Im fixing to jump down another rabbit hole

[SmokyMose]

I'd only been with the forum about a year when I jumped down that rabbit hole, albeit with stern warnings from members LOL!
Haven't had a store bought sausage in almost 6 years.
I've never used a packaged mix but mixed my own. I think that's half the fun of it.
Welcome to sausage making! :-)

 

[tallbm]

Appreciate it, Sven. I have a recipe given to me by a friend that will be next. I figured I paid for the Backwoods seasoning I got with my stuffer, so I'm going to use it. The collagen casings, too.

Be sure to do fry taste tests before stuffing any sausage. It will save you lots of grief.
In short, mix the meat with the seasoning. Take a small bit and fry it in a skillet.
If it's too salty or too strong, add more meat/fat to even it out.
If it's too bland, add more seasonings.

Don't worry if the meat doesn't taste exactly like what you are expecting. You are simply looking for too salty/strong or too bland and if it has a pleasant taste. The flavor will change by the time you stuff, smoke, and eat so as long as it is tasting good then you will get a good product in the end.

ALSO it is good to measure out the seasoning by weight (grams) per pound of sausage meat/fat. Teaspoons/Tablespoons, etc. do not scale well from 5lbs to like 20 lbs and such. But the weight of seasoning (grams) per pound of sausage meat scales perfectly :)

Just some tips of someone who has used store bought seasonings. I have no issue with them but you MUST figure out their measurement by weight and dial them in as their per volume measuring instructions don't scale OR their amounts are too much or too little. So just gotta work the kinks out is all... as with most things in life :)

 

[uncle eddie]

Congrats! I have really enjoyed my experience so far. I am just 3 or 4 months in front of you on the sausage making.

 

[DougE]

Be sure to do fry taste tests before stuffing any sausage. It will save you lots of grief.
In short, mix the meat with the seasoning. Take a small bit and fry it in a skillet.
If it's too salty or too strong, add more meat/fat to even it out.
If it's too bland, add more seasonings.

Don't worry if the meat doesn't taste exactly like what you are expecting. You are simply looking for too salty/strong or too bland and if it has a pleasant taste. The flavor will change by the time you stuff, smoke, and eat so as long as it is tasting good then you will get a good product in the end.

ALSO it is good to measure out the seasoning by weight (grams) per pound of sausage meat/fat. Teaspoons/Tablespoons, etc. do not scale well from 5lbs to like 20 lbs and such. But the weight of seasoning (grams) per pound of sausage meat scales perfectly :)

Just some tips of someone who has used store bought seasonings. I have no issue with them but you MUST figure out their measurement by weight and dial them in as their per volume measuring instructions don't scale OR their amounts are too much or too little. So just gotta work the kinks out is all... as with most things in life :)

Yep, fry test for sure. I weigh everything when I'm curing, and I see no reason not to carry that over into sausage making.

 

[DougE]

Congrats! I have really enjoyed my experience so far. I am just 3 or 4 months in front of you on the sausage making.

What I want to know is how your first stuffing/linking experience was, cause I'm fixing to find out tomorrow. I'm fixing to run my pork through a coarse plate for bratwurst as soon as the meat chills in the freezer for a little bit, and I will be mixing and stuffing tomorrow.

 

[DougE]

I've never used a packaged mix but mixed my own. I think that's half the fun of it.
Welcome to sausage making! :-)

Thanks, I think? I intend to mostly mix my own spices, but since these spice mixes came with the stuffer, I will use them. I've already done some bulk breakfast and Italian mixing my own. There are a few tweaks here and there I will try on the next run, but overall, I'm pretty satisfied with the results.

 

[tallbm]

Just a little tip on stuffing and linking. Don't stuff super tight, maybe like 80% tight and stuff the whole casing. Just coil the stuffed casting up initially, dont stuff and link at the same time.

Then when all stuffing is done you can link.
Because you didn't max stuff the casing you can easily work the meat while linking without busts. You can tighten up the links as you link.

I personally still leave the links a little loose (not maxed stuffed). Why?
So when I grill them or heat them up to eat they don't bust as they heat and expand. I'm sure you've seen links bust on the grill before.
See when they are cooked at hot temps they want to split or bust when they are tightly stuffed. They have no room to expand when stuffed tight.

