to do, and build your equipment as you go.
I got to put one more plug in for the 5 lb stuffer
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
It's much better.
No reason to be sacred or intimidated, Tony. If anything, you should be less scared. Numerous sausages (I note a few, j notes a few) can be made without ever having to deal with pink salt. But pink salt is nothing to be feared either. Well written recipes specify the exact amount to use - no worries.
Sausages that are not meant to be cooked are a different things in many ways. You can go there if you wish some time down the road. And if you never do, no issue. Other than actual dry charcuterie, most sausages are either either uncured but cooked, uncured but smoked/cooked, or cured and either cooked or smoked/cooked. Once you taste the fruits of your labors and the possibilities thereof you'll only rarely go back to storebought.
No reason to be sacred or intimidated, Tony. If anything, you should be less scared. Numerous sausages (I note a few, j notes a few) can be made without ever having to deal with pink salt. But pink salt is nothing to be feared either. Well written recipes specify the exact amount to use - no worries.
Sausages that are not meant to be cooked are a different things in many ways. You can go there if you wish some time down the road. And if you never do, no issue. Other than actual dry charcuterie, most sausages are either either uncured but cooked, uncured but smoked/cooked, or cured and either cooked or smoked/cooked. Once you taste the fruits of your labors and the possibilities thereof you'll only rarely go back to storebought.
Tony Lampher
TVWBB Fan
Would this be a good deal for getting started? I know the slicer isn't needed for making sausage, but I could make some **** good sandwich meats with that from leftovers off the wsm!
Tony Lampher
TVWBB Fan
j biesinger
TVWBB Platinum Member
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Would this grinder also work for stuffing?
http://www.cabelas.com/product...o-Grinder/714623.uts </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
as the sales guy on the sausage maker's showroom floor says:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> a grinder is for grinding and a stuffer is for stuffing </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
you certainly can use a grinder to do it, as others have mentioned, but it is not intended for that purpose.
after grinding and mixing your loose sausage, its is very sticky. It becomes a real challenge feeding it into the small opening in the grinder and it still has to be forced down the shoot by hand, with a plunger. At the output end, things become very inconsistent. You'll get moments of great output and then nothing, which makes it tough to get an evenly filled casing. It takes some time, and during that time the sausage and the grinder get warm.
Keep in mind that I admitted to never getting very good at stuffing with the grinder. I probably did it 5-7 times before my lovely assistant (read:wife) got fed up and bought me the 5 lb cranker.
With the 5 lb cranker, I'll fill it in seconds, packing it well, making sure to get it fairly air free, and chuck it in the fridge for and hour or two. After a beer or three, I'll assemble the whole thing, slide on a casing, and, by myself, crank out 5 lbs of perfectly stuffed sausage in minutes.
moral: how nice is your helper?
not nice: never helps you make sausage
nice: always helps you and together, you happily stuff sausage with a grinder
really nice: sometimes helps, gets fed up with the whole business and buys you a stuffer that doesn't require their help
http://www.cabelas.com/product...o-Grinder/714623.uts </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
as the sales guy on the sausage maker's showroom floor says:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> a grinder is for grinding and a stuffer is for stuffing </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
you certainly can use a grinder to do it, as others have mentioned, but it is not intended for that purpose.
after grinding and mixing your loose sausage, its is very sticky. It becomes a real challenge feeding it into the small opening in the grinder and it still has to be forced down the shoot by hand, with a plunger. At the output end, things become very inconsistent. You'll get moments of great output and then nothing, which makes it tough to get an evenly filled casing. It takes some time, and during that time the sausage and the grinder get warm.
Keep in mind that I admitted to never getting very good at stuffing with the grinder. I probably did it 5-7 times before my lovely assistant (read:wife) got fed up and bought me the 5 lb cranker.
With the 5 lb cranker, I'll fill it in seconds, packing it well, making sure to get it fairly air free, and chuck it in the fridge for and hour or two. After a beer or three, I'll assemble the whole thing, slide on a casing, and, by myself, crank out 5 lbs of perfectly stuffed sausage in minutes.
moral: how nice is your helper?
not nice: never helps you make sausage
nice: always helps you and together, you happily stuff sausage with a grinder
really nice: sometimes helps, gets fed up with the whole business and buys you a stuffer that doesn't require their help