sausage,sausage,and more sausage

[dacdots]

Hey all,the sausage kitchen here is in full swing.A friend and I each bought a pig.They dressed in the range of 178 lbs. each.We got a combined total of 95 lbs. of ground pork.Well its all seasoned for breakfast sausage and about 50 Lbs. of it is in the freezer so far.Tonight I just had to take a break,Ive been staying up way past my bedtime working up these two pigs for the last three nights.When its all done Ill put up a few pics.P.S. Hams and bacons are next.

 

[georgie]

Hi dacdots!I was wondering if you are using pre pack spices or using your own formulations?I am also interested in your set up for sausage making?
For a grinder I have a Blakeslee 12 qt mixer with a very good grinder attachment,kinda same idea as kitchenaid but no plastic and much bigger.
I also have a horizontal 10 qt stuffer which my 8 yr old Daughter is in charge of cranking while I manage the sausage end.If I could do it all over again I would go with a vertical stuffer so I could manage sausage stuffing much more easily.Happy sausage making!

 

[soflaquer]

Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you Dac! Wish I was close enough to come by and give it a taste!

Homemade sausage is not a big item down here for some reason. Online is about the only place you can go to find the material needed for that. I don't know of any local stores that carry those items in South Florida.

Seems we have quite a few Members that really enjoy it though!

Jeff

 

[mikeold]

Up until the last 4 years our family has always Butchered our own hogs. Had to give it up because the family is getting smaller and the ones left are getting older. I still purchase what I need from the local butcher shop and make my own sausage, puddin', scrapple, souse and so forth. Around these parts we don't use the prepacked spices for the bulk of our sausage, our recipe is quite simple. Salt, plenty of course ground black pepper and a touch of brown sugar. Simple and delicious.

Mike

 

[dacdots]

Georgie,I have used premixed spices and I have used my on recipe.I like my recipe the best cause I can tweek it year to year to get it better.I use black pepper,white pepper,red pepper lots of sage,a little ginger and a little nutmeg.This year I bought plastic sausage bags just like thry come in the supermarket.Just load 25 lbs. of sausage in the stuffer and go at it,its much faster than wrapping with freezer paper.I also stuffed 20 lbs. into 19mm casings for breakfast links.Soon as a get a little more time Ill post some pics.David

 

[monty]

David, I have to hand it to you! You are "The Man" when it comes to making sausage by the ton! Great going. I am familiar with the recipe you are basically following. Have you ever tried a bit of dried ground rosemary in your breakfast recipe? Just a hint, say a teaspoon per ten pounds? Just a thought! And rosemary grows very well in WV!
Monty

 

[dacdots]

Monty,I always grow a couple rosemary plants in the herb garden every year,I really like it.Never used it in sausage yet but thats part of the fun trying out new combinations.I know it goes well with pork,I usually add some to my pork loins when I smoke them.Maybe next year Ill try a small batch with rosemary and see how it turns out.Thanks for the idea,David

 

[dacdots]

Here is a few pics for everyone.

 

[dacdots]

18 feet of sausage

 

[dacdots]

Ready to stuff

 

[dacdots]

40 lbs.

 

[monty]

David, one of the reasons I do not share sausage recipes is that they are always in a state of flux. They change faster than the weather in Vermont! I am pleased to hear that you grow rosemary! What a nice herb for many different recipes.
Once we get the garden thread going I will post many uses for herbs and so on. Especially where some common recipes can be adjusted "up" a notch or two!
Best of luck, Brother!
Monty

 

[monty]

And BTW LOVE the pics
Monty

 

[shaneholz]

I am also in the process of making a bunch of sausage but I'm using venison and mixing pork in with it. I have already made 25 lbs of summer sausage and 25 lbs of fresh brats. This weekend it's 25 lbs of breakfast and 25 lbs of pepper stick with high temp cheese added. I'll send pics probably on Monday. Your pics look great! Usually by the end of hunting season I'm so sick of looking at ground meat that I have to take a break for at least a couple weeks. The smoker never really gets too cold here in Michigan!! Have a great week!

 

[Dutch]

David, good looking pictures! We had a customer who was (to use his term) a Hog Production Manager and every couple of years he would have us slaughter 4 or 5 of his oldest brood sows and these gals where BIG. The customer would always want them boned and ground into sausage meat-no hams, no bacon. Talk about grinding meat in your sleep! The only thing that kept Dad from turning him down was the fact that we didn't have to wrap the sausage afterwards. The customer would have us grind the sausage and place it in plastic bag lined boxes (50 pounds per box) and he would pick it up fresh. We think he had a sausage stuffer at home and he would make his own links.

 

[dacdots]

Shane,Im with you on getting weary of the work.I love working with meat but after a while you need a break.Im getting a week off while my hams and bacons are in the cure.My breakfast sausage was pure pork but I will be making other products entirely out of deer meat,plus some pork or beef fat.Id like to know more about this high temp cheese,never heard of such a thing.I have used regular cheddar in some things and it seemed to do ok but if you have a better idea Id like to know about it,thanks,David

 

[cheech]

Hey brother I happened to trip across this thread and thought that now that we have our garden forum that we may be blessed with some common recipes. Are you still willing to share?

Just getting ready to plant my garden and wondering what I should include.

 

[goat]

That sausage looks good dacdots. I really enjoy making sausage myself. I just made 25 lbs of breakfast sausage a week or so ago. During hunting season, when the weather is cool enough, I try to lay in a supply of smoked deer products for the rest of the year. I think I miscalculated because I only have 1 pkg of dried sausage left. Darn

 

[jts70]

Dac,

Looking good, I am truly inspired by your efforts. I have been planning on making some sausage myself. I just need to find the time. candle is burning on both ends. Great job!! I have a week coming up in the end of June and hope to be able to make my first batch then.

 

[shellbellc]

I get excited whenever I see a thread with the words either sausage or hams and see that it's started by dacdots. Good lookin stuff!!!