Like DanMcG, I have a first edition of Rytek's book, and was wondering why everyone recommends the fourth edition?
For those wanting to get started in sausagemaking, I suggest doing as I did.
1) Invite yourself along to someone else's sausage making event. Once there, make yourself useful. If you show a genuine willingness to learn, you will quickly be trained in on mixing the seasonings thoroughly to avoid 'hotspots', rinsing casings, how full to stuff the casins, etc. This will also help you secide if it really is something you want to get into.
2) Figure out what you now spend on hiring your sausage made, and set that amount aside to start buying your equipment. Try to buy quality equipment, but you can start pretty simple. A hand grinder can do the whole job for awhile, then you can upgrade to an electric grinder, separate stuffer, etc.
3) You can increase the equipment budget by first sharing some of your sausage with friends, then being willing to make sausage for those friends in exchange for either money to add to the budget, or barter for equipment they already have but aren't using.
