Thuringer sausage

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aprilized

Fire Starter
Original poster
May 5, 2015
35
32
South Florida
So I made my first smoked sausage a couple of weeks ago. It tasted delicious but unfortunately, they seem broken to me. The mix had to be passed through the stuffer a second time because the sausage was overstuffed and some broke so they had to be restuffed and I think that's what broke the mix. Next time, I will certainly refreeze the mix if for any reason I have to pass it through the stuffer a second time. The process was excellent though and the recipe was very good. I used the Thuringer recipe from the Charcuterie cookbook by Rhulman and Polcyn.







 
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How did they taste? They look great with the same texture as hotdogs.
They tasted fantastic. Really excellent recipe. The texture should be more like well ground sausage. I feel that this is a broken mix. Still ate it and still loved it though but will be very careful next time when working in this Florida heat. Every piece of equipment including the meat has to be frozen.

A
 
Aprilized.........I can only imagine the heat and humidity down there. But what you turned out looks great.

I will tell you that the best thing I ever did with my KA stuffer was to give it away. I still use the grinder for small batches but the stuffer had to go. With a real stuffer making sausage is so much more fun.

Keep up the good work...

Brad
 
 Just my two cents here but save a few bucks here and there and get yourself a dedicated stuffer. I used my KA to stuff several times and finally bit the bullet and purchased a 100 dollar stuffer. Best thing I ever got for cooking. It makes it into a fun experience not a fight. Good looking sausage though. Keep up the good work.
 
You did a fine job on that sausage!!!  I would also recommend that somewhere down the line to get a vertical stuffer.  You can get a good one for around 100 bucks.  You will love it.  Reinhard
 
 
 Just my two cents here but save a few bucks here and there and get yourself a dedicated stuffer. I used my KA to stuff several times and finally bit the bullet and purchased a 100 dollar stuffer. Best thing I ever got for cooking. It makes it into a fun experience not a fight. Good looking sausage though. Keep up the good work.
Thanks, I'm very happy with every aspect of the process except for the texture of the final product. So I suppose this isn't just me and the continuous movement of the sausage mass trough the KA stuffer adds to the fact that the mass is heating up and breaking. I appreciate your help and I'll get a stuffer very soon. Do you guys mean the pump style hand stuffer or something that uses a motor?

Thanks again;

A
 
 
Aprilized.........I can only imagine the heat and humidity down there. But what you turned out looks great.

I will tell you that the best thing I ever did with my KA stuffer was to give it away. I still use the grinder for small batches but the stuffer had to go. With a real stuffer making sausage is so much more fun.

Keep up the good work...

Brad
Thanks :)
 
I agree that the Kitchenaid is the culprit. Great for grinding, horrible for stuffing. Aside from being slow and cumbersome, using the auger to stuff leads to "fat smear" or basically emulsified sausage. (The "broken texture you described)
I have discovered a workaround. Basically cut your meat into strips, dip it in water, mix your seasonings thoroughly, season the moistened strips and then put them in the freezer for 45 minutes. Then assemble your grinder with whatever plate you're using AND the stuffing tube. Then grind and stuff in one shot. Provided you've mixed your spices evenly and are using well and evenly marbled meat, the result isn't bad. It is however a one shot deal so you need to put the prep work in up front.
 
I agree that the Kitchenaid is the culprit. Great for grinding, horrible for stuffing. Aside from being slow and cumbersome, using the auger to stuff leads to "fat smear" or basically emulsified sausage. (The "broken texture you described)
I have discovered a workaround. Basically cut your meat into strips, dip it in water, mix your seasonings thoroughly, season the moistened strips and then put them in the freezer for 45 minutes. Then assemble your grinder with whatever plate you're using AND the stuffing tube. Then grind and stuff in one shot. Provided you've mixed your spices evenly and are using well and evenly marbled meat, the result isn't bad. It is however a one shot deal so you need to put the prep work in up front.
That's a very interesting workaround. The issue with this type of sausage though is that the ground mixture has to sit for 3 days before stuffing because of the prague powder. This is added because of the 3 or 4 hours of cold smoking before the hot smoking. Also, there is a second grinding with a smaller plate so no matter what, a Thuringer has to be ground twice. Thanks for the info and I appreciate the help :)

A
 
 
You did a fine job on that sausage!!!  I would also recommend that somewhere down the line to get a vertical stuffer.  You can get a good one for around 100 bucks.  You will love it.  Reinhard
Thanks. It was so much fun and the whole smoking process was very exciting. I'm really looking forward to more projects. Smoked turkey legs next! :)

A
 
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That's a very interesting workaround. The issue with this type of sausage though is that the ground mixture has to sit for 3 days before stuffing because of the prague powder. This is added because of the 3 or 4 hours of cold smoking before the hot smoking. Also, there is a second grinding with a smaller plate so no matter what, a Thuringer has to be ground twice. Thanks for the info and I appreciate the help :)

A
I should have added it works for more simple sausages like breakfast sausage and some types of bratwurst. Anything else and you really need a stuffer.
 
I have a hand cranked 5 pounder that I love. It is a Weston and I got it on sale one year for just under a hundred bucks. Northern tool has good ones for about the same price but they do have plastic gears, while mine has all steel gears and should last a lifetime. Lem is more expensive and they have some quality control issues. Just make sure you get one with metal gears. I would not go with the old school clamp on horn stuffer if I were you they are a pain and leak sausage out all over the place.
 
 
So I made my first smoked sausage a couple of weeks ago. It tasted delicious but unfortunately, they seem broken to me. The mix had to be passed through the stuffer a second time because the sausage was overstuffed and some broke so they had to be restuffed and I think that's what broke the mix. Next time, I will certainly refreeze the mix if for any reason I have to pass it through the stuffer a second time. The process was excellent though and the recipe was very good. I used the Thuringer recipe from the Charcuterie cookbook by Rhulman and Polcyn.







Great Looking Sausage! I will second what everyone else has said about getting a dedicated stuffer. I just cant recommend that you get a LEM.

POINTS!!!
 
Last edited:
Kitchener, Northern Tools and Grizzly all have a nice 5# stuffer. They have the nylon gears. Many people here have them and for doing small batches they work just fine.
 
IMHO it looks like your first grind was smeared. You need to look at the grinder attachment and make sure the blade is sharp and the plate is smooth.  do not stuff with the blade. you should have a star for stuffing....place the meat in the freezer for a 1/2 hr before grinding.. it will help with the smear....You did a great job....
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You'll be making sausages like the pro's with the right equipment....

Joe
 
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