Second attempt at sausage, sticks and hot links...

jtnf · Feb 23, 2013

My first attempt (garlic/bourbon, uncured and unsmoked, "an excuse to christen the new grinder") was a moderate success - Taste was good but texture started out OK and then very quickly went south.

The good folk here helped me determine that the budget model LEM grinders' "stuffing plate" was not - it appears to be a 3/8" plate with trapezoidal holes rather than round.

Having a little more time with the auger turning, I now believe my technique was at least contributory - Stuffing too fast, pork not nearly cold enough, etc.

Well, I've acquired a proper stuffing plate (three LARGE kidney-shaped holes) and Cure #1, and am going to try again...

For my second attempt I'm making sticks and hot links:

I'm making Kabanosy per these instructions: http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/sausage-recipes/kabanosy

I doubled everything, and am using 17mm collagen casings.

I'm also making slimmy jimmies and hot links using the recipe (with mods) at: http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/85365/hot-links

(The mods: I have no hot pepper flakes currently, so I subbed some Franks Redhot (original) and I have no AmesPhos at all.)

17mm collagen and 22mm collagen (I believe) are the are the casings du jour.

The Kabanosy and Hot Links meat are resting in the fridge now. Tomorrow will be stuff, smoke, poach, and rest.

jtnf · Feb 24, 2013

Aiiiighht. I give up.

I'm off to buy a stuffer!

What a PITA stuffing with a small grinder can be. Two and half hours for a barely over two pounds of sausages.

I averaged about two feet of casing on the small diameter horn, and had to stop five or six times per 24" to break a vacuum and retrieve the plunger, load the feedhorn and chase out as much air as possible, and start stuffing again.

It was this progression that led me to think I need either the foot switch (waste of money at this point) or the stuffer. Stuffer here I come.

On the plus side, a test fry proved the Kabanosy was quite nice. It's all stuffed and drying now, I hope the six pounds or so of hotlinks goes a LOT faster!

shannon127 · Feb 24, 2013

I am in for this one!

jp61 · Feb 24, 2013

Me too...

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Lucky for me, I never experienced those problems. Bought the stuffer from day one....... good luck!

driedstick · Feb 24, 2013

You will be happy with designated stuffer

smokeamotive · Feb 24, 2013

Grinders don't make the best stuffers. You'll find it much easier with a dedicated stuffer. Though you may still find that 17mm casings are still a PITA due to there small size. 19mm and 22mm's tend to be easier. Stay with it and you'll be making your friends jealous in no time!

jtnf · Feb 24, 2013

I got the littelest LEM stuffer to match my littelest LEM , and I'm already a convert!

OTHER NEWBIES! Grinders grind, stuffers stuff!

Ok - I made the recipes referenced above, with the listed exceptions above. One additional change on the hotlinks recipe - I omitted the dextrose (tough to find.)

The Kabanosy was stuffed in its' entirety with the working-too-hard method described above, in 17mm collagen as described above.

The hot links were stuffed with the little LEM in 17mm collagen and some larger collagen, and it was a dream - I was able to distract myself from the process enough to begin experimenting with technique... I tried twisting links (not so good in collagen) and tying links (much better.) I experimented with different lengths and with hanging on rods.

No in-process Q view - The first round was too difficult to swing a camera, and the second round was so much fun I neglected to take any pictures!

The smoke will be tomorrow.

Here's a couple gratuitous hanging/drying pictures.

The Kabs:

IMG-20130224-00151.jpg

jtnf
Feb 24, 2013

The hotlinks in two sizes (I still need to work on my hanging technique! )

IMG-20130224-00152.jpg

jtnf
Feb 24, 2013

driedstick · Feb 25, 2013

Congrats on new stuffer.

Sticks Look Great, and looks like you have a designated fridge also, nice

I do to when there is no beer left in it (BUT THAT NEVER HAPPENS)

So No Designated fridge for me

Need more room in new Man cave shop

HAPPY SMOKIN

stevensondrive · Feb 25, 2013

how did substituting Frank's Hot Sauce for the pepper flakes turn out?? I love Franks!! what substitution ratio did you use? How much Franks for a Tablespoon of peper flakes?

jtnf · Feb 25, 2013

I used about three tablespoons of Franks (I put that sh!t on everything!)

