I am a new member here that grew up in South Dakota. When I lived there, every year I would take part in processing deer meat and to make ring sausage. When I got married and moved to North Dakota, I again helped in processing venison, pork, and beef. Great having ranchers for in-laws. All this while I was the laborer and not the brains. I trimmed meat, ground it and cranked the handle on the stuffer. When it came to smoking the meat someone else took over that operation (aside from lugging it around and packaging it once done).
This was done either by local butcher or in homemade cold smokers (think small shed) large enough to smoke a few hundred pounds of meat. Obviously the cold smoked foods needed to be fully cooked before consumption.
I have since spent the past 19 years living in the desert in Phoenix. I have not done any form of sausage making since leaving North Dakota. Of the little I did know about it, it is all different now. No cool garage to hang meat while processing, no friends or neighbors that know exactly what to do and have a smokehouse to use. No processing meat over a few days once a year as a group.
I have really missed the venison link sausage with cheddar my brother in law got me hooked on. This year I had oppurtunity to eat some of his venison summer sausage with cheddar. I decided then and there that I only live once and would invest into some good meat processing equipment that should last me a lifetime and then my kids can use it for theirs. Buy once, cry once mentality. Definitely overkill, but I have regretted skimping more that overdoing it and actually had the money available at the time. Better do it now before money spent elsewhere.
My first summer sausage smoke took place on my Louisiane Grills pellet grill. Great grill from a great company that takes care of their customers. Customer service with them is outstanding. Having said that, it was not the right tool for the job. The lowest temperature setting is 180 degrees F. I messed with propping lid open, closing, changing how far open, rotating sausage, rearranging, etc. While it turned out great, I opted to buy myself a SmokinTex 1400 analog electric smoker thinking all problems solved.
Once again, I bought a product from a great company with great customer service. I believe this smoker would do a great job if only the operator (myself) had any idea whatsoever on how to use it. I have been searching web and looking for any and every bit of information that will help me make some great tasting food. At the moment I am settling for edible, but safe to eat.
I have searched your forums and not found exactly what I am looking for. I will be sure to post and ask questions in appropriate forums. Thanks in advance for any help. Your site has already given me some geat information. I just need to solve a few more of the variables in my process.
This was done either by local butcher or in homemade cold smokers (think small shed) large enough to smoke a few hundred pounds of meat. Obviously the cold smoked foods needed to be fully cooked before consumption.
I have since spent the past 19 years living in the desert in Phoenix. I have not done any form of sausage making since leaving North Dakota. Of the little I did know about it, it is all different now. No cool garage to hang meat while processing, no friends or neighbors that know exactly what to do and have a smokehouse to use. No processing meat over a few days once a year as a group.
I have really missed the venison link sausage with cheddar my brother in law got me hooked on. This year I had oppurtunity to eat some of his venison summer sausage with cheddar. I decided then and there that I only live once and would invest into some good meat processing equipment that should last me a lifetime and then my kids can use it for theirs. Buy once, cry once mentality. Definitely overkill, but I have regretted skimping more that overdoing it and actually had the money available at the time. Better do it now before money spent elsewhere.
My first summer sausage smoke took place on my Louisiane Grills pellet grill. Great grill from a great company that takes care of their customers. Customer service with them is outstanding. Having said that, it was not the right tool for the job. The lowest temperature setting is 180 degrees F. I messed with propping lid open, closing, changing how far open, rotating sausage, rearranging, etc. While it turned out great, I opted to buy myself a SmokinTex 1400 analog electric smoker thinking all problems solved.
Once again, I bought a product from a great company with great customer service. I believe this smoker would do a great job if only the operator (myself) had any idea whatsoever on how to use it. I have been searching web and looking for any and every bit of information that will help me make some great tasting food. At the moment I am settling for edible, but safe to eat.
I have searched your forums and not found exactly what I am looking for. I will be sure to post and ask questions in appropriate forums. Thanks in advance for any help. Your site has already given me some geat information. I just need to solve a few more of the variables in my process.
