Oh what hole I've fallen down!

[nomoreusmc]

I'm a jerky super freak. Been making 3-5lbs of jerky a week for as long as I can remember. At least since my early 20s(I'm almost 50) and of course I love summer sausage and I am pretty picky about it and someone suggested that I should make it myself..... And I thought that was a damn fine idea.

Then the worst happened. I found a YouTube channel called two guys in a cooler. It was a couple weeks before October began. Needless to say I've been mainlining sausage content ever since. Like a junky. I'm a disabled veteran and I just got medically retired. So seems like a great time to start a new sausage addiction. Not just that but it seems like the stuff I really like is fermented sausage. I mean dang, been trying to keep that stuff out of my food and now I'm gonna pay for packets of mold and bacteria to put in there on purpose? And I'm supposed to be good with that? What? But pepperoni and summer sausage! Snack sticks, and pepper wurst.


So I got a grinder, the nice vevor sausage stuffer, and a head full of tasty ideas. My birthday is next Friday so I am planning on making sausage for my birthday. Kinda thinking about the Cajun green onion sausage as my first!

What should be my first fermented sausage? I'm planning on starting with the encapsulated citric acid but not sure where to go from there.

 

[Winterrider]

Welcome to the forum from ND, and thank you for your service

 

[JIMSMOKES]

Welcome from SC. I'm just starting my sausage journey as well.

 

[mr_whipple]

Welcome from Virginia. Lotsa sausage makers here!

 

[indaswamp]

Cajun green onion is a good choice. I will be making some today matter of fact....
Welcome to SMF. Eric is a great resource. He is also a member here on SMF.

 

[millerbuilds]

Welcome to SMF from North Texas!

- Jason

 

[nomoreusmc]

Thanks for the warm welcome! Although I may have some bad news. My Austin XL auger stopped turning last night, and the numbers on the display are messed up and dim........ The light fading from her eyes ....... Worst yet a month out from Turkey day. I may have to cold smoke with a tube and bake her. Time for surgery.

 

[JLinza]

Welcome, from Colorado. You'll find lots of knowledge about making sausage in here for sure.

 

[tallbm]

Thanks for the warm welcome! Although I may have some bad news. My Austin XL auger stopped turning last night, and the numbers on the display are messed up and dim........ The light fading from her eyes ....... Worst yet a month out from Turkey day. I may have to cold smoke with a tube and bake her. Time for surgery.

Hi there and welcome!

Also welcome to the sausage club :D

With your smoker going out and you having some time in retirement.... how much space do you have for smokers?
I ask because the best simple sausage smoker (and electric smoker in general) is a free or cheap used Masterbuilt digital Electric Smoker 40 inch (MES) you get your hands on, do the simple rewire, and slap a PID controller onto it.

This thing would allow you to REALLY dive into smoked sausages and would work well for your jerky making as well.

I used to see $40-$50 MES 40 inchers on Craigslist all the time in my area and I didn't even check Facebook sales (I give away my data and my life to those social media sites).
If this sounds interesting let us know :D

 

[nomoreusmc]

Hi there and welcome!

Also welcome to the sausage club :D

With your smoker going out and you having some time in retirement.... how much space do you have for smokers?
I ask because the best simple sausage smoker (and electric smoker in general) is a free or cheap used Masterbuilt digital Electric Smoker 40 inch (MES) you get your hands on, do the simple rewire, and slap a PID controller onto it.

This thing would allow you to REALLY dive into smoked sausages and would work well for your jerky making as well.

I used to see $40-$50 MES 40 inchers on Craigslist all the time in my area and I didn't even check Facebook sales (I give away my data and my life to those social media sites).
If this sounds interesting let us know :D

I would definitely be interested! I don't social media, this and YouTube is close as I get! I built TV and radio stations so I can wire and weld

 

[Gonna Smoke]

Welcome to the show! I started my sausage/bacon journey around the first of this year and haven't looked back. It's unbelievable the amount of knowledge here and the willingness to share it. Even if a question has been asked a 1000 times, there are those here who are more than willing to answer it 1 more time...

 

[kelbro]

Welcome and thanks for your service.

 

[nomoreusmc]

has been asked a 1000 times, there are those here who are more than willing to answer it 1 more time...

I'll try not to do that! Although my annoying habit is over complicating things and I'll try not to do that too!

 

[nomoreusmc]

Well it maybe going down early! Went to the grocery store and got pork shoulder for 1.34\lb got 6kg (metric is so weird to me) boneless. 12lbs chicken thighs with skin on! Woot woot! The only critical hole in my plan right now is that I don't have any sausage casings...

 

[Fueling Around]

Welcome to SMF
Also Thank You for your service. Son is active Army NG

...
My Austin XL auger stopped turning last night, and the numbers on the display are messed up and dim........ The light fading from her eyes .......

My Son in Law has a Cabelas rebranded Pitboss. He has replaced the auger motor, display (twice), and the auger bolt about every 2-3 uses.
If your auger motor still runs start with replacing the connector bolt to the auger.
For the display try dis connecting all the connectors, clean the contacts, reassemble, and secure them with cable ties. He found they worked loose over time. You know what weak connections do to the contacts.
Oh yes contact Customer Service at PB. They have a 5 year as I recall.

...
The only critical hole in my plan right now is that I don't have any sausage casings...

Do you have a Cabelas (Bass Pro Shop) close to you? They might have PS Seasoning slurry packs in stock. I much prefer PS Seasonings over the LEM packs I have found.
Open the package and rinse off the salt slurry and put the casings in a 5% brine to soak to get them rehydrated.

 

[nomoreusmc]

Welcome to SMF
Also Thank You for your service. Son is active Army NG

My Son in Law has a Cabelas rebranded Pitboss. He has replaced the auger motor, display (twice), and the auger bolt about every 2-3 uses.
If your auger motor still runs start with replacing the connector bolt to the auger.
For the display try dis connecting all the connectors, clean the contacts, reassemble, and secure them with cable ties. He found they worked loose over time. You know what weak connections do to the contacts.
Oh yes contact Customer Service at PB. They have a 5 year as I recall.


Do you have a Cabelas (Bass Pro Shop) close to you? They might have PS Seasoning slurry packs in stock. I much prefer PS Seasonings over the LEM packs I have found.
Open the package and rinse off the salt slurry and put the casings in a 5% brine to soak to get them rehydrated.

I actually live in Springfield Missouri, the home of Bass pro. I never even considered.... Man that place is busy this time of year.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

A sausage hole?

Where am it

 

[nomoreusmc]

A sausage hole?

Where am it

It's not that kind of a hole, but as United States Marine I appreciate your exuberance!!!

Meat is cubed and in the freezer!

Chicken broth started!

 

[BGKYSmoker]

First off start with smoked sausage before you venture into fermenting.

Not my first sausage rodeo baaaahahahaha

 

[nomoreusmc]

First off start with smoked sausage before you venture into fermenting.

Not my first sausage rodeo baaaahahahaha

I've already planned a bit of a sausage party for my birthday next week......... My first pork sausage. Rotisserie chicken sausage from a couple of days ago once celebrate sausage is going to be my first today. Waiting for it to freeze now, already have the stuffer and the grinder setup. I'm pretty excited to lose my sausage virginity!