My first try at Sausage

[jetman]

Been a busy weekend around here, cannot wait to get back to work so I can get some rest

Found a recipe for English Breakfast bangers that looked tasty and I had all the ingredients for from a post by Cougar78 http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/124338/brats-bangers-breakfast-sausages-oh-my

Scaled out 5# of pork shoulder and trimmed away the connective tissue and other ugly stuff, then cut to fit in my electric meat grinder/stuffer.

First sausage out of grinder.jpg

• jetman
• Dec 17, 2012

Picked up the Norther Tool grinder off Craigslist for $55, that's one fine grinding machine!

First try at sausage english breakfast bangers in

• jetman
• Dec 17, 2012

After grinding and mixing 5# of bangers, it was stuffing time. Took a little trying but was able to thread the 20-22mm natural sheep casings on. Couple blow outs, probably due to my in-experience. No twists as I thought I could do after stuffing, no luck; these will just be cut into links. Side note, the grinder does not make a good stuffer, way too much work just to get the mix into the auger and out the tube. Ordered up a 5# Grizzly hand crank stuffer this morning, will freeze rest of the banger mix until new stuffer arrives.

Sampling the bangers next day YUMMY.jpg

• jetman
• Dec 17, 2012

Morning after, the moment of truth...(drum roll please)....

They were 99% perfect!!!! Flavors, texture and casing "snap" were great! I like a more peppery taste, may add a bit more white pepper to future batches. Thanks to cougar78 for posting the great recipe.

JetMan<<<

 

[dirtsailor2003]

Looks Good Dan! I'll let you work all the kinks out of the stuffing process and then I'll have you show me how it all works!

 

[fagesbp]

Awesome job. Add another to the list of sausages I want to try making.

I have heard sheep casings are a beach to work with so I have steered clear of them. If I need smaller I use collagen but I usually just use hog casings.

 

[so ms smoker]

  Looks like they came out great!

  Mike

 

[driedstick]

Looks good from here

 

[mike johnson]

Good job. They look great.

 

[lu1847]

Look good man, nice job! Let me be the first to tell you you will love the stuffer. Nothing more frustrating (and time consuming) than trying to stuff with a grinder. Enjoy your new toy.

 

[couger78]

Great start! Glad to hear you liked the recipe. The bangers are pretty mild so you can adjust seasonings to your own personal palette.

Sheep casings are notoriously delicate and prone to blow-outs. Slow & steady seems to work best when stuffing them. And because of their 'tenderness,' twisting links off after stuffing a long length is really tricky—particularly if you've stuffed them tight (full). You'll notice I used 32mm hog casings on my bangers. 

Oh, and you'll really appreciate that little Grizzly for stuffing!

Kevin

 

[venture]

Looks good. And yes, those sheep casings can be a bit delicate. 

I gotta say?  For a first run at sausage, you certainly didn't pick the easiest cherry off the tree.

Then again, you were following in the steps of a master.

Great job! 

Good luck and good smoking.

 

[bbqonice]

look good...if you want links you can twist them as they come off the stuffer...but we always just tie each link with butcher thread....

 

[jetman]

All, Thank for the positive comments, good to hear from the pros that I'm doing it right! Cougar, you recipe is just what I was looking for to use as a base to play with spices plus I had all the ingredients on hand. Hope the Grizzly stuffer makes it Friday as I want to make up a batch of German sausage to go in the smoked cheese, cured meat packages my friends and family are getting from Santa

I'll have a second set of hands next time, hoping my twists will come out and not the filling ;-)

Jetman<<<

 

[boykjo]

 

 

[couger78]

For a first run at sausage, you certainly didn't pick the easiest cherry off the tree.

I like a guy who enjoys the challenge!

So what's next, Jetman.......Mortadella?  

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/116407/mortadella-fancy-italian-bologna

 

[jetman]

I like a guy who enjoys the challenge

So what's next, Jetman.......Mortadella?  

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/116407/mortadella-fancy-italian-bologna

Kevin,

I'm not a huge lunch meat fan but reading your Mortadella post has me reconsidering what's going on my lunch sammich

FYI, I did not think the Bangers in sheep casing was that difficult. My current occupation is as a maintenance mechanic but in a previous career I spent 20+ years as a pastry chef, so sausage making not such a big deal. I would love to have built my own PVC stuffer but with crazy hours at work and too many wooden boat projects at home, I'm better off just buying one. Next weekend plans are to finish stuffing the bangers in the Grizzly stuffer as well as some German sausage. Gotta go now, the Pepper Jack out in the ECB is calling for me !

Jetman<<<<

P.S. Thank You for your pic heavy and very informative posts, if I live to be 100 (not likely with all these treats I want to make!) I hope to be half the sausage king you are

 

[jetman]

Okay, another busy weekend here, cranking out close to 20# of sausage today. New Grizzly 5# stuffer arrived Friday, it worked fabulous !

Picture time.....

20121223_142812.jpg

• jetman
• Dec 23, 2012

My girlfriend (VikingQueen) here on the group taking over the grinding of a batch of Bratwurst

Pork and chuck out of grinder.jpg

• jetman
• Dec 23, 2012

Using the finest die (maybe 2mm?) the Northern Tool grinder worked like a charm. Used about 10# pork shoulder and 3# beef chuck

Finished bratwurst.jpg

• jetman
• Dec 23, 2012

Spice blend is made by a local fellow and sold at my local butcher supply (NW Butcher Supply in Clackamas OR), very nice flavor

testing bratwurst flavor.jpg

• jetman
• Dec 23, 2012

The obligatory taste test, glad I did as it was too salty. Turns out we trimmed about 3# of icky stuff (connective tissue) from the pork and threw off the spice packet. Quick dig in the freezer and came up with 2# of ground chuck, still short on weight I added about 8oz bread crumbs and a couple cups of water. One more fry test, GF and I deemed it edible!!

Bratwurst and Grizzly 5 pound stuffer.jpg

• jetman
• Dec 23, 2012

Spent 15 minutes just threading the 24-26mm natural casing on the horn, what a pain in the back side but so worth the end result. The Grizzly 5# stuffer is worth it weight in Gold (well at least when compared to trying to stuff the the Northern grinder/stuffer)

Not pictured but I finished stuffing the English Bangers, it's 20-22mm casing had been in water all week, threaded on much easier. Girlfriend took a good sized baggie home for diner with her daughter, both gave the thumbs up. Spent most of the rest of the evening vacuum packing the breakfast bangers and brats for Christmas gifts. Okay, enough playing on the computer rest of the candian, buckboard bacon, smoked cheddar and pepper jack are not going to slice and vacuum pack themselves

JetMan<<<

 

[venture]

Sausage looks good.

A girlfriend who likes helping you make sausage?

Priceless!

Good luck and good smoking.

 

[boykjo]

Sausage looks good.

A girlfriend who likes helping you make sausage?

Priceless!

Good luck and good smoking.

X2