First time and i think it went ok

[Danblacksher]

My sausage stuffer arrived yesterday from fed x luckily not damaged but close. I made a 5-pound batch of texas hot link with venison bacon burger yesterday and let it sit 24 hours. Today I made 2 different batches one with pepper jack cheese and the other with roasted red peppers and sharp cheddar. They don't look too bad for my for the first time ever using a sausage stuffer, and hog casings. Had a couple of blowouts but then got the hang of it. I will let them sit in the fridge and then cold smoke them tomorrow afternoon, and they will be ready to cook. I had some of the texas hot links with sharp cheddar and roasted red pepper left over so I made a small paddy and cooked it. Wow was it good! cant wait to see how the rest turn out.

 

[DougE]

Nice job! Like I said in another thread, it isn't too awful hard, it just takes a little practice to get the fill right.

 

[indaswamp]

Nicely done! Very uniform for your first time doing it. Good job!

Here is a tip-if you invert the casings, the little strings on the casing will be on the inside. Doesn't affect the flavor, just the looks of the sausages....

 

[tbern]

Think they look real good!! Nice job!!

 

[SmokinEdge]

Those look great, a little more casing prep and you will be on your way.
Did you buy casing by the hank or by the home pack that is packed in dry salt?

 

[DougE]

Here is a tip-if you invert the casings, the little strings on the casing will be on the inside

I thought about trying that, but it's a lot easier to let them burn off during cooking. I'm pretty much the only one who ever sees them anyhow.

 

[Danblacksher]

I just bought a pack of the lem hog casings and soaked them for 60 minutes then ran a little water thru them before I started. Any place I should get the hog casings?

 

[Danblacksher]

I could barely find the opening of the casing cant imagine inverting it indaswamp but I will try next time and buy better casings.

 

[SmokinEdge]

I could barely find the opening of the casing cant imagine inverting it indaswamp but I will try next time and buy better casings.

Read thisDan, it’s a major game changer.

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/how-to-handle-natural-casings.159729/

 

[SmokinEdge]

Then now I finish in the SV, yet another game changer.

 

[JckDanls 07]

These all look great for first time...

You mention cold smoking... did you by any chance use cure #1 (or equivalent) in the recipes ??

 

[indaswamp]

I just bought a pack of the lem hog casings and soaked them for 60 minutes then ran a little water thru them before I started. Any place I should get the hog casings?

Syracuse Casings are top notch. All the casing I have bought from The Craft Butchers pantry have been high quality as well. The Sausage Maker has high quality casings, just a little more pricey.

 

[Danblacksher]

Great info that helps a lot thank you so much I will do this next time for sure! How long once you put the right salt on them and put the casings in the fridge will they last?

 

[mike243]

Are you talking about the cure#1-2 ? if so that was supposed to be mixed into your meat before stuffing and I wouldn't try to cold smoke this time of year without it.

 

[crazymoon]

DB, Good looking sausage, can't say that for your package though ! :)

 

[Danblacksher]

Yes I put the cure in the meat, but in the thread on how to handle casings after the soak and you use what you need he said you can put non idolize salt on the casings and put them in the refrigerator. I was wondering how long they will last. This is only to know how large a pack to buy.

 

[JLeonard]

Looks really good....But, to properly assess them I will need a couple of pounds to test them. LOL!
Jim

 

[SmokinEdge]

Great info that helps a lot thank you so much I will do this next time for sure! How long once you put the right salt on them and put the casings in the fridge will they last?

The right salt is just non-iodized salt. I mostly use plain sea salt.
As far as how long they will keep, I’m not sure, but it’s a long time, maybe a year but I use them up way before I could find out how long. You can also look around for home pack casings (smaller packages) that are packed in a solution not just salt. This type of packing is getting more popular, I’ve seen that even LEM is now packaging casings wet. These type are much better to work with.

 

[indaswamp]

I've had casings packed in salt water going on 3 years and they are still good......

 

[indaswamp]

A hank of hog casings 32-35mm will stuff about 100-130# of meat paste....