Sausage 101

[Jarhead]

Here's a great little website that I ran across today.
This may be the nudge to get other people into sausage making.

Sausage Making For Beginners

They explain it a lot better than I can or have.
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Gunny 3073/4044/8411

Jarhead's World Blog
KCBS CBJ & HMFIC Debbie's Q Shack

[patruns]

Nice site... thanks Gunny!
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Pat

Char-Griller Outlaw with SFB
Weber Smokey Joe
Weber Q 220
LIAR#49

[Jarhead]

Thanks Pat. I wish I could have read that 2 years ago. But I've learned a whole lot more right here on The Ring.
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Gunny 3073/4044/8411

Jarhead's World Blog
KCBS CBJ & HMFIC Debbie's Q Shack

[h4ppy-chris]

thanks jarhead i am just starting on the sausage road and doing a lot of reading.
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should i play with the wife or the UDS? hmm, the UDS took some playing with.

[-olllllllo-]

seems to be pretty accurate.

a good read, experienced or not.

[Beertooth]

Cool.

Added it to my "Sausage" bookmarks folder.
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Camp Chef Pro90 Stove w/ Griddle
1985 22" Weber Kettle
CharGriller
18.5" WSM (Stoked)
22.5" WSM
85 Gallon UDS
Weber Smokey Joe/Mini WSM
Cast Iron Cookware
24" Disc Cooker
Masterbuilt 40" Electric
Char-Griller Akorn

[Jarhead]

Chris, Jeep and BeerTooth, glad to post. I agree, great read. Experienced or not.
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Gunny 3073/4044/8411

Jarhead's World Blog
KCBS CBJ & HMFIC Debbie's Q Shack

[Kevin P]

What I really appreciate about the content of the articles is the author really stresses two points in sausage-preparation: Temperature (cold) and Sanitation— two factors that are quite important.

I use the bleach/water mix as a means of cleaning all cutting boards, my main work surface, cutting utensils & containers. Works gloves are particularly important when handling meat (you really don't want to see how much micro-stuff you have under your fingernails when you plunge naked hands into a load of ground meat! ) Work quickly & don't let meat dry onto grinder pieces. Keep clean pieces dry (free of water) & lubricate moving parts with spray food-grade silicone, PAM or use food-grade grease. Some sausage makers use shortening to lube up the grinder head & components with no ill-effect on the meat.

I chill my entire grinder head (plate, knife, tray, head & auger) about 20-30 minutes in the freezer before using.
Most meats are 'near' frozen when ready to grind.
The collection bowl or lug is also well-chilled.

Both of these procedures help ensure good, healthy results from the kitchen. It takes planning & preparation, but it's worth the extra effort, in my opinion.

Kevin

[Jarhead]

Amen Kevin. Thanks for the post.
I use a 10% bleach solution in a spray bottle for flat surfaces. I also have a bucket of 10% solution that everything gets dipped in and air dried before going to the freezer.
Gloves, wear 'em. I use Nitrile. I even dip my gloved hands into the bleach solution before starting.
I use a couple of cheap full size chafer pan sets with ice underneath. Works great.
I grind into 1 of the pans. The other holds the meat to be ground.
I remove ground meat into 1 gallon bags (weighed and marked per recipe, ie 4.4#, 5#, etc) and into the fridge.
I have 3 five gallon buckets set up. Wash, Rinse, Sanitize. Invest in a Baby Bottle Brush (ya know 1 end for the nipple and the other end for the bottle) and a (don't laugh) Toilet Brush. Don't go steal the one out of the bathroom either, get a NEW one.
Clean everything after each step. I grind, package and weigh, then clean the grinder. The mixer is already in the freezer. You see where I'm going. Beats the he!! out of 2 hours of cleaning off dried meat.

Edited to add:
After mixing, the meat goes back into the same bag it came out of. I just rinse and sanitize it, before I place the mixed meat back in there. Then the bag goes back to the fridge to rest and let the cure get fully mixed in. Usually 12 to 24 hours. Then stuff.
Like Kevin said. Cold is your friend.
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Gunny 3073/4044/8411

Jarhead's World Blog
KCBS CBJ & HMFIC Debbie's Q Shack

[dmsintexas]

I wanted to let folks know that the basic course has been expanded into an e-book and is now available as a pdf for free download from the site.

The expanded book is titled "A Beginner's Guide to Making Sausage, Bacon and Jerky".

Thanks!
David

[Harry Nutczak]

a 10% solution is overkill IMO, a cap-full of bleach per gallon is sufficient , your solution should be between 100-200 PPM, some people are sensitive to bleach, and that heavy of a dose could sicken some.

We work on unfinished hardwood surfaces, and at night after degreasing and scraping, we use a 50% bleach solution on the boards, but in the morning it gets wiped down with a 100-200 PPM solution to remove any excess residue from it soak.
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Just remember that the toes you may step on during your climb to the top will also be attached to the a$$es you'll be forced to kiss on your way back down!

[cbates]

Thanks for sharing. I am a very experienced home chef but have not made sausage before- this was an excellent overview and will shorten my learning curve considerably!

[Jarhead]

You're welcome CBates and Welcome Aboard.
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Gunny 3073/4044/8411

Jarhead's World Blog
KCBS CBJ & HMFIC Debbie's Q Shack