It was a rainy, cold, and blustery weekend - perfect time to make a batch of venison doggies. I like the AC Legg seasoning but I embellish it with some fresh garlic and a tiny bit of Mace. I decided to go small (5#) on this batch with no cheese or other additional add-ins. My favorite ratio is 70% venison, 20% pork shoulder, and 10% fat. It gives me a very smooth texture and excellent taste.
I grind through a 1/8" plate at least twice. Generally, I separate the meat and the fat in the grinding process. Mixed all the ingredients and put them in the fridge until the next afternoon.
Next up is homogenization or emulsification. I usually keep a bowl surrounded by ice as the receptacle to keep the mixture cool after the process because it does generate a bit of heat due to the friction in the process. The point of emulsification is to join two dissimilar compounds (fat & protein) so it's important to keep everything as cool as possible. If I am doing a large batch (20#) I use several small bowls within a large bowl with plenty of ice.
The next step obviously is stuffing - pretty boring so I didn't take any pics. After that I loaded my indoor smoker. It was way too cold and windy outside so I used my indoor franken smoker.
In the smoker at 130F for 30 minutes, bumped-up to 140F with smoke for 1.5 hours. Ready for Sous Vide.
Vacuum sealed and ready for Sous Vide.
Sous Vide to 147F for 55 minutes. After a cold water bath I let them go to room temperature and then to the fridge.
I took a few in to work the next day and was inundated with requests from people to make a batch. Given that hot dogs or wieners are probably the most process intensive sausage to make, I respectfully declined but, I did suggest that a good case of stout may change my mind.
I hope my smoking brotherhood enjoyed,
Smokenharley
I grind through a 1/8" plate at least twice. Generally, I separate the meat and the fat in the grinding process. Mixed all the ingredients and put them in the fridge until the next afternoon.
Next up is homogenization or emulsification. I usually keep a bowl surrounded by ice as the receptacle to keep the mixture cool after the process because it does generate a bit of heat due to the friction in the process. The point of emulsification is to join two dissimilar compounds (fat & protein) so it's important to keep everything as cool as possible. If I am doing a large batch (20#) I use several small bowls within a large bowl with plenty of ice.
The next step obviously is stuffing - pretty boring so I didn't take any pics. After that I loaded my indoor smoker. It was way too cold and windy outside so I used my indoor franken smoker.
In the smoker at 130F for 30 minutes, bumped-up to 140F with smoke for 1.5 hours. Ready for Sous Vide.
Vacuum sealed and ready for Sous Vide.
Sous Vide to 147F for 55 minutes. After a cold water bath I let them go to room temperature and then to the fridge.
I took a few in to work the next day and was inundated with requests from people to make a batch. Given that hot dogs or wieners are probably the most process intensive sausage to make, I respectfully declined but, I did suggest that a good case of stout may change my mind.
I hope my smoking brotherhood enjoyed,
Smokenharley