Test fry proved it quite good - Hot and spicy, but not offensively so. Great, deep red color.

I have the Kabs and some of the hot links in the smoker now - 122 F with the door cracked... in an hour or so I'll crank up the temperature and finish to 155 - 160 IT, and bathe in water.

If I am going to smoke at such low temperatures I'm going to need to finish my PID gas controller, or get off my butt and finish my custom cabinet smoker build.

jtnf · Feb 25, 2013

driedstick said:
Congrats on new stuffer.

Sticks Look Great, and looks like you have a designated fridge also, nice

I do to when there is no beer left in it (BUT THAT NEVER HAPPENS)

So No Designated fridge for me

Need more room in new Man cave shop

HAPPY SMOKIN

My man cave has an occupant, so the beer fridge is kind of the spare fridge. Not dedicated, I just removed the shelves, glass floor, and drawer, and cleaned it for this purpose!

jtnf · Feb 25, 2013

      Well... I had trouble maintaining a relatively low temperature and generating enough smoke, and wound up oscillating between too much and too little. I DEFINITELY need to get PID control if I'm to medium-smoke (not cold smoking, not quite hot smoking.)

      That said, the taste was good, with the hot sticks having a nice medium-hot finish and the Kabs sweet and "clean" (for lack of a better word.)

      I smoked all the same length of time, and got to an internal temp of 155ish (or above, depending on hot spots in my little cabinet smoker.)

      I did have some broken casings, again I attribute to hot spots in the cabinet.

      The obligatory Q-View... Kabanosy in the foreground, hot stix in the back.

      The hot stix were ground, spiced, and re-ground with the same 3/8ths plate then stuffed with the Lem sausage stuffer.

      The Kabs were ground with the 3/8ths plate, spiced, and re-ground with the 3/16th plate, then stuffed with the grinder and the stuffing plate (PITA!!!)

      The texture reflects the grinding steps - The Kabs are greatly homogenized, whereas the Hot Stix have a little more texture.

IMG-20130225-00154.jpg

jtnf
Feb 25, 2013

The remainder of the hot sticks (thin and thick) will be cooked tomorrow. Too late now.

jtnf · Feb 26, 2013

Well, the reviews are in... The middle-aged Polish ladies among my testers are asking for quantities to bring home to their families (high praise, that...) and the generally gruff guys in my test lab said, and I quote, "Anytime you want to peddle your sausage, come on by!"

Not sure how I feel about the latter statement! :p

The hot stix were quite a hit. "You hit it outa the park" and "More, please."

I think this is starting to go to my head! Thanks to all those here for advice, recipes, and encouragement!

driedstick · Feb 26, 2013

Congrats, Job well done

kathrynn · Feb 26, 2013

those look great!!!!

Kat

boykjo · Feb 26, 2013

Nice.................

jp61 · Feb 26, 2013

goingcamping · Feb 27, 2013

Nice...I to put Frank's HS on everything!!!

I have the same stuffing issues with my KA Grinder/Stuffer attachments! LEM is on order...funny thing, all my neighbors say the same thing about peddling my sausage...hell, half of them are telling my sell my beef sticks commercially!!!

Dextrose is the same as corn sugar...all home brew shops should have it!

~Brett

jtnf · Feb 27, 2013

I learned that LEM does direct sale of what I believe is the same small stuffer, with stainless tubes instead of plastic, for $30 less than the local BassPro. Que sera sera.

Corn Sugar... I'll have to add that to my inventory. I too am being pressured to stuff more. This new part or my cooking/'Q/smoking hobby could become habit forming... for my friends and neighbors!

woodcutter · Feb 28, 2013

Your sticks turned out great!

Second attempt at sausage, sticks and hot links...

Smoke Blower

Smoke Blower

Smoking Fanatic

Master of the Pit

Smoking Guru

Smoking Fanatic

Smoke Blower

Smoking Guru

Smoke Blower

Smoke Blower

Smoke Blower

Smoke Blower

Smoke Blower

Smoking Guru

Legendary Pitmaster

Renowned Sausage Maker

Master of the Pit

Smoking Fanatic

Smoke Blower

Master of the Pit

Similar threads

Hot Threads