Been wanting to do this for a while, finally took the plunge today. Got a 15 lb boneless butt, ground 10 lbs and made a five lb recipe of fresh brats and a five lb recipe of andouille. Fry test on both was great, the andouille is at just over 140 now, will take it out of the smoker at 150 and let it cool and bloom for a couple hrs before refrigerating. Cut the last five lbs into 1 lb slabs, they become Tasso tomorrow. (http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/25/2y3abedu.jpg)(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/25/rumuhuza.jpg)
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good job - unfortunately now you will be hooked :)
Very nice, TF! Now there is definitely no hope for you. I'd make at least one batch a week if I didn't have to keep bacon in the house!
Quote from: GusRobin on May 24, 2014, 08:25:17 PM
good job - unfortunately now you will be hooked :)
Yeah, thats pretty much a foregone conclusion. It's ok though, I was hooked before I even started!!
That Andouille looks seriously good! Nice going.
Loves me some tasso too.
Sausage looks good, welcome to the dark side! ;)
Looks great, nice job! You'll be addicted for sure, great relaxing hobby.
looks good so fae. Post pics of your tasso please.
Getting pretty inspiring there, TF! I better get my sausage stuffer broken in soon too!
Here's a couple shots of the finished andouille and tasso. Smoked a little Gouda, jarlsburg and cojack today as well. Really happy with the brats and tasso, the andouille has excellent flavor but I feel like the texture could be better, it's just a tad bit "mealy". Maybe I poked it to much with my thermapen toward the end? It had a lot of juice running out of it but never got over 150 so I don't think it was a "fat out". Maybe a sausage expert could give me a hint?(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/27/uvyne9yz.jpg)(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/27/2ujupegy.jpg)(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/27/evebygep.jpg)
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okay it all looks very good however I'm wondering the difference between the tasso and biltong.
Tasso is pieces of pork butt that has had cure applied, then rinsed, rubbed with spices and smoked. It's kinda like ham but spicier and chewier. It's used in recipes more so than eaten by itself. I've never tried biltong but my understanding is that it's similar to jerky but thicker/meatier?
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Quote from: tailfeathers on May 24, 2014, 07:57:27 PM
Been wanting to do this for a while, finally took the plunge today. Got a 15 lb boneless butt, ground 10 lbs and made a five lb recipe of fresh brats and a five lb recipe of andouille. Fry test on both was great, the andouille is at just over 140 now, will take it out of the smoker at 150 and let it cool and bloom for a couple hrs before refrigerating. Cut the last five lbs into 1 lb slabs, they become Tasso tomorrow. (http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/25/2y3abedu.jpg)(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/25/rumuhuza.jpg)
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Where the heck did you ge a 15lb boneless butt? Must have come off a 400 lb. hog!
Biggest one they had at Costco. It was actually 15.5
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Costco sells 2 butts per bag. ;)
Pretty sure it was ONE big hunk of meat when I cut it up.
Looks fabulous!
On the texture issue- did you grind the sausage meat on the same die for both types of sausage?
Also, did you keep the meat on ice or in the icebox before grinding? I dice my meat and then immediately put that batch into the freezer while I grind the next batch in 5 lb increments. The very cold meat isn't frozen but it is slightly "crunchy" on the surface. I think this helps the texture issue, but others may have other ideas for you here.
Yummy!
PJP
PJPLD-
All the meat was semi-frozen when it was ground. The andouille went two passes through the grinder, the brats just once, but used the medium die for both. Actually, since my post about the texture I have heated and eaten a little of the andouille and the texture is better when it is cooked. I had tried some when it first came out of the smoker. Maybe it needed to be chilled and then re-heated? Anyway it seemed much improved. I had given a link to a co-worker to try, he said he thought the texture was fine, so maybe I'm ok after all. I do think I'll try to refrain from being so "poke happy" with the thermapen next time though. I was just worried about the dreaded fat out. Next go round the Maverick probe goes in the lowest link nearest the element and no one gets prodded until that sucker says 150F!
Happy it all turned out well!
I use my Maverick in the way you describe, inserted into the lowest link through the end. If I have to I will also do one other "quality" temp check before I pull 'em out. I've been fortunate, haven't ever had a fat-out.
Now it's time for me to plan my next sausage project. It's supposed to be dry this weekend, it could be a good plan!
:)
PJPLD
Quote from: pjplovedog on May 28, 2014, 01:34:38 PM
Happy it all turned out well!
I use my Maverick in the way you describe, inserted into the lowest link through the end. If I have to I will also do one other "quality" temp check before I pull 'em out. I've been fortunate, haven't ever had a fat-out.
Now it's time for me to plan my next sausage project. It's supposed to be dry this weekend, it could be a good plan!
:)
PJPLD
Let us know how it turns out for you!