Seeking Advice Making 5.7 inch Thick Sandwich Meat / Sausage

[SmokinEdge]

Sheesh! Now I'm really confused :) I just bought a brand new MES40 to smoke sausage. Now I feel like I should have just rigged up cold smoker for my current smoker and bought a SV. Am I missing something? Is the SV just another method of getting sausage to temp slowly? i.e. I was planning on doing the slow smoke method with the mailbox mod on the MES.

This thread is more about large diameter sausages, but SV is a great tool to help us process sausages. It’s not a “have to have tool” but it sure is a nice tool to have.

Take for instance if you were smoking 10 pounds or more of SS in your MES, you may run into a stall. That stall may last a while and can be a bit frustrating to get over, but if you move them into SV, there will be no stall and you will finish on an easy schedule time wise.

Another nice thing about finishing the natural casings in SV is you get a better snap on the casing and less chewy casing than when finished in just the smoker. So just as the MES is good for more than just sausage, so too is the SV good for more than just steaks. This site has a lot of good things on it, one of them is the enabling, sit back and enjoy the ride, we like tools around here to cook with.

 

[tallbm]

Thanks! I was dreading having to explain to my wife why I no longer need the new smoker I just bought and instead now need a new Sous Vide thingy majggy lol. Carry on men. I'll let myself out. :)

Well you have dodged a bullet for now.
If you don't have a good quality Vacuum Sealer, that would probably be the better battle worth preparing for. SV devices can be had for not too much, especially when compared a good vac sealing machine that cost a few hundred dollars :D

 

[GatorAGR]

As a matter of fact I'm in the middle of that decision as we speak. I typically don't buy entry level stuff, but I'm going to now. Debating the LEM vs Foodsaver at Costco. A-MAZE-N pellet tray just arrived! Vac seal and a stuffer and I should be good to go. Going to buy ground meat at the butcher for now.

 

[chopsaw]

Debating the LEM vs Foodsaver at Costco.

Not sure what you're looking at , but this is a great price on a Lem 100 .

LEM Vacmax 100 on sale $49.99 on Amazon.

This is a bargain! https://www.amazon.com/LEM-1379-MaxVac-Vacuum-Sealer/dp/B07JBXJDHW/ref=sr_1_3?crid=AB8YS5TC4O20&keywords=lem+vacmaster+100&qid=1706974522&sprefix=lem+vacmaster+100%2Caps%2C1000&sr=8-3

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[crazymoon]

Sheesh! Now I'm really confused :) I just bought a brand new MES40 to smoke sausage. Now I feel like I should have just rigged up cold smoker for my current smoker and bought a SV. Am I missing something? Is the SV just another method of getting sausage to temp slowly? i.e. I was planning on doing the slow smoke method with the mailbox mod on the MES.

GAGR, Sorry not trying to confuse you, I use my smoker for everything start to finish except for summer sausage . I just did a batch of snack sticks today in it. I just like finishing the large diameter sausage in my SV. I know exactly when it will be done and can plan accordingly and the texture is perfect.

 

[chopsaw]

the texture is perfect.

I've seen you say you use a temp of 140 . I do the same at the advice of daveomak .
It's perfect for sausage in a SV bath .

 

[thirdeye]

Sheesh! Now I'm really confused :) I just bought a brand new MES40 to smoke sausage. Now I feel like I should have just rigged up cold smoker for my current smoker and bought a SV. Am I missing something? Is the SV just another method of getting sausage to temp slowly? i.e. I was planning on doing the slow smoke method with the mailbox mod on the MES.

Well, a smoker and a SV are two tools in your arsenal of tools that sometimes work in unison. Taking this sausage thread a little off topic... here are some chicken breasts that were cured and hot smoked in my electric box smoker, but not to the 165° recommended internal temp. "Flavor smoked" might be a better description because I wanted color, flavor, texture, moistness, plus food safety.

Once I got the color right, I opted to move from the smoker to the SV in order to preserve as much moistness as possible, and pasteurize for safety. This is a win-win. Great in salads, sandwiches, on a cheese appetizer tray, etc.

 

[tallbm]

As a matter of fact I'm in the middle of that decision as we speak. I typically don't buy entry level stuff, but I'm going to now. Debating the LEM vs Foodsaver at Costco. A-MAZE-N pellet tray just arrived! Vac seal and a stuffer and I should be good to go. Going to buy ground meat at the butcher for now.

I haven't used the LEM vacuum sealers but the Lem MaxVac 500 (or 1000) style seems to be a command far superior design to the Foodsaver option at costco.
I bought a $225 Foodsaver years ago. Lasted basically 1 week of processing of about 14 game animals (deer and hogs) and would then not pull a vacuum worth a damn after that.

