I swear I read something awhile back that sausage needed to have some kind of curing agent, with the raw ingredients?
Im also looking at this "link bellow" canner and a 26" Kettle Grill, if I can find a 26" Kettle for a good price" for indirect smoking and grilling.
Canner:
http://beprepared.com/921-all-american-pressure-cooker-canner.html
As for the Grill, once I got the cash,"a week or so" Im hoping Ace Hardwared will start stocking them pretty soon. Last summer, they had a 26" Kettle for $50.
KS
Sausages which are cold smoked should be cured, or those which are cold smoked and then cooked in the smoker. Otherwise there are types of sausage which are fresh, uncured...just mixed, stuffed and refrigerated or frozen, to be fully cooked immediately prior to serving. The latter is not meant to be cold smoked, as it can become a food safety issue due to the potential for bacterial contamination.
First thing, I recommend that you check out the
FOOD SAFETY FORUM, and any related sticky threads, so you know the what, where when and why of proper food handling. In particular, look at the stick threads, but also the opening statement posted by the forum moderator, as it covers the most important things to consider.
Also, I would suggest you check out the
SAUSAGE FORUM, and the sausage sticky threads, so you know the differences between cured and uncured sausages, why we cure and when we do not need to, and the differences in curing agents and what they are used for. Also, there are many hygiene/sanitary related issues with sausage making...keeping everything (grinder, stuffer, mixer and any accessory equipment) cold, clean and sterile when processing meats for sausage is important for food safety reasons.
And lastly, please drop by the
ROLL CALL FORUM and introduce yourself and tell us a little about your cooking experience. This will help us to better help you in the near future by know more up front about you, and allow us to properly welcome you to the SMF family. Welcome aboard!
Regarding charcoal kettle grills, look for one that has a reasonably air-tight intake draft control...this will make fire control much more easily attained (not easily found with the cheapo grills). Also, depending on your budget, consider spending more money for a quality grill up front. I've only had two low-cost kettle grills, and the second one wasn't worth a hoot...it was a newer version of the first one I bought...very disappointing...even just for grilling was difficult, and for indirect cooking, fire control was very poor (too much air leaking in to keep the fire down).
Just a thought, but the Weber 22.5"One Touch Silver is not a bad price (under 90 bucks), even though it's gone up about 20 bucks in the last couple of years...very good fire control, heavy-duty construction that's designed to last a life-time, made in USA, and people cook indirect with them a lot, as well as grilling. You can upgrade to a hinged cooking grate later on, if you like, for adding fuel to dual-offset fires when cooking indirect...works like a charm. If you do buy one, or it's upgraded brother, the One Touch Gold, be ready for many years of enjoyment. When it comes to cookers, you get what you pay for, so if you spend very little, you likely will regret it very quickly.
Eric