When a little loose they will expand and not bust at all.
Smoking won't heat them up enough to bust them so you may be fooled initially.
Once you throw a link on a grill or in a skillet and it starts to really heat up, that is when you discover busting due to being stuffed tight.

I hope this info helps some :)

 

[DougE]

Just a little tip on stuffing and linking. Don't stuff super tight, maybe like 80% tight and stuff the whole casing. Just coil the stuffed casting up initially, dont stuff and link at the same time.

Then when all stuffing is done you can link.
Because you didn't max stuff the casing you can easily work the meat while linking without busts. You can tighten up the links as you link.

I personally still leave the links a little loose (not maxed stuffed). Why?
So when I grill them or heat them up to eat they don't bust as they heat and expand. I'm sure you've seen links bust on the grill before.
See when they are cooked at hot temps they want to split or bust when they are tightly stuffed. They have no room to expand when stuffed tight.

When a little loose they will expand and not bust at all.
Smoking won't heat them up enough to bust them so you may be fooled initially.
Once you throw a link on a grill or in a skillet and it starts to really heat up, that is when you discover busting due to being stuffed tight.

I hope this info helps some :)

This first round is going in collagen casings, because they also came with the stuffer, and my hog casings haven't arrived yet. I believe I need to give a little more attention to not over filling because they don't have any stretch. So if you fill too tight, they will blow out when linking.

 

[JckDanls 07]

Welcome to, and have fun with, your new addiction ... I have the same stuffer... I do 40-60 lbs of snack sticks at a time (2-4 days) ... I will 2nd the suggestion of checking out Owens BBQ for spices ...

One of the things the pros here have told me is to use as little water as possible...

 

[DougE]

Welcome to, and have fun with, your new addiction ... I have the same stuffer... I do 40-60 lbs of snack sticks at a time (2-4 days) ... I will 2nd the suggestion of checking out Owens BBQ for spices ...

One of the things the pros here have told me is to use as little water as possible...

I'm definitely glad for this forum, because the instructions that LEM provides on how to use the stuffer are pretty minimalistic. I got a good coach to help me out, though.

 

[DRKsmoking]

I have only done a couple different types of sausage so far , But oh
what fun to make your own and than play with the flavors to your own liking .

Nice stuffer
What a fun place to learn from
Giver hell DougE. It's only money ........

David

 

[DougE]

I have only done a couple different types of sausage so far , But oh
what fun to make your own and than play with the flavors to your own liking .

I've done a round of breakfast, and Italian, but this will be my first try at stuffing.

Nice stuffer
What a fun place to learn from
Giver hell DougE. It's only money ........

David

I love this place, but my wallet, not so much.

 

[Brokenhandle]

Look at the bright side...if you have a couple links blow up you have 2 little four legged friends that would be more than willing to help!

Ryan

 

[DougE]

Look at the bright side...if you have a couple links blow up you have 2 little four legged friends that would be more than willing to help!

Ryan

Don't I know it. I have to kick them out of the barn kitchen anytime I'm in here messing with meat. o matter how well I clean up, they're in here sniffing around because they know what I been doing.

 

[Brokenhandle]

You just got your beef back from the locker...did you ask for some bones for your dogs?

Ryan

 

[DougE]

You just got your beef back from the locker...did you ask for some bones for your dogs?

Ryan

I quit giving them real bones because it always ends up in a fight. They get along fine until there are bones to fight over. Don't matter if they each got their own, they always want what the other one has.

 

[DougE]

Hell, I've even seen them fight over nylabones

 

[pineywoods]

Yea, the smokehouse is to come this spring. Likely a propane fired wooden smokehouse like my good friend, and chief enabler @SmokinEdge has. I rather enjoy our friendship since he continues to help me go beyond where I have gone before.

I think I'm going to go from propane to a PID and a 220 oven element I think it will be much easier to maintain temps and sure be nice to just program the temps and times and let it run itself

 

[DougE]

I think I'm going to go from propane to a PID and a 220 oven element I think it will be much easier to maintain temps and sure be nice to just program the temps and times and let it run itself

That would require running a 220 line to the smokehouse, no? I have the know how and a panel in my barn to make that happen, but propane seems the easier route.

 

[pineywoods]

That would require running a 220 line to the smokehouse, no? I have the know how and a panel in my barn to make that happen, but propane seems the easier route.

Yes it would I have it close now just have to extend it a bit