Moved on to a Weston Pro 2100 and never looked back.
I'll never use foodsaver again but some guys are happy with it. I vacuum seal about 200-250 pounds of food a year. Often about 180 pounds over a 2 day period. So you know what my usage is like.

 

[GatorAGR]

Thanks for all the info and help. I may vac seal 20lbs all year so an entry model should be fine for now. I may just grab the lem 100 and call it a day. Now on to the stuffer!

 

[SmokinEdge]

Thanks for all the info and help. I may vac seal 20lbs all year so an entry model should be fine for now. I may just grab the lem 100 and call it a day. Now on to the stuffer!

Yes, and you do need a stuffer. The 5# from LEM is very popular around here. Solid little stuffer for everything from sicks to bologna.

 

[GatorAGR]

Yes, and you do need a stuffer. The 5# from LEM is very popular around here. Solid little stuffer for everything from sicks to bologna.

I’ve considered the Lem 5# but also wonder if the cheaper Hakka would be ok? I typically don’t buy the cheapest anything but it gets pretty good reviews.

 

[SmokinEdge]

I’ve considered the Lem 5# but also wonder if the cheaper Hakka would be ok? I typically don’t buy the cheapest anything but it gets pretty good reviews.

Some members Here run the Hakka and really like it. However the feed tube drops out the bottom of the stuffer where the LEM is straight out. Meaning less meat mince left over in the LEM vs the Hakka but they both work well, I prefer the LEM style but YMMV.

 

[paulgeorge]

Well I have these big giant 5.7 inch diameter fibrous casings.
Why so big? I want sandwich bread sized sandwich meat.

I did a little light searching and was not finding anything useful, so I'm here to pick the brains of the most knowledgeable folks around.

What would be acceptable ways to smoke and finish the cured ground meat products I would be making with these casings?

I am wondering if they are simply too thick to do alone in the smoker and how long that may take.

Master the art of timing your smoking process before transitioning to sous vide (SV) with guidance from Cardailytips.com. When employing SV, ensure precise temperatures and durations to prevent unwanted fat out.

Hi all, I’m on a search to find some decent sausages, I’ve tried a lot of Western food shops, and a lot of them seem to buy from the same supplier and the skins used are thick, it’s like trying to chew through plastic! Anyone got a recommendation for decent sausages without the plastic-like skins, at the moment I’ve resorted to using frozen Richmond sausages, not great tasting but the skins are thin and you haven’t got to chew through them…any help is much appreciated

 

[SmokinEdge]

Hi all, I’m on a search to find some decent sausages, I’ve tried a lot of Western food shops, and a lot of them seem to buy from the same supplier and the skins used are thick, it’s like trying to chew through plastic! Anyone got a recommendation for decent sausages without the plastic-like skins, at the moment I’ve resorted to using frozen Richmond sausages, not great tasting but the skins are thin and you haven’t got to chew through them…any help is much appreciated

Let’s not derail this thread. Post another thread, there are plenty of answers to your question.

 

[tallbm]

I’ve considered the Lem 5# but also wonder if the cheaper Hakka would be ok? I typically don’t buy the cheapest anything but it gets pretty good reviews.

I don't think you will go wrong with either and SmokinEdge provides good info.
I own a 5 pound lem stuffer and it's good BUT it really only holds like 4 pounds of meat. So if you like doing 5 pounds at a time, it will take 2 rounds to make it happen.
Hakka offers a 7 pound stuffer that will likely do 5 pounds no problem.

When I do my wild game processing and/or sausage making I find I like being able to do complete batches with 1 filling (I have a stuffer that holds 20 pounds) so this is my main criteria.
Also know that as you get bigger stuffers it pretty much turns into a 2 person job. 1 person to crank hard on the stuffer (pushing 20 pounds through a tube takes effort) and 1 person to feed the sausage. With the 5 pound stuffer I have no issues doing it solo. I think doing 5 pounds in the Haka would be a similar experience to the little LEM.

I usually do sausage in 20 pound batches and do like 2-3 in 1 day while I have the help to crank.
If you are doing much smaller batches and not vac sealing then none of this may be an issue. Just know that if you go through the effort of making 5 pounds, you may find you simply want to add a little more effort to do like 10-20 pounds since all the stuff is out and ready to rock :D

 

[tallbm]

Thanks for all the input everyone! I finally got this project done and posted about it here https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t...gna-venison-smoked-then-sv-with-qview.326714/

The giant fatty chubs are a reality now and a success